Search - Berlioz, Toscanini, NBC :: Berlioz: Romeo et Juliette (Dramatic Symphony - Complete)/Bizet: Carmen and L'Arlesienne Suites

The Definitive Classic Interpretation of the Berlioz

09/17/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Despite its apparent shortcomings of having been compiled from two separate broadcasts of Feb. 9 and 16, 1947, that split the work for available airtime constraints, not to mention the relatively primitive monaural mechanical transcription technology, this reading is THE classic version (of the orchestral passsages, at least) for ultimate reference. Leonard Bernstein's criticisms of certain Toscanini departures from textual accuracy notwithstanding, this aircheck recording is arguably the finest account of the sprawling work to have appeared on disk up to this date.The transfer in this CD edition uses a different source than the old sixties RCA Red Seal LP release: master disks at the Rodgers and Hammerstein Museum "Toscanini Legacy" collection were transferred lovingly and accurately by Adrian Cosentini and Seth Winner, and could fool most auditors into believing the recording was high quality magnetic tape: in many respects the sound is as crisp and bright as the two Munch BSO Victor recordings from the fifties and sixties! The dry Studio 8-H acoustic may put off some listeners who do not "wallow" in the sound of old Toscanini records: the outbursts and climaxes do not resound with the rich ambient decays of many other modern stereo recordings made in capacious concert halls. Yet one must note that the esteemed Monteux / LSO performance (Westminster stereo originals, reissued on MCA CD) is also as clinical sounding as this Toscanini performance, allowing one to hear in both readings a microscopic presentation in inner voice detail.Gladys Swarthout is particularly admirable for her rich, affecting contribution, though John Garris and Nicola Moscona may not achieve front- rank status. The chorus is slightly untidy from time to time, with only a crude approximation of French pronunciation. Yet this may indeed be the CD edition to cherish!The two Bizet fillers are equally valuable. A group of five excerpts from the two "L'Arlesienne" Suites were compiled by Toscanini for his broadcast of Sept. 19, 1943: the sound is much drier and closer here, lacking the richness and transparency of the Berlioz, to the detriment of the very well-judged performance. Finally, the "Carmen" suite should evoke pleasurable nostalgia for many old-time Toscanini collectors. My first copy was an antique 10" LP; that was followed in the mid-fifties by a wonderful 2-disk Red Seal set called "The Toscanini Omnibus", a mediocre and thin Victrola transfer, and in the early CD era by a now-deleted RCA digitizing called "Toscanini Conducts Light Classics." The original recording session was held on August 5th, 1952, and the tapes sound MUCH better than the airchecks of the live broadcast, once released on Dell'Arte LP. Rather than being a typical assortment of individual segments re-orchestrated from operatic highlights (in the manner of the famous Bernstein or Ormandy recordings) the Toscanini arrangement hews closer to the orchestral text of the opera, and has a rousing conclusion that lifts one out of the seat.Though the "Omnibus" LP had pretty good sound, the first CD issue was a revelation. This digital reissue, in the Toscanini Collection, is just a shade lower in amplitude, with slightly less bass response and presence, than the deleted eighties monaural RCA CD release. Yet, in carefully comparing the two issues, I noted that nothing has been "taken away" from the recording, as one can make judicious tuning adjustments to get almost identical performance from this transfer."