Hey everyone! Welcome to Day 45!
This afternoon I had the great pleasure of sharing a stage with Frank Sinatra Jr., who inherited a generous share of his father's talent. Since I'm too young to have experienced the Age of the Crooners during its heyday, this is a real thrill for me. The performance is tonight, and I should be getting in the mood for songs like "My Way" and "I've Got You Under My Skin", but first I wanted to set down my thoughts on what is widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest opera recordings ever made.
Verdi: Otello - December 6th and 13th, 1947
This is by common consent the finest of Toscanini's extant performances of complete operas, and it's hard to argue with that. Recordings of works such as Fidelio, La traviata and La bohème are looked down on by much the critical community as being overly tight and lacking in theatrical ambience. Not so Toscanini's NBC performance of Otello, which is widely considered to be the finest recording ever made of the opera. James Levine has even called this performance "an outstanding candidate for the title of Most Outstanding Opera Recording Ever Made," (but what does he know?). I don't know what the other candidates are for Levine, but this there is no question in my mind that this recording is up there with the best.
Toscanini had ample authority for his conception of Otello. He played cello in its first performance in 1887, and conducted it regularly throughout his career; he led no fewer than twelve staged productions of Otello over the course of his life. There is a strange story about Toscanini rushing home from the premiere of the opera, where he shoved his mother out of bed while yelling "Mamma, Verdi is a genius! Down on your knees to Verdi!" I certainly hope this was not actually as weird as it sounds.
At his first La Scala production of Otello in 1899 Toscanini had a dispute with his lead tenor, Francesco Tamagno, over an issue of interpretation in the final act. Tamagno had sung the title role at the premiere, and felt certain that he was singing the passage exactly as Verdi had asked him to. Toscanini would not relent, and they decided to settle the matter by calling on Verdi, who was staying at a hotel two blocks from La Scala. The composer sided with Toscanini, and congratulated the conductor for his excellent memory, whereupon Tamagno was left to grumble about composers always changing their minds.
Sixty years after taking part in the first performance of Otello, Toscanini led this outstanding performance with the NBC Symphony and some of the finest vocal soloists in the world, such as Ramón Vinay, Herva Nelli, and Giuseppe Valdengo. Although this cast did not include the wonderful Jan Peerce, who worked with Toscanini more than any other vocal soloist during his NBC years, this is on balance the finest cast that the conductor had to work with for an opera broadcast. The NBC Symphony was also particularly outstanding in this recording, providing more passion and drama than in any other their Verdi performances.
Although this recording should be experienced as a totality, there are some highlights I feel I must mention. Chief among these is the extraordinary love duet that closes the first act. The ethereal sensuality that Toscanini induces from his musicians must be heard to be believed, and must rank as among the most outstanding of all passages from the conductor's extant performances. As a bass player, I should also note the extraordinary scene in the fourth act where Otello enters Desdemona's room and meditates about whether or not to kill her. The tense atmosphere and complex emotions of this scene are perfectly underscored by the NBC double bass section, superbly playing one of the most exposed and terrifying moments in all of the bass repertoire.
There are as many tastes in the opera-going public as there are opera-goers. There are also many superb opera recordings, and there will be a different favorite performance for each of these tastes. No one, not even someone like James Levine, can say with certainty that any one recording is the Greatest Ever. Yet the broad consensus of approval this masterful recording of Otello has received must say something about its worth. I can't say whether or not I would put it at the absolute top of my list, but I do love it very much. In the end, that's what really counts.
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That's it for Day 45!
Check back tomorrow for a little-known piece by a famous composer, an even lesser-known piece by another famous composer, and maybe even some dancing.
Happy Saturday!
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