Mats Norrman wrote:

>Steve Schwartz <[log in to unmask]> barks on the Toscacake:
>
>>Toscanini/RCA: I used to love this version.  Now, it seems rather ordinary,
>>as does a lot of Toscanini to me these days.  He seems to merely beat time.
>
>I have not heard Toscanini doing Verdis Requiem, but I share Stevens
>general opinion on Toscanini, and thats why I by and then drop adverse
>comments on him (Toscanini, not Steven) on this list.  The worst example is
>I think his Beethoven 6 - in the first three movements he is certainly just
>beating the time, but not even that very well - hecticly, nervously.  He
>don't care what he is doing.  Of course he just cannot wait to be allowed
>to release the storm in the 4th movement, which is tremendeously energic
>and powerful...
>
>Toscaninis Sjostakovitj Symphonies are worthless to me, but still there
>are pieces where Toscanini is successful; The storm in Beethoven 6 already
>mentioned.  I've got a Berlioz "Le Carnavail Romain" with Toscanini, and it
>is splendid!  What these well done pieces have in common, is that they
>relies solely on effect.

It's curious of you to confess you don't like a performance you haven't
heard.  I have to say that the latest remastering of Beethoven and Wagner
from the RCA vaults have removed the harshness that was a blight on
these recordings.  The sound is opened up and the delicacies that were
characteristic of Toscanini are there, for the first time in this series of
recordings.  It was hard for me to believe.  He was not well served by RCA.
Better late than never.

Bill S