Description

Christopher Dyment writes in his notes: "On 25 March 1947 Toscanini celebrated his eightieth birthday in New York, asking that, like all his birthdays, it be wholly ignored in public, but marking the event by a two million lire donation to the Verdi home for aged musicians in Milan. A few weeks later he departed for his summer residence, the Isolino San Giovanni on Lago Maggiore, where in June he celebrated his fifty years of marriage, returning to New York late in August in preparation for his eleventh NBC S. O. season. But first, on 6 September, came a chamber orchestra concert with NBC personnel at a school in Ridgefield, Connecticut (imagine: a Toscanini Beethoven First with thirty-five players? but it was not broadcast) and an extra summer concert, postponed due to Toscanini’s ill-health until 21 September. In the latter program, the present performance of Beethoven's First Symphony shared symphonic billing with NBC S. O. producer Don Gillis's Symphony No.5 1/2. On 25 October he opened the new NBC S. O. season with the all-Beethoven program containing the remaining items presented here. They provide valuable evidence of the eighty year-old Toscanini's unflagging power and control in the performance of Beethoven at a time when RCA was able to capture on record relatively little of which he could approve.

TOSCANINI'S BEETHOVEN: More Unreleased Recordings. Ludwig van Beethoven: Overture for the Consecration of the House; String Quartet No. 16 in F, Op. 135-2 Movements; Symphony No. 7 in A, Op. 92 (All from NBC S. O. concert of 25 Oct. 1947); Symphony No. 1 in C, Op. 21 (from NBC S. O. concert of 21 Sept. 1947). Total time: 72:41. Technical reconstruction (2004) by Graham Newton. Liner notes by Christopher Dyment. [AAD] UPC # 17685-11362-8.