Jussi Bjoerling, Zinka Milanov, NBC Symphony & Westminister Chorus - Toscanini Conducts Verdi: Two Sacred Works: Requiem Mass & Te Deum

The 1951 NBC broadcast Verdi Requiem approved by Toscanini for commercial release in the RCA/BMG Toscanini Collection (Vol. 63) is superseded by this broadcast from November 23, 1940, on both sonic and artistic grounds. Music & Arts' clear, well-focused sound (transferred, one suspects, from "inside" source material) captures the warmth and bottom often missing from the Maestro's harsher-sounding commercial discs. All of the vocal contributions, notwithstanding minor but glaring lapses from the soloists, surpass their later counterparts, especially the supple and well-rehearsed Westminster Choir. Moreover, Toscanini's broader tempi and greater flexibility allow text and music to coalesce in a manner few conductors have achieved, including Toscanini himself in subsequent performances. The present concert opened with a lovely performance of the Te Deum, a work the Maestro actually coached under the composer's approving eye. Excellent notes by Toscanini biographer Harvey Sachs round out this important release. --Jed Distler Amazon.com essential recording

terrific !!!

This recording is one of the best of all Verdi - Requiem recs. Toscanini, who (I think) the greatest Verdi conductor and his NBC Symphony with Westminster Chorus, performed it so wonderful! It is sometime darkful, sometime very passionate, powerful, terrible... You can see all the drammatic perspective to death of Verdi. And you can easily impressed with this recording.

This is the 1940 (early) performance of Toscanini, and more succesful than his later 1951 rec. In that occasion, there is no weak link. By the way, the solo quartet group is really amazing. I think, the most amazing pne of all is (of course) Jussi Björling. He is the best performer of "Ingemisco" section. In that movement, there is a heavenly, other-worldly happiness and hope. And Björling is glorious there! Nicola Moscona is a really good basso-profondo, who sang "Confutatis" very drammatic, too. "Dies irae" which the most terrible movement of all Requiem and all "Dies irae" in the history (!), the orchestra and chorus performed it in a "shining" mood!! The blows of Gran Cassa has the same effect of blows of Hammer! In this section, you can feel the terror, pessimist atmosphere of "The Day of Judgement". And this is the motto section of Requiem, it is coming three times in whole work, and at all shattering, very impressive.

Te Deum, which the last movement of Quatro pezzi sacri, is a majestic music of Verdi. And once again, Toscanini is marvellous, he also worked on it with Verdi himself, already.

This is a must have for any music lovers and searchers for a gold rec. of Requiem.

Highly recommended. July 28, 2006

Toscanini's best Verdi Requiem

I have heard a recording of this broadcast concert and, despite some surface noise from the original source, it was clear that this may be the best recorded performance by Toscanini of the Verdi "Requiem." I can't imagine why RCA Victor never issued this. Of course, they reportedly only issued recordings that Toscanini approved and there's some evidence that he wasn't always the best judge of his recordings. Certainly the 1951 concert recording, also from Carnegie Hall, has better fidelity, but this is clearly the better performance. It also has a better "cast," especially Jussi Bjoerling, the gifted Swedish tenor (and a classic "prima donna"), in the "Ingemisco." The Westminster Choir, who often worked with Toscanini prior to his associations with Peter Wilhousky and Robert Shaw, are a plus in this performance. The NBC Symphony is in top form, too.

Yes, it's good that the concert took place in Carnegie Hall, rather than Studio 8-H. Actually, Toscanini's longtime record producer, Charles O'Connell, said (in his memoirs) that they recognized (even in the 1940's) that Carnegie Hall was a better locale for recordings, so many of the "studio" recordings took place there, rather than at Radio City. A few NBC concerts were also held in Carnegie Hall, which became the regular home of the NBC Symphony in the fall of 1950, when Studio 8-H was remodeled into a television studio.

I have long admired Toscanini's March 1954 concert broadcast of Verdi's "Te Deum" and I'm sure that this earlier version is every bit as good. This was Verdi's last completed work and it apparently had special meaning to the Maestro. Long sections of it are a capella and it is very powerful, deeply spiritual work. October 23, 2003

An ESSENTIAL Item for the Toscanini Collector!

Most of the Music & Arts transfers of Toscanini broadcasts are in the highest possible "in house" quality of sound, as typified by this magnificent issue, which should rise to the top of the heap of all Toscanini releases of the Verdi "Requiem".

Though the later 1951 broadcast (with corrections from the dress rehearsal) of the Requiem is contained in the "authorized" and "official" RCA / BMG Toscanini Collection (Vol. 63), the reading is overly- aggressive and harsh, defaced as it is by the excessive use of an RCA audio peak limiter during its original recording: the massive drum beats and climaxes are severely "squashed", and the sonic balances and tipped to the upper midrange. Toscanini is not as relaxed and lyrical as he is in this supremely satisfying 1940 account, which should be in EVERY music lover's historic performance collection.

The broadcast on the present CD was taken down by RCA engineers while the music magically unfolded to the audience in Carnegie Hall: obviously it was thought that such a huge, massive work would benefit from the acoustic of a 'real' concert auditorium, so Studio 8-H was not used, to the eternal gratitude of music lovers who can revel in the richness and warmth of this recording. There are no highs above about 6 kHz, and some slight surface noise or distortion on occasion: no Cedar filtering or excessive re- equalization has been used, so the transfer sounds immediate and refreshingly accurate in its genuine solid mono.

But even an audiophile would not be disappointed with this recording, if she or he truly loved the Requiem, for this is indeed one of the most stunning and perfect recreations of it that has ever been captured on a record: the soloists and chorus sing like angels, and the orchestra and Toscanini give their utmost in devotion and energy, without going over the line as they did in the 1951 version.

The affecting "Te Deum" was, as I recall, not included in the actual broadcast of 23 November 1940, but was played immediately before the Requiem for the concert audience at Carnegie Hall: Toscanini favored this pairing and did it several times. The reading is as grave and powerful as the valedictory performance at one of his last NBC concerts (Vol. 62 of the RCA / BMG Collection) though it seems more spontaneous and yet better- controlled in this earlier broadcast.

DO NOT fail to get this recording; please avoid any other transfer that may appear on one of those cheap import labels that add all kinds of phony stereo and mushy filtering. 5 stars and 5 "huzzahs"! September 17, 1998

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