08 May 2014

Arturo Toscanini conducts... Wagner. Die Walkure -&- Gotterdammerung - Traubel / Melchior - NBC 1941

Richard Wagner:
"Die Walkure"  - Act One, Scene 3   
"Die Gotterdammerung"  - Daybreak ~ Brunnhilde & Siegfried ~ Siegfried's Rhine Journey   
2 files zip FLAC   Mega Download
Helen Traubel, Soprano  -  Lauritz Melchior, Tenor 
The NBC Symphony Orchestra  conducted by  Arturo Toscanini  
RCA  RB 16274   First Edition 1962 Decca LP/mastering. Matrices: F2RP 6398 -1A / F2RP 6399 -1A     
NBC Broadcast of 22 February 1941 -  Carnegie Hall, New York 
Lots of acetate clicks, etc, removed.  Slight treble enhancement       Sleeve-note / EMG review >>> 

8 comments:

  1. Toscanini in Wagner?
    incredibly interesting.
    thanks a lot, dear Tin Ear!

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    1. He recorded quite a lor of it; have the other 2 Wagner volumes listed in the sleeve-note.
      Was going to do this some time back - then noticed the complete concert had just been made available (this is cheaper...) - so thought it might be interesting, as Decca produced some excellent Toscanini transfers (less compressed than RCA) - and the performances,are really good (the intended upload was Beecham/RPO in 1947/8 Mozart/Haydn - but got bored editing Griffiths' dubbings/ dull-ish performances, 'IMO'..)

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  2. Anonymous09 May, 2014

    Toscanini in Wagner may seem strange to some but both in his farewell concert in Italy, as well as with the NBC, he chose to play Wagner. Toscanini used to offend is countrymen by saying he thought Wagner was better than Verdi, and his love and identification for the music comes through strongly. Thank you for the transfer.

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    1. I'm not too au fait with the many Toscanini LP's littering the place - but these are splendidly performed. - but don't have the 1967 UK Wagner 4LP set on VCM 5 which contains a few more items.

      I was concerned that the 'Decca' sound may seem too bright (my treble increase was = scarcely +1dB at the top-end; and am not 100% certain that applying equalisation is entirely benign) but this is clearer than the 1982 half-speed Italian LP containing the Walkure.

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    2. Thanks for making this concert available. The Walkure excerpt is well paced.
      To me...and not due to your editing... the actual sound as captured ..of Toscanini performances makes some sections of the orchestra seem unbalanced. The brass section seems quite rough to me. Woodwind don't often get chance to do very much . Beecham's jibe that AT was a band master has a slight element of truth though obviously his performances had rtemendous drive and flair. His performance of Falstaff has both splendid singing and orchestral playing ...to me.

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    3. Well - I guess it was the balance he wanted (and it was for radio broadcast) - and one needs to factor-in the characteristics of those microphones (and acetate replay)..which makes it non-ideal as a source - and also what 'speakers are now being used.

      I assessed these via Cambridge R50's: effectively my 'main' speakers (with Tonegen ribbon 'supertweeters' - which are slightly 'bright' with extended-range recordings (which this isn't)).

      So; if an LP sounds slightly dull I'll adjust the treble (via a real knob!) and later add up to +1.5dB treble (which fairly compensates for any MM cartridge upper-treble 'dip'): that can bring the sound more 'to life' (as with this).

      The Falstaff is of course excellent (even in the early-70's RCA UK transfers I have).

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  3. Thank you for sharing this, I was sure that you will have a copy of this record. Very good transfer.

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    1. My transfer's probably OK (and haven't worn-out the JVC Cartridge, yet) but maybe should have checked the sound/CD-RW against 3 more speaker systems - but it's probably 'as good as it gets' - and the Laptop speakers are slightly deceptive (but can correctly balance sounds via them).

      The Decca transfer of the Toscanini Dvorak Sym 9 (RB 16116) is amazingly good - and scarcely sounds like the same recording as the RCA transfer (on HMV from some years before).

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