Schubert: Symphonies Nos. 5, 8, 9; Mendelssohn: Symphonies Nos. 4 & 5

For a non-devotee, a pleasing collection

The newly remastered sound in the Toscanini "Immortal" series has brought me back into the fold, but not nearly to the breathless extent as true devotees. To a younger generation it's hard to grasp the absolute worship of Toscanini during his lifetime, yet it can't be denied. Here we have performances of 5 symphonies conducted briskly enough that they fit on two CDs. Does this imply that some of the music is too rushed? To my ears, yes. The first movement of the Schubert "Unfinished" and the two middle movements of the Schubert Ninth fairly fly by, and I hear no compensating reason why. Yet the Mendelssohn "Reformation," so often a dull duty to sit through, greatly benefits from Toscanini's kick in the pants.

The NBC Sym. wasn't a virtuoso ensemble, and nothing here sounds extraordinarily well played--one must acknowledge that razor-sharp precision was a Toscanini goal, however. It's heard to good effect in the "Reformation," hwich also has good sonics. The rest are never less than clearly recorded, without much glare or edginess.

My personal favorites here are the three Schubert symphonies, but particularly the Ninth, which Toscanini takes fairly broadly through the first movement, too fast in the middle movements, and thrillingly fast in the finale. The Fifth is buoyant, although it could use a dose more charm. The Unfinished is played for outright drama, a valid approach even if it takes a moment to adjust to Toscanini's speed up. The Mendelssohn "Italian" is pushed and faceless (Or was I getting fatigued by too many quick laps aorund the track?); it also suffers from wiry-sounding strings.

All in all, I'm not sure this level of music-making would be considered extraordinary if we didn't know befoehand that the Maestro was presiding, but even for a non-devotee this is a satisfying collection in the best sonics ever. December 7, 2005

Toscanini conducts Schubert & Mendelssohn

There's no question that Toscanini brought out nuances in the music of Franz Schubert and Felix Mendelssohn that other conductors have missed. This compilation is a clear, definitive demonstration of Toscanini's mastery of this music.

One of the bonuses of these digitally-remastered versions of the historic RCA Victor recordings is a clarity seldom heard in the peformances before. Too often these recordings suffered from either shrillness or artificial stereo enhancements. BMG has gone back to the original sources, the magnetic tapes, and carefully mastered them for optimal sound.

The performances are consistently outstanding. Schubert's fifth symphony is a light, lyrical work that is absolutely delightful in Toscanini's hands. It uses a fairly small orchestra and was recorded in Carnegie Hall on March 17, 1953, when RCA was achieving great results with its single-microphone "New Orthophonic" process.

The eighth symphony was recorded in Studio 8-H on March 12 and June 2, 1950, the final year that the NBC Symphony Orchestra performed there. Without a studio audience present, the studio had remarkably good sound and the RCA engineers achieved wonderful results, as this recording demonstrates. The performance is absolutely awesome, particularly in the almost eerie second movement. Toscanini clearly shows that Schubert achieved much in the two movements he completed before abandoning the symphony during its third movement.

The performances of Schubert's ninth symphony by Toscanini were generally exceptional. I've long admired the November 16, 1941, recording with the Philadelphia Orchestra and the February 9, 1953, recording with the NBC Symphony Orchestra. Toscanini maintains great intensity and excitement throughout the piece, clearly showing how Schubert was looking ahead to the development on romanticism.

Mendelssohn's fourth symphony, which the composer subtitled "Italian," is an absolute delight. It has seldom been played with such beauty, serenity, and dexterity as by the NBC Symphony in this February 1954 recording, one of the last great performances by the orchestra under Toscanini.

The fifth symphony, which celebrates the Reformation, is a work of great dignity and power. Toscanini skillfully grasped the drama of the music and builds the famous "A Mighty Fortress" chorale in an overwhelming manner. This Carnegie Hall recording from December 13, 1953, is one of Toscanini's best. December 1, 2003

Good, sometimes transcendant performances

I have said several times elsewhere that these 24-bit remastered Toscanini CDs are among the best-sounding of all Toscanini reissues. I should also mention that, for the most part, the performances are also superb. This set is no exception. I am not totally convinced of his swift, taut reading of the "Unfinished" symphony's first movement, but the second movement has seldom been performed with such depth of feeling and delicate beauty. Likewise, his performance of the Mendelssohn "Italian" symphony seems to me a bit harsh in places, perhaps caused by the tenseness of the string players, but is overall a fine reading. On the other hand, Toscanini's vision of the Schubert 5th was decades ahead of its time, light and airy, much like the Fischer-Dieskau and Harnoncourt recordings.

The Schubert 9th here is NOT the later recording, but the 1948 performance, which is actually a shade better, closer in concept to the exciting Philadelphia Orchestra performance but without the tragically wrong-headed slowdown of the basses in the closing measures. In short, a slightly faster version than you may be used to, but quite valid in its own way. (Even the Austrians of the Vienna Philharmonic admitted that Toscanini's Schubert, though unconventional, was valid.)

The Mendelssohn 5th Symphony, "Reformation," is quite simply one of the old man's greatest performances of any music. He actually conducts this symphony a little SLOWER than most conductors today, building the chorale theme in the last movement with inexorable drama and power. You simply must hear it to believe it! July 3, 2003

Sparkling Schubert & Mendelssohn from Toscanini

For those accustomed to the Viennese whipped-cream & chocolate approach to Schubert, Toscanini's interpretations will come as a shock. Toscanini saw Schubert's symphonic works as rooted in Classical structure and compositional technique, coupled with Schubert's extraordinary melodic gifts, rather as works pointing to Schumann and the later Romantics.

This 1953 version of Schubert's Fifth Symphony is the only one made by Toscanini, who performed publicly it for the first time shortly before the recording session. Always concerned with instrumental balance, Toscanini pared down the string section so as not to overpower the woodwinds. The result is a leaner Schubert Fifth than in most recordings, with fleet playing from the strings and better intonation from the woodwinds than one usually hears from the NBC Symphony.

Toscanini's 1950 recording of the ubiquitous "Unfinished" Symphony is more turbulent than most versions, with the battle between the minor and major tonalities of the first movement clearly being won by the sides of darkness. Where the first movement is turmoil interrupted by occasional lyricism, the second movement is just the opposite, and Toscanini's approach to the work underscores that point.

The Ninth was Toscanini's favorite of Schubert's symphonies, judging from the number of times he performed it. His three recordings of the piece (1941, with the Philadelphia Orchestra, 1947 with the NBC Symphony, and this version from 1953), differ in tempo, approach to transitions, and balance between orchestral sections. Yet Toscanini's vision of the work remains essentially the same: Structural and harmonic clarity are paramount. Whereas most conductors use the work as an excuse for random, and radical, tempo changes, Toscanini's plays the work in a relatively straight line. This is especially noteworthy in the coda of the first movement, where Toscanini sustains the main tempo until the end.

Unlike the Schubert, these performances of the Mendelssohn Symphonies derive from concert broadcasts and rehearsals recorded during Toscanini's final season as a conductor. For the most part, however, the playing is as polished as in the Schubert. (One notable exception is near the beginning of Mendelssohn's "Reformation" Symphony, where there are a few incidents of poor woodwind intonation.) The Mendelssohn Symphonies are approached in much the same way as the Schubert, more "Classic" than "Romantic" (of course, neither composer would have been concerned with such musicological terminology). Nevertheless, in terms of symphonic music, Toscanini's interpretive approach pointed to the high Classical era of Mozart and Early Beethoven.

A note about the sound: Until recently, few conductors have been as poorly served by recording technology than was Arturo Toscanini. The first LP issues of his work, which even then sounded sub-par, were made worse in the mid-1960s with the introduction of fake-stereo reissues. The first CD issues in the mid-1980s were little better, with excess reverb and audible edits. The mammoth complete Toscanini reissue of the early 1990s treated the recordings with the respect they deserved, but the sound was still limited. As for this RE-reissue, the sonics are dramatically superior to all earlier issues. Utilizing the best technology now available, RCA has done the right thing by hiring a musician--conductor Ed Houser--rather than whiz-bang technicians to supervise the remastering. The NBC Symphony Orchestra now sounds better than ever before, with greater clarity, smoother strings, fuller winds, and less distortion during fortissimos. Even this version of Schubert's "Unfinished," which was recorded in NBC's cramped Studio 8-H, has a fullness and body, if not actual warmth, that has not been heard previously from this source.

For those wanting to hear non-traditional, but faithful and powerful performances of these works, this issue is a must. July 23, 2001

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