Arturo Toscanini - Toscanini conduct American Music Vol. 1 (1942) [2017] Hi-Res

Toscanini conducted two concerts in the 1942-43 season with NBC of American Music, a subject he rarely covered in his regular programming. Of the programme of November 1st, 1942, only the Loeffler had previously been played with the NBC orchestra, and none of the other pieces would receive a second outing under Toscanini's baton. This was American music for a country at war.

I was lucky to receive what I believe may be a previously unused source for the present transfer. Certainly the sound quality is significantly better than that heard in previous transfers of this concert. Indeed, after XR remastering and considerable work on surface swish and other minor irritants associated with even rarely-played acetates of this vintage, the sound quality is more reminiscent of a studio recording of the 1950s than a radio broadcast from the early 1940s.

The frequency range of the present recording is pleasantly wide, extending to more than double that of contemporary commercial discs. Backgrounds are quiet. XR remastering has added depth and detail, whilst subtle use of convolution reverberation has greatly improved the notoriously unaccommodating acoustic properties of NBC's Studio 8H. Announcements have been included where available, in some cases patched in from inferior sources. The music is all of the highest audio quality for its era.

Tracks:

LOEFFLER Memories of My Childhood (Life in a Russian Village)
CRESTON Choric Dance No. 2
GOULD Lincoln Legend
GERSHWIN Rhapsody In Blue

Personnel:

Arturo Toscanini conductor
Earl Wild, piano
Benny Goodman, clarinet
NBC Symphony Orchestra