Arturo Toscanini: Ludwig Van Beethoven Symphonies Nos. 1,2,3,4 NBC Symphony Orchestra Vol. 1: 2 CD Set

Toscanini's Beethoven

The Beethoven symphonies were a staple of Arturo Toscanini's repertoire. From 1949 to 1953, Toscanini and the NBC Symphony Orchestra recorded all nine of the symphonies and released them individually and in boxed sets of vinyl LPs. They were considered definitive performances and, for a long time, they were considered true high fidelity recordings. Admittedly, recording has greatly improved since then. Digital remastering, using a UV22 Super CD Encoding process, of these performances has greatly improved the sound, even if they still are quite up not up today's sonics. That said, the performances are still to be valued for their exciting, dramatic qualities.

Toscanini set a standard that has seldom been reached and it is known that few conductors measure of up to this precise and intense results. One of the few young conductors that Toscanini admired in the 1950's was Leonard Bernstein, who went onto make his own top-notch recordings for RCA Victor, Columbia, and Deutsche Grammophon, including performances of the Beethoven symphonies.

This two-CD set includes the first four symphonies and the overture to the play "Egmont," all recorded in New York City's historic Carnegie Hall. The first symphony, composed in 1800 in C Major, reflects Beethoven's mentor and teacher Franz Joseph Haydn. However, Beethoven always went farther than Haydn dreamed and there are numerous twists in the score that must have amazed (if not upset) the elder composer. Toscanini's superlative recording dates from December 21, 1951.

With the second symphony, composed in 1802 in D Major, shows some major steps forward by Beethoven. By now the composer had begun to move radically away from the models of Haydn and Mozart. It is a very exciting, innovative work, given a very fine performance by Toscanini and the NBC musicians. RCA utilized recordings made on November 7, 1949, and October 5, 1951.

This set includes the November 28 and December 5, 1949, recording sessions of Beethoven's revolutionary third symphony, the "Eroica." Toscanini fully appreciated what Beethoven had done in this major work, inspired initially by Napoleon. It is trully an heroic performance. My personal preference, however, is the 1953 recording, taken from an NBC broadcast concert, if only because the sound is much better and the performance more exciting.

The fourth symphony is another step forward for Beethoven. It is filled with mystery and intrigue. Toscanini's performance is really intriguing. Years ago I followed the music in a pocket score and noticed that Toscanini was very faithful to the original intentions. This February 3, 1951, recording is a performance to treasure and it is good to hear it in the purest sound possible. It is a big step from the electronic stereo version that RCA once released, in the late 1960's.

The overture to "Egmont" was made on January 19, 1953, and it is a very exciting and triumphant performance in Toscanini's hands.

I greatly appreciate RCA Victor's efforts to give us the best possible sound from these legendary performances.

January 2, 2006

Back to the bad old sonics--what happened?

After the glorious remastering of Toscanini's Verdi Requiem and Falstaff, I assumed we were out of the woods. But these early Beethoven symphonies (#1-4) are in snarly, gnarly sound. A great deal depends on what the engineers have to work with, of course. Even so, each performance is a trial sonically, with the best being the Fourth and Second, while the Eroica comes out worst. These readings are from 1949-53, yet the Egmont Over., which sounds thin and screechy, is the latest. All were done in Carnegie Hall, not the notorious Studio 8-H, but on these discs there's not much hint of warm hall acoustics.

For those who can withstand the glaring trumpets, crunchy climaxes, and wiry violins, I'm not sure there are great performances to be heard here. Toscanini basically performs each piece the same, with strong attacks, over-emphasis on sforzandos, rushed tempos as a rule (though not always), and a tensile line. His admirers will like these features; I found them nerve-wracking. The NBC Sym. is surprisingly scrappy in the finales of Sym. 2 and 4, and much of the Eroica lacks eloquence. The slow movements show up well, however, thanks to Toscanini's feeling for how to shape a melodic line. Overall, this is the most disappointing of the "Immortal" series so far. December 13, 2005

Commanding and Noble

I would say that these recordings of the first four symphonies represent the finest example of why Toscanini was held in such awe in America during his time. You can really understand why the whole of America stopped to listen to him and why he outdid the baseball and football in the radio ratings when he conducted on NBC radio.

I must admit I have always been a Furtw?ngler follower when it comes to Beethoven and it took me a while before I could warm at all to Toscanini's approach. In fact it comes as a surprise to me to find myself writing such a glowing review of these recordings when I was once so vehemently anti-Toscanini. I find that with Toscanini that his understanding of Beethoven's musical language is profoundest in the earlier symphonies whereas Furtw?ngler is profoundest in the later symphonies (from the fifth onwards). Above all Toscanini's approach to the symphony he conducted the most, the Eroica, is masterly. In fact I think this particular live NBC performance is the finest Eroica I have yet to hear - vastly superior to the sadly overdriven studio NBC recording that is so unflattering to this conductor's memory. The proximity to Beethoven's marked metronome markings is, I feel in this case, to be a great strength in the Eroica. Toscanini's brazen fast tempi are brought off with total conviction matched with a powerful grasp of the work's structure - an understanding that seems to slip after from about the fifth symphony onwards.

Other beautiful performances here include the first symphony. I must confess that I really do like Toscanini's approach. It seems to be chiselled out of marble and yet has a lovely, sunny Italianate lyricism. The second is almost as good but come the fourth things seem to be gradually slipping away from Toscanini as Beethoven moves on from the models left for him by Haydn and Mozart - with it Beethoven seems to leave Toscanini behind too. The approach is still - if only barely - valid for the fourth, but it sits just so slightly uncomfortably. From there onwards Toscanini's command of Beethovian rhetoric fades into what can seem like bombast with the later symphonies - although he still has his moments of brilliance. In fact Toscanini himself said of the 9th symphony that "I do not understand this music".


These are wonderful and essential recordings. They are also documents of a wonderful time in American history when people young and old still held great maestros like Toscanini in awe - in a fashion that not even rock stars can hope to emulate today. The fullness of the recorded sound will come as a surprise to many. In fact there are sadly plenty of so called 'digital stereo recordings' that sound FAR worse than this. July 11, 2005

Toscanini - Beethoven: The magic reveiled.....

I was very reluctant to buy this set. First because of the mono sound and then because of Toscanini's fast tempos that in my mind would harm the music. Well, I was wrong. The sound is not bad at all for its' age and the fast tempos bring a new vitality to the music. A winner!!!! April 20, 2003

Lyric and Technically Outstanding

These discs are among the definitive editions of Beethoven's symphonies. Technically, there is no stressing of harmony over melody. The listener can hear every note that is played by any instrument. As Toscanini is not a romantic, there are few gradual tempo changes (Crescendo, diminuendo, etc.). Instead,Toscanini essentially uses block dynamics most of the time. The symphonies are played in classical style, with somewhat taut phrasing and sound.

However, this is not to say that these recordings are devoid of lyricism and emotion. Szell's Beethoven is technically perfect, in classical style, unlyric, and unemotional. Toscanini's Beethoven is (nearly) technically perfect, in classical style, lyric, and emotional. In these recordings, themes are masterfully connected one to the next, and the music flows.

The First, Second, and Fourth symphonies represent Beethoven in his happy moods. Toscanini makes them sound joyful without being overly happy or cute. The Third symphony has drama, and its Funeral March is magnificent by any standards. The Egmont Overture is less weighty than it is on some other recordings. The remastering was good, but not perfect. If you own only one edition of symphonies 1-4, this should be it. June 16, 2002

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