For today I continued through Toscanini's eighth season at NBC with a symphony, three overtures, and one scherzo. These were recorded just weeks after V-E Day, and in most cases the excitement of World War II coming to an end were quite audible in these readings. The works recorded during these two sessions were (with one unfortunate exception) among the most thrilling ever conducted by Toscanini.
Haydn: Symphony No. 98 - May 25, 1945
This is not one of Toscanini's most distinguished Haydn recordings (not that any of his Haydn recordings are especially persuasive), and is a grave disappointment in the context of the many fine performances that the conductor led during the surrounding months. The first two movements are both overly slow and chunky. Toscanini's slower tempos were marked with breadth and flexibility in his finest performances, but this recording is lacking in forward movement and continuity. The Minuet, meanwhile, is ridiculously fast, while the last movement is so driven that the 6/8 meter beats you over the head instead of naturally flowing. Amazingly, Toscanini's biographer Mortimer H. Frank describes this recording as "throughly representative of the maestro's finest work," an assessment that leaves me flabbergasted. Reasonable minds can of course differ on how they view a performance, but how Frank can possible view this Haydn recording as being in the same league as Toscanini's finest work is a complete mystery to me.
Weber: Der Freischütz Overture - May 25th, 1945
Amazingly, this stunning recording of Weber's Der Freischütz Overture was recorded on the very same day as the disappointing Haydn Symphony recording from above. The haunted forest-world of Weber is stunningly evoked in Toscanini's hushed opening. The explosion of light at the end of the overture brilliantly balances the opening pallor, and the NBC Symphony plays this music with thrilling intensity.
Beethoven: Coriolan Overture - June 1st, 1945
This very brisk performance of the Coriolan Overture sustains extreme power without losing any strength on account of its speed - a less commanding reading would probably sound very glib at this tempo. Unfortunately, even the remarkable string players of the NBC Symphony cannot maintain immaculate ensemble at Toscanini's tempo, and the resulting performance is a bit messy at times - extremely compelling, but messy. The coda of this overture, which critic John Ardoin has described as (along with Mahler's Ninth Symphony) coming "as close as music can to capturing the sensation of death and dying", ebbs away from this frenetic activity into gloom and silence.
Beethoven: Leonore Overture No. 3 - June 1st, 1945
Interestingly, this recording of Beethoven's third Leonore Overture has a good deal more drama and theatricality than the reading that Toscanini gave as part of the complete Fidelio performance from six months earlier (like most conductors, Toscanini opted to use this overture as an interlude between the two scenes of the second act). This recording is energetic, full-blooded, and deeply moving. The suffering of Florestan is palpably projected in the opening darkness of this work, a suffering that gradually yields to brilliant light in the stunning final pages. This is Beethoven the way it should be performed - full of meaning and revolutionary vigor.
Mendelssohn: Scherzo from String Octet - June 1st, 1945
I admit I did not really want to like this performance. The Octet is one of the few Mendelssohn works that really speak to me, and it was hard for me to imagine it performed by a full orchestra, even if it was arranged by the composer. I have always viewed the Octet as the ultimate Ode to Youth, and the configuration of eight string players has always seemed the perfect combination of musicians to convey the ecstatic energy of the young Mendelssohn's vital creation. But Toscanini's players are fully up to the challenge of playing with youthful energy in a large orchestra led by the seventy-eight-year-old conductor. This music is played with breathtaking energy and vitality, and fully up to the standards of Toscanini's finest work.
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That's it for Day 29!
Check back tomorrow for three Rossini overtures and Mozart's Jupiter Symphony.
See you tomorrow!
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