Toscanini Conducts Schubert: Symphony No 9 "Great" (1953) NBC

Franz Schubert
Symphony No 9 in C Major, D. 944 "Great"

1. Andante - Allegro ma non troppo (0:07)
2. Andante con moto (13:37)
3. Scherzo, Allegro vivace (26:14)
4. Allegro vivace (35:06)

Arturo Toscanini, conductor
The NBC Symphony Orchestra

Recorded on February 9, 1953
in Carnegie Hall, New York City

The Toscanini Collection features three recordings of this symphony. One from 1941, another from 1947, and the present one from 1953. Considering the sonic quality of the present one, it was not difficult to choose which one goes first. In the days of early tape when RCA's sound was at its best, it was really great even by modern standards.

Toscanini's approach to Schubert is brisk, but the "Great" is one of those symphonies that a conductor can be highly individual with. Schubert's smiling, and often whimsical, muse comes across quite beautifully here, and Toscanini's "giddyup!" only adds to the fun. Of course, we probably will get around to the '41 and '47 as well. If there's one thing our subscribers never complain about it is the notion that we have too much Toscanini on this channel. Is that even possible?

One commenter elsewhere suggested last week that it was shame that Toscanini never lived into the stereo era. Considering how these new restorations of him are sounding these days that, our humble opinion, is now pretty much moot. What we're getting today sounds more natural than early left-right-center stereo from the fifties ever did.

Digital mastering (1980s): RCA - New York
Field acoustic restoration (2023): Paul Howard - The Yucaipa Studio

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Видео Toscanini Conducts Schubert: Symphony No 9 "Great" (1953) NBC канала Restoration Archive