Arturo Toscanini Collection, Volume 69: Franz Schubert

• Main performer: Arturo Toscanini
• Time: 45:38
• Release Date: 1990

Review

Arturo Toscanini was a fierce rival of Wilhelm Furtwängler's, the two representing diametrically opposed philosophies about performance and interpretation, which makes their shared fixation on certain works, such as the Schubert "Great" C major Symphony, all the more remarkable. And doubly so, since the Schubert work was hardly the overwhelming favorite at the time that it subsequently became; indeed, it only began to achieve something of acceptance during the years in which Toscanini was establishing himself. Furtwängler became renowned for his performances of the symphony and, of course, also left behind a monumental recording of this piece with the Berlin Philharmonic that's regarded as one of the jewels of the Deutsche Grammophon catalog. Toscanini is less closely associated with the piece, but it loomed large in his career nonetheless -- it was on the program of his first public concert, in Turin in 1896, and he also closed out his career with the New York Philharmonic with it in 1936; and he recorded it three times between 1940 and 1953. This CD is notable for containing his 1940 recording of the piece with the Philadelphia Orchestra at that city's Academy of Music; he takes a quicker tempo, for the most part, than on his 1953 NBC Symphony recording -- which may surprise those who believe that Toscanini's tempos speeded up as he aged -- and it follows the conductor's credo of less-being-more, with sharp, incisive, precise playing, so that at times it sounds like the work of a chamber orchestra. This particular CD, mastered from newly compiled original sources, also offers a warmer tone than the NBC Symphony recording, owing to both the orchestra's somewhat lusher sound and the Academy's superior acoustics, which come through even on the 1940-vintage recording to wax lacquers. The latter is the only drawback, as it results in the presence of some slight surface noise on the master, from the source discs; but this is easily overcome, along with the slight compression in the sound. The virtues of the brisk, bracing nature of the performance and the rich and detailed sound offer an experience that some listeners (even 60-plus years on) are certain to appreciate and savor, even if it is a far cry from Furtwängler's deeply spiritual interpretation. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi

Performances

Composer	Title	Time
Franz Schubert	Symphony No. 9 in C major ("The Great"), D. 944	45:39

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