This MHS release presents RCA’s Toscanini French Orchestral Music collection reviewed last year (type Q624 in Search Reviews). To that highly positive assessment I can only add that as one who missed the Toscanini era and never was impressed by those harsh-sounding RCA Victrola LPs, I was totally unprepared for what I heard on these discs. In short, I was blown away. It’s simply astonishing what 20-bit remastering can accomplish. Here at last, with all the sonic limitations removed, is a chance to hear what the big deal was about. These are some of the most exciting Debussy and Ravel performances ever. We should remember that this music was composed during Toscanini’s lifetime, and he brings to it all the excitement and sense of discovery of doing new music, not tired old warhorses.
La Mer is sensuous, bold, and vibrant–no pastel coloring here. The same holds true for Nuages (really fast, more so than I prefer), the Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, and Iberia (this last an especially stunning performance). Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé suite emerges like an ocean sunrise, and the closing dance is riotous (only here does the recording oversaturate a bit). The NBC Symphony plays with laser-beam precision, exhibiting tremendous energy and involvement. Ditto for the second disc containing 19th century French masterpieces. I always have admired Toscanini’s Queen Mab Scherzo, but his flowing Franck Psyche, dramatic Mignon Overture, and fantastical Sorcerer’s Apprentice again reveal his great range and musical sensitivity. This is a terrific collection, plain and simple. [3/27/2001]
