This exceptional concert, taken from a broadcast on December 7, 1940, offers uniformly excellent performances of a wide range of Sibelius’ finest works. It’s also a classic reminder of the damage that musical cults can do. For years, I was put off by the blind admiration exhibited by Toscanini’s many fans, who claimed that the Maestro could do no wrong, and that his performances were simply the last word in orchestral execution (this despite clear inadequacies in the playing on many recordings, and often dreadful sound that, for both good and ill, masked huge amounts of detail, rendering a clear sense of the performance impossible). Recent remasterings, however, have permitted a much more natural and aurally pleasant sound picture to emerge from those old tapes and acetates, and the best of Toscanini’s many broadcasts do indeed confirm the high reputation in which his fans hold him. His Sibelius is lean, taught, classically sculpted, and played to a fare-thee-well in this extraordinary recital. The Second Symphony has grandeur without pomposity, and the finale never outstays its welcome. Pohjola’s Daughter offers both humor and Romantic warmth of expression, the Swan of Tuonela is poetry in motion at a perfect tempo, and Lemminkäinen’s Return sizzles with energy. Even Finlandia comes up good as new. The best thing that can be said about the recording is that you can hear just how good the performances are. It won’t win any awards for sound, but fans of Sibelius or Toscanini will be thrilled. I was.
