This Brahms B-flat Concerto, broadcast October 23, 1948, provides a fascinating gloss on Horowitz and Toscanini’s better-known 1940 commercial recording, also with the NBC Symphony. The performances share the same coiled propulsion, sinewy textures, and virtually unyielding tempos. In 1948, Horowitz is less apt to linger over inner voices or stretch beats in passages where he plays alone, notably in the opening flourishes and throughout the scherzo. I suspect Horowitz would have liked more legroom in the slow movement, which is faster and more compact than in 1940. What’s more, the burnished string tone and affectionate portamentos that color the earlier recording (and the broadcast that preceded it) are pared down here in the name of expressive economy. Music and Arts’ source is almost as good as the well-preserved aircheck APR utilized for its edition. Both, however, are several generations removed from the excellent lacquers available for audition in the New York Public Library’s Toscanini Legacy collection.
Released for the first time, the Maestro’s Brahms Third Symphony of March 31, 1946, fares best in the inner movements, while the first movement only takes wing after the recapitulation. Nor does the finale match the long-lined momentum and excitement found in Toscanini’s live 1952 Philharmonia Orchestra recording. A few ensemble mishaps plus constricted (albeit well balanced) sonics may limit this performance’s appeal to specialists. If this release doesn’t rank at the top of my Toscanini broadcast “must have” list, the Maestro’s admirers certainly will want to know about it.
