{"product_id":"toscanini-brahms-in-london-volume-2-1952-pasc377","title":"TOSCANINI Brahms in London, Volume 2 (1952) - PASC377","description":"overviewfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eBRAHMS \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eVariations on a Theme by Joseph Haydn\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eBRAHMS \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eSymphony No. 3\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eBRAHMS \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eSymphony No. 4 in E minor\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eSIR ADRIAN BOULT \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eRadio interval talk on Toscanini\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003eRecorded in London in 1952\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e Total duration: 1hr 40:39\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eThe Philharmonia Orchestra\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eArturo Toscanini\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003e conductor\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_titlefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fFanfare Review578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_quotefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fThe performances, from a very fine orchestra conducted by a fabled conductor, are magnificent.578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_bodyfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp class=\"B\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eFor whatever reason, either because of a\ndifference in the original masters or an adjustment on the part of\nengineer Andrew Rose, these recordings sound richer and clearer to my\nears than those on Volume 1 of this series, which included the first two\nBrahms symphonies and the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESi\"\u003eTragic Overture.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003e\nIt could also be my imagination, but I compared these sets carefully.\nVolume 1 suffers from a kind of overly plastic reproduction that veteran\ncollectors recall, with a cringe, from the “electronically enhanced\nstereo” sound from the 1960s created by engineers who thought they were\ndoing music lovers a favor, but were instead presenting inferior sound\nvis-à-vis the decent mono masters. The chief problem occurs in the\nreproduction, or lack thereof, of the instrumental timbres. Come to\nthink of it, this is the same complaint many of us had with early\ndigital. \u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"B\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eI read the notes of both volumes carefully to see\nif there was any adjustment in the engineering noted. None that I could\ndetermine. Volume 2 is still described as an “ambient stereo” recording.\nBut here, the violins sound like string instruments, not a computer\nmanipulated sound wave, and the cello section sings out with clarity.\nDynamic range is remarkable. Most importantly, the performances, from a\nvery fine orchestra conducted by a fabled conductor, are magnificent. As\nI have noted before, Toscanini’s famously stern, masculine sinew is\ntempered by an Italianate lyricism resulting from a long career in the\nopera pit. His battle cry during rehearsal was \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESi\"\u003ecantare\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003e,\nsing, and it is manifested here in readings that are at once propulsive\nand naturally breathing. The NBC recordings from the same vintage are\ncloser in sound and a bit more exciting, but these live recordings in\nfront of an adoring London audience are noticeably more rhythmically\nfluid. \u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"Br\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eAs in Volume 1, one must deal with the stuffy BBC\nannouncers, and in this volume, a speech by the dean of 20th-century\nBritish conductors, Adrian Boult, which virtually deifies Toscanini. I\nam extremely adverse to such exaltation of performers, but few others\nbesides Toscanini, truly a historic figure, deserve such treatment. His\ndevotees will want to hear these alternatives to the NBC sound, and\nyounger music lovers curious about all the fuss will be able to dip into\nthe Toscanini aura in remarkably modern sounding editions. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"Br\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESb\"\u003ePeter Burwasser \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis article originally appeared in Issue 37:1 (Sept\/Oct 2013) of Fanfare Magazine.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9main_samplefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fsamples\/PASC377.mp3578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fProducer's Note578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcontent578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp class=\"bodybig\" align=\"center\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 24px;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eToscanini's classic second 1952 London Brahms concert in stunning XR-remastered sound\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"bodymid\" align=\"center\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003e\"One of the most memorable things Toscanini did in his last years\" - MusicWeb International\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp class=\"body\"\u003eThis release quite literally picks up where Volume 1 left off - with the second of Toscanini's two London Brahms concerts, mixing archive BBC radio commentary and high quality EMI music recordings, all benefiting greatly from XR remastering to bring the finest possible sound quality from this historic evening of music. Great care has been taken to try and preserve continuity between the very different sound quality of the two sources and prevent any clunky sonic lurches between high and low fidelity. I've also worked hard on getting maximum clarity from Sir Adrian Boult's short interval talk.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"body\"\u003eAs for the music - well happily this has (post-remastering) a fine, open sound, with great frequency extension both in the high treble and in the rich, warm lower reaches of the orchestra. As with the first volume, the effect is totally transformative: from a constricted, boxed-in, congested and distant sound to something that's positively alive, and appears as a true musical narrative, vibrantly unfolding directly in front of you as you listen today.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"body\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eAndrew Rose\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_cover_thumbnail1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fFull Track Listing578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5ftrack_listing578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan class=\"bodybigblue\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBRAHMS\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e Variations on a Theme by Joseph Haydn, Op. 56a \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan class=\"bodybigblue\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBRAHMS \u003c\/strong\u003eSymphony No. 3 in F major, Op. 90 \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan class=\"bodybigblue\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBRAHMS \u003c\/strong\u003eSymphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98 \u003cspan class=\"bodymidarial\"\u003e[\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"body\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"bodybigblue\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSIR ADRIAN BOULT\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"bodybigblue\"\u003e Radio interval talk on Toscanini\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e The Philharmonia Orchestra\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eArturo Toscanini \u003c\/strong\u003e conductor\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"bodymidarial\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Recorded live at the Royal Festival Hall, London, 1 October 1952\u003cbr\u003e Recording includes announcements and comments from the BBC Home Service\u003cbr\u003e BBC Announcer: Frank Phillips \u003cbr\u003e Music content derived from high quality EMI recordings, produced by Walter Legge \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"bodymidarial\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eXR remastering by Andrew Rose at Pristine Audio, January 2013\u003cbr\u003e Cover artwork based on a photograph of Arturo Toscanini\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Total duration:1hr 40:39\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_cover_thumbnail1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fCover Art578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcover_art578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_cover_thumbnail1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcovers\/thumbs\/PASC377.jpg578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcovers\/PASC377.pdf578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fHistoric Review578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcontent578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp class=\"bodybigblue\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEW \u003c\/strong\u003eSymphonies 3 and 4\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp align=\"JUSTIFY\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"body\"\u003eAs I have already suggested, this\nperformance of the Third Symphony is the finest Toscanini has left us.\nAs if to illuminate the point further, Manoug Parikian, the leader of\nthe Philharmonia Orchestra for these Toscanini concerts, later said that\nfor him the most sublime and unforgettable moment of the series was the\nthird movement of the Third Symphony. The opening cello theme had,\naccording to Parikian, an unusual tenderness to it that stirred the\ndepths of human feeling. It was, he added, \"...one of my most profoundly\nmoving experiences, and a lasting reminder of Toscanini's undoubted\ngenius\". \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"body\" align=\"JUSTIFY\"\u003eGreat recordings of this work are thin\non the ground, possibly because it is Brahms' most misunderstood\nsymphony. It is a work that combines passion and resignation in equal\nmeasure and few conductors have been able to unite those two contrasting\nfacets into a workable performance. This is the symphony where\nToscanini's tempi are most diverse - the first movement of this\nPhilharmonia account is almost 1½ minutes faster than on his NBC\nrecording. Because this symphony, the most unique of all Brahms'\nsymphonies in that it ends all of its movements piano or pianissimo, is\nso emotionally complex it is surprising that Toscanini, ever the\nobjectivist, is actually able to encourage the Philharmonia to play with\nsuch astonishing weight and passion. The first movement positively\nsurges, the finale opens in an exhilarating fashion, with strings\nastoundingly fleet. In between, the contrasts between the melancholic\nphrasing and wild outbursts are laid bare. Pianissimos are here given\nsuppleness, and the most fearsome fortes seem to come from the core of\nthe earth, so shattering are they. No wonder this performance is one of\nthe most memorable things Toscanini did in his last years.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"body\" align=\"JUSTIFY\"\u003eAlmost as memorable, in fact, as the\nastonishing Fourth. This was the symphony Toscanini most admired by\nBrahms - and one can see why. It is a work of greatness, moving between\ntragedy and wild exclamation, often within the same movement. Just as it\nis the culmination of Brahms' symphonic output, so it is the epoch\nmaking performance on this cycle. This is the greatest single\nperformance in Toscanini's NBC cycle and this Philharmonia account is as\ninspired as that, perhaps the single most impressive 'live' Fourth ever\nrecorded (and notably different from an equally great Fourth from\nCelibidache with the Munich Philharmonic).\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"body\" align=\"JUSTIFY\"\u003eThe conception is laid out in the\ngrandest of terms, the opening bars given astonishing presence. The\ndevelopment is built up inexorably, and the coda to the first movement,\nstill noble and statuesque, generates enormous energy. Toscanini,\ncrucially, does not slow before the timpani enter near the penultimate\nbar, and thus the climactic ending actually gathers momentum. There is\nno mannerism here, just the thrill of hearing the closing bars as they\nshould be played. The second and third movements appear in this\nperformance more than just intervals before the extraordinary unwrapping\nof the great passacaglia of the final movement. True, we hear the\nintervention of fireworks from the roof of the Festival Hall, but\nToscanini remains unfazed and the listener cannot fail to be unaware of\nthe very conscious build up of the layers of this extraordinary\nmovement. The music arches forward nobly and naturally, the dynamics\namplified by some of the finest wind playing on any recording of the\nwork. Horns are given astonishing girth, strings play with the most\nsensitive of balance. Toscanini does hold back in the final moments of\nthe movement's coda, but this allows the inevitability of the triumphant\nfinale to reach its apogee. The moment is sublime.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMarc Bridle, MusicWeb International\u003c\/strong\u003e, April 2000\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_cover_thumbnail1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f","brand":"Pristine Classical","offers":[{"title":"Ambient Stereo 24-bit FLAC","offer_id":55010047852910,"sku":"xcj1789305515449","price":22.65,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Ambient Stereo 16-bit FLAC","offer_id":55010047885678,"sku":"nvo1789305515450","price":18.13,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Mono 16-bit FLAC","offer_id":55010047918446,"sku":"ttg1789305515451","price":15.57,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"320kbps Ambient Stereo MP3","offer_id":55010047951214,"sku":"xmy1789305515452","price":15.88,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0915\/3986\/5966\/files\/toscanini-brahms-in-london-volume-2-1952---pasc377_1.jpg?v=1789305522","url":"https:\/\/www.harborviewgoods.shop\/products\/toscanini-brahms-in-london-volume-2-1952-pasc377","provider":"My Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}