Amazon.co.uk Review
The booklet notes make a persuasive case for reconsidering Toscanini as one of the great Wagnerians. His love of the music is undoubted, giving the Italian premières of
Siegfreid, and
Götterdämmerung, as well as many other performances of Wagner throughout his long career. From the 1930s onwards he also made a considerable number of Wagner recordings, though the only complete opera remaining is a 1937
Die Meistersinger. More happily, many of his recordings of instrumental music survive, and this double set collects recordings made with the NBC Symphony Orchestra between 1949 and 1952. Further emphasising the conductor's commitment to this music, Toscanini sometimes made his own, more expansive arrangements, and here both "Dawn and Siegfried's Rhine Journey", and "Siegfried's Death and Funeral Music" contain more music than the standard concert versions. Obviously in mono, and remastered with state-of-the-art equipment from, whenever possible, the original sources, the sound quality generally far surpasses expectations--though "Ride of the Valkyries" and the
Tannhäuser music push the dynamic range to the limit. Such deficiencies notwithstanding, for the committed Wagnerian, and for those seeking to enhance their appreciation of one of the great conductors of the 20th century, this volume of the RCA Toscanini series is essential. For everyone else, this is simply well over two hours of great music, with performances offering insight, depth, rare moments of sublime, almost preternatural beauty, and in the case of
Tannhäuser literally breathtaking musical drama.
--Gary S. Dalkin
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