Arturo Toscanini was an Italian conductor. He was one of the most acclaimed musicians of the late 19th and 20th century. Toscanini was a prolific recording artist, having conducted many recordings from 1920 until his retirement in 1954.
Toscanini and recording Toscanini made his first recordings in December 1920 with the La Scala Orchestra in the Trinity Church studio of the Victor Talking Machine Company in Camden, New Jersey and his last with the NBC Symphony Orchestra in June 1954 in Carnegie Hall. His entire catalog of commercial recordings was issued by RCA Victor, save for two recordings for Brunswick in 1926 (his first by the electrical process) with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and a series of recordings with the BBC Symphony Orchestra from 1937 to 1939 for EMI's His Master's Voice label (Victor's European affiliate). Toscanini recorded with the New York Philharmonic in Carnegie Hall for RCA Victor in 1929 and 1936. He made a series of recordings with the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1941-42 for RCA Victor in Philadelphia's Academy of Music which weren't issued until the 1960s and '70s. All the commercially released RCA Victor and His Master's Voice recordings have been digitally remastered and reissued on compact disc. There are also recorded concerts with various European orchestras, especially with La Scala Orchestra and the Philharmonia Orchestra.
Toscanini disliked recording, especially the acoustic method, and for several years recorded only sporadically as a result. He was fifty-three years old when he made his first recordings in 1920 and didn't begin regular recording until 1938, after he became conductor of the NBC Symphony Orchestra at the age of seventy. As the recording process improved, so did Toscanini's negative attitude towards making records and he eventually became more interested in preserving his performances for posterity. The majority of Toscanini's recordings were made with the NBC Symphony, which was created expressly for him. The NBCSO recordings, dating from 1937–1954, cover the bulk of his repertoire and document the final phase of his 68-year conducting career.
From 1990-1992, RCA reissued its entire Toscanini catalogue on compact disc, on the RCA Victor Gold Seal label. This 71-volume issue covered 82 CDs and was remastered, whenever possible, from original sources. Beginning in 1999, RCA reissued several of Toscanini's "high fidelity" recordings, made between 1949 and 1954, in newer remasterings. In 2012, Sony Masterworks, which now owns the RCA Victor archives, released an 84-CD boxed set of Toscanini's complete RCA Victor recordings and the commercially issued His Master's Voice recordings with the BBC Symphony on the RCA Red Seal label. In 2013, EMI Classics issued a 6-CD set containing Toscanini's complete His Master's Voice recordings with the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Recorded concerts with various European orchestras, especially with La Scala Orchestra and the Philharmonia Orchestra, have been issued on other labels. His retirement coincided with the first commercial stereophonic recordings. Only his final two NBC concerts, on March 21 and April 4, 1954, were recorded in stereo.
Toscanini's first recordings in 1920-21 were made at the exact midpoint of his conducting career (1886–1954), so they document Toscanini's conducting in the latter half of his career only.
Recording guides A guide to Toscanini's recording career can be found in Mortimer H. Frank's "From the Pit to the Podium: Toscanini in America" in International Classical Record Collector (1998, 15 8-21) and Christopher Dyment's "Toscanini's European Inheritance" in International Classical Record Collector (1998, 15 22-8). Frank and Dyment also discuss Maestro Toscanini's performance history in the 50th anniversary issue of Classic Record Collector (2006, 47) Frank with 'Toscanini - Myth and Reality' (10-14) and Dyment 'A Whirlwind in London' (15-21) This issue also contains interviews with people who performed with Toscanini - Jon Tolansky 'Licia Albanese - Maestro and Me' (22-6) and 'A Mesmerising Beat: John Tolansky talks to some of those who worked with Arturo Toscanini, to discover some of the secrets of his hold over singers, orchestras and audiences.' (34-7). There is also a feature article on Toscanini's interpretation of Brahms's First Symphony - Norman C. Nelson, 'First Among Equals [...] Toscanini's interpretation of Brahms's First Symphony in the context of others' (28-33)
Mortimer Frank's Arturo Toscanini: The NBC Years (2002) contains an extensive discography as 'Appendix 8'. It is already a little dated, but it is still very useful. In addition to all discs from RCA's Toscanini Collection (Gold Seal) and The Immortal (Red Seal), many important broadcasts issued by Naxos, Music and Arts, Testament and others are also included. Caveat: all releases after 2002 are not included, and there is a fair amount of these; for instance, the five discs box-set with the complete Beethoven symphonies (RCA Red Seal). Also misleading is the listing of some old remasters on the Music and Arts label which are now available in better transfers; for instance, Tchaikovsky Manfred and Romeo and Juliet from March 21, 1953, have been re-issued in 2004 as CD-4260, whereas the book gives only the old edition from 1987 (CD-260).
Albums The discography below is not comprehensive, but rather representative. | Primary discographical source The listing only contains compact disc releases and does not contain 78 rpm, LP, cassette, or 8-track tape releases. In addition to recordings issued by the RCA label, it includes issues of rehearsals and broadcast performances on other labels.
Title/ProgramCollaboratorsYear(s) of Recording Record labelToscanini Collection, Volume 71: La Scala Acoustical Recordings Beethoven: Adagio; Allegro molto e vivace (last movement) from Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21 Allegro (last movement) from Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67 Berlioz: Rákóczy March Bizet: L' Arlésienne, suite for orchestra No. 2 Carmen, Act 4: Entr'acte: Aragonaise Donizetti: Don Pasquale Overture Respighi: Ancient Airs and Dances, Set 1 Massenet: Scènes pittoresques Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream: Scherzo and Wedding March Mozart: Menuetto and Finale from Symphony No. 39 in E flat major, K. 543 Pizzetti: La Pisanelle, Prelude to Act I Wolf-Ferrari: Il segreto di Susanna, OvertureLa Scala Theatre Orchestra1920–1921RCA Gold Seal Toscanini Collection, Volume 64: Haydn - Beethoven Haydn: Symphony No. 101 in D major "Clock" Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92 Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream, Op.21: ScherzoNew York PhilharmonicRCA Gold Seal Toscanini Collection, Volume 65: Mozart – Brahms – Wagner Mozart: Symphony No. 35 in D major, K 385 "Haffner" Mendelssohn: Midsummer Night's Dream, Op. 61: Scherzo and Nocturne Brahms: Variations on a theme by Haydn, Op. 56a Wagner: Siegfried Idyll Dukas: The Sorcerer’s ApprenticeNew York PhilharmonicRCA Gold Seal Toscanini Collection, Volume 66: Overtures & Preludes Gluck: Orfeo ed Euridice: Dance of the Blessed Spirits Verdi: La traviata: Preludes to acts 1 and 3 Wagner: Götterdämmerung: Dawn and Siegfried's Rhine Journey Lohengrin: Preludes to acts 1 and 3 Rossini: Il barbiere di Siviglia: Overture L'italiana in Algeri: Overture Semiramide: OvertureNew York PhilharmonicRCA Gold Seal Complete Philadelphia Orchestra Recordings (3-CD set) Schubert: Symphony No. 9 in C major, D 944 "Great” Richard Strauss: Death and Transfiguration, Op. 24 Debussy: La mer Images for Orchestra: No. 2, Ibéria Respighi: Roman Festivals Berlioz: Roméo and Juliet, Op. 17: Queen Mab Scherzo Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 74 "Pathétique” Mendelssohn: Midsummer Night's Dream: Excerpts*Philadelphia Orchestra Edwina Eustis, soprano* Florence Kirk, soprano* University of Pennsylvania Women's Glee Club*1941–1942RCA Red Seal Beethoven: 9 Symphonies (5-CD set) Beethoven: Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21 Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 36 Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, Op. 55 "Eroica" Symphony No. 4 in B flat major, Op. 60 Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67 Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68 "Pastoral" Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92 Symphony No. 8 in F major, Op. 93 Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 "Choral"*NBC Symphony Orchestra Eileen Farrell, soprano* Nan Merriman, mezzo-soprano* Jan Peerce, tenor* Norman Scott, bass* Robert Shaw Chorale* 1949-53 (all broadcasts, except Nos. 1, 2, 8, and 9: studio)RCA Red Seal 82876 55702 (the same remasters as in The Immortal, Vols. I-III, which also includes a 1953 studio recording of Missa Solemnis) Italian Orchestral Music (2-CD set) Respighi: Pines of Rome Fountains of Rome Roman Festivals Catalani: Loreley: Dance of the water nymphs La Wally: Act 4 Prelude Donizetti: Don Pasquale: Overture Verdi: La forza del destino: Overture Ponchielli La Gioconda: Dance of the Hours Rossini: L'italiana in Algeri: Overture Semiramide: Overture Guillaume Tell: OvertureNBC Symphony Orchestra1949–1953 (all studio)RCA Red Seal 74321 72374 (The Immortal, Vol. X) Verdi & Cherubini: Choral Works (2-CD set) Verdi: Requiem* Quattro pezzi sacri: Te Deum Cherubini: Requiem in C minorNBC Symphony Orchestra Robert Shaw Chorale Herva Nelli, soprano* Fedora Barbieri, mezzo-soprano* Giuseppe Di Stefano, tenor* Cesare Siepi, bass*1951–1954 (broadcasts, plus many patches from rehearsals for Verdi's Requiem)RCA Red Seal 74321 72373 (The Immortal, Vol. XI) Schubert & Mendelssohn: Symphonies (2-CD set) Schubert: Symphony No. 5 in B-flat major, D 485 Symphony No. 8 in B minor, D 759 "Unfinished" Symphony No. 9 in C major, D 944 "Great" Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 4 in A major, Op. 90 "Italian" Symphony No. 5 in D major, Op. 107 "Reformation"NBC Symphony Orchestra1950–1953 studio (Schubert)and broadcasts + rehearsals (Mendelssohn)RCA Red Seal 74321 59480 (The Immortal, Vol. V) Brahms: The Four Symphonies (2-CD set) Brahms: Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68 Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73 Symphony No. 3 in F major, Op. 90 Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98NBC Symphony Orchestra1951-52 (studio)RCA Red Seal 74321 55838 (The Immortal, Vol. IV) Great Symphonies (2-CD set) Mozart: Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K. 550 Haydn: Symphony No. 94 in G major "Surprise" Cherubini: Symphony in D major Schumann: Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, Op. 97 "Rhenish" Dvořák: Symphony No. 9 in E minor, B. 178/Op. 95 “From the New World" NBC Symphony Orchestra 1949-53 (all studio, except Schumann which is a broadcast)RCA Red Seal 74321 59481 (The Immortal, Vol. VI) French Orchestral Music (2-CD set) Debussy: La Mer, L. 109 Ibéria, for orchestra, L. 122/2 Nuages, L. 91/1 Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, L. 86 Ravel: Daphnis et Chloé, suite No. 2 Berlioz: Roman Carnival Overture, H.95/Op. 9 Roméo and Juliet: Queen Mab Scherzo, H.79/Op. 17 Franck: Psyché Herold: Overture to "Zampa" Saint-Saëns: Danse macabre, Op. 40 Bizet: Carmen Suite No. 1 Thomas: Mignon Overture Dukas: The Sorcerer’s ApprenticeNBC Symphony OrchestraRCA Red Seal Wagner (2-CD set) Wagner: Die Walküre: Ride of the Valkyries Siegfried: Forest Murmurs Die Götterdämmerung: Dawn and Siegfried's Rhine Journey / Siegfried's Death and Funeral Music Siegfried Idyll Tristan und Isolde: Prelude to Act I & Liebestod Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg: Prelude to Act III Parsifal: Prelude to Act I / Good Friday Spell Lohengrin: Prelude to Act 1 / Prelude to Act III Tannhäuser: Overture & BacchanaleNBC Symphony Orchestra 1949-52 (all studio, except Tannhäuser which is a broadcast)RCA Red Seal 74321 59482 (The Immortal, Vol. VII) Orchestral Showpieces (2-CD set) Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition (orch. Ravel) Richard Strauss: Death and Transfiguration, Op. 24