Much critical ink has been spilled extolling the virtues of Toscanini’s classic New York Philharmonic recordings from the 1920s and 1930s, and justifiably so. In general, the Wagner and Brahms works on this disc (all Toscanini concert staples) are more genially inflected and massively contoured than the Maestro’s NBC Orchestra remakes, boasting more virtuosic, colorful orchestral execution. In the Brahms Haydn Variations, for example, compare the superior lung power and tonal allure of the Philharmonic brass to their less adroit NBC counterparts in Variation VI and the finale, or the impetuous élan with which the Philharmonic woodwinds press ahead in Variation II.
The Siegfried Idyll is notable for the Philharmonic’s ample string tone (with particular emphasis on the cello lines) and Toscanini’s fleet yet flexible basic tempo. Note how the exposed, sustained string writing in the Lohengrin Act 1 Prelude conveys a shimmering, disembodied aura without sacrificing one iota of precision. And those who think that Toscanini was merely a “melody conductor” should pay attention to how well he clarifies the voice-leading in the pulsating string figurations that accompany the big brass tune in the Third Act Lohengrin Prelude. Mark Obert-Thorn’s well-equalized restorations surpass his 1990 Pearl Toscanini/New York Philharmonic transfers but don’t quite match the brightness and bloom of Ward Marston’s for RCA’s Toscanini Edition. If you have trouble obtaining the latter, choose Naxos.
