Day 58: Black Sheep Redux

Hey everyone! Welcome to Day 58!

I'm anxious to get back to the World Series, so I'll get right to it.


Rossini: Semiramide Overture - September 28th, 1951

Toscanini recorded this overture with the New York Philharmonic in 1936, in one of his most outstanding early documents. The conductor's NBC Symphony recordings oftentimes don't hold up well against his Philharmonic counterparts, but this account of the Semiramide Overture is one of the best in that regard. It has precision, energy, elegance and humor. Just as important, it is preserved in good enough sound to make Toscanini's palette of orchestral sonority beautiful audible.

Weber/Berlioz: Invitation to the Dance - September 28th, 1951

This is a remake of a recording Toscanini made with the BBC Symphony in 1938. The critical consensus seems to be that this NBC recording is the better of the two, as it offers an identical interpretation in better sound. That is true to some extent, but this doesn't take into account the tonal characteristics of the two orchestras. Although there is certainly beauty to the NBC recording (particularly the cello solos of Frank Miller), to me there is just no comparison of the overall sonority between the two ensembles. The range of colors produced by the BBC Symphony is simply in a different league, in my view. The NBC recording is also a bit less energetic, and lacking in the flare that makes Berlioz's orchestra come to life. From an interpretive point of view, these certainly are very similar performances, but this does not tell the entire story.

Beethoven: Symphony No. 2 - November 7th, 1949 and October 5th, 1951

This recording is a microcosm of the best and worst of Toscanini. It has forward drive and momentum, but is often rigid and unyielding. It is beautifully phrased, but the line often lacks nuance. Despite significant reservations, I still find this recording to be powerfully compelling. This symphony has always been the black sheep of Beethoven's family of nine, and for this reason alone I am very much moved by fine performances of this work. The best of Toscanini steps up to the plate in this regard, and I am willing to forgive him his worst in exchange for what is so wonderful.

Donizetti: Don Pasquale Overture - October 5th, 1951

Like the Rossini overture and the Weber/Berlioz, this is a remake of a recording Toscanini made at an earlier date, but his first recording of the Don Pasquale Overture comes from a very early time in his discography. Thirty years earlier, Toscanini recorded this overture with the La Scala Orchestra, in one of the most satisfying of that first series of historic documents. The two recordings are very similar interpretively, and in this case the distance in recording technology between the two are so vast that this later recording must be considered preferable. The beautiful cello solos of Frank Miller also give the NBC an edge in this regard.

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That's it for Day 58!

Check back tomorrow for some murmuring in the forest and a lower grin, all done very classically.

Happy Friday!