Arturo Toscanini

Arturo Toscanini is a leader Italy N, born with Parma the March 25th 1867 and died in Riverdale (the United States) the January 16th 1957.

The man

Biography

Of 1876 with 1885, it studies the Violoncelle with the royal Academy of Parma. In 1886, he becomes principal violoncellist in the company of Rossi opera and share in round in Brazil.

June 30th 1886 it replaces, to the raised foot, the leader challenged by the public and directs a representation of Aïda of Verdi. The next October 9th, it makes its beginnings in Italy while directing Edméa of Catalani.

May 21st, 1892, it directs the creation of the Pagliacci of Leoncavallo.

Of 1895 with 1898, he is director of the Opera of Régio of Turin; it directs there, in 1895, the first Italian representation of the Crépuscule of the gods of Wagner.

February 1st 1896, it directs the creation of Bohemian the of Puccini, type-setter Tuscan of which it will be until the end the indéfectible friend (in spite of their divergences of political opinions).

From 1898 with 1903, then of 1906 with 1908, he is musical director of the Scala of Milan.

From 1908 with 1913, he is chief with the Metropolitan Opera New York: it directs there the world creation of the fanciulla del West of Puccini, in 1910 as well as the American creation of Boris Godounov of Moussorgski, in 1913.

Of 1920 with 1929, he is again musical director of Scala of Milan. It directs there, in 1926, the world creation of Turandot , opera unfinished of Puccini (the evening of the first, it stops the representation not to direct the finale of the opera, composed by Franco Alfano. Toscanini, in vain, had tried to impose Riccardo Zandonai to complete work but Tonio Puccini, sons of the type-setter, had preferred Alfano).

In 1929, in dissension with the policy of Mussolini, it leaves Italy and becomes musical director of the Philharmonic orchestra of New York. It will return to Milan to direct, on May 11th, 1946, the concert of reopening of Scala of Milan, restored after its bombardment which has occurred during the war.

In 1930, he is the first chief nonGerman guest (by Siegfried Wagner) to direct to the Festival of Bayreuth. It will direct there Tannhäuser , Tristan and Isolde and Parsifal . It twice has this same year a sharp dispute with Maurice Ravel after having carried out the Boléro too quickly.

In 1935, it directs to the Festival of Salzburg of the representations of the Magic Flute , Fidelio , the Masters Singers of Nuremberg and Falstaff .

In 1936 with Tel Aviv, it directs the concert celebrating the creation of the Palestine.

Of 1937 with 1954, he is chief of the Symphony orchestra of NBC, created especially for him by David Sarnoff, director of RCA. The concerts given each week for the radiophonic retransmissions until in 1954 made of him, one of the first media high-speed motorboats.

January 1st, 1957, it is victim of an attack of apoplexy; he dies at his place, in Riverdale, the next on January 16th. He is buried with the Cimitero Monumentale of Milan.

A autocrat, a democratic

Toscanini is considered by its contemporaries, fellow-members musicians as well as the public, like one of the largest leaders of his time. Whereas all its public life it shows its qualities of democrat (it leaves Italy to protest against the policy of Mussolini; it leaves Bayreuth then Salzburg to protest against racial discriminations of the Nazis), opposite its musicians it expresses his autocracy and its character coleric.

With the despotism and the intransigent perfectionism whom it imposed to the musicians its orchestras, his interpretations are recognized like luminous intensity; its phenomenal “ear” for the details and orchestral sonorities, its visual memory enabled him to correct parts of orchestras left for account during decades by his/her colleagues.

On a purely anecdotic basis, Sergiu Celibidache said of him that he was “an idiot who reigned during sixty years”.

Quotations

  • “I burn or I freeze: tepidity I do not know what it is” (after its refusal to direct in Bayreuth);

  • “You, it is to you you whom I look at. Shame with you! Use your bow… Shame! ”;
  • “You know sometimes I am stupid, not? Stupido! Ignorant! ” “Just like you, not”.
  • “a quite malicious voice” (while speaking about Maria Callas, that he however admired).
  • “You do not include/understand anything with your music. It was the only means of making it pass. ” (with Ravel, after having directed the Bolero twice too quickly)

Discography

Most of these concerts recorded in the famous studio 8:00 of NBC were deferred on phonographic support and are republished. Its recordings of Ludwig van Beethoven, Richard Wagner, Johannes Brahms, Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini are famous. It also defended with constancy many works of its contemporaries, in particular those of Giuseppe Martucci.

  • Beethoven, 3rd symphony (1953 or 1939 with the Symphony orchestra of NBC);

  • Beethoven, 7th symphony (1936, Philharmonic orchestra of New York);
  • Beethoven, Symphonies (integral, Symphony orchestra of NBC);
  • Berlioz, Romeo and Juliette (1947, Symphony orchestra of NBC);
  • Brahms, 1st symphony (1951, Symphony orchestra of NBC);
  • Brahms, 2nd symphony (1952, Symphony orchestra of NBC);
  • Brahms, 3rd symphony (1952, Symphony orchestra of NBC);
  • Brahms, 4th symphony (1952, Symphony orchestra of NBC);
  • Debussy, the sea (1950, Symphony orchestra of NBC);
  • Dvořák 9th symphony (1953, Symphony orchestra of NBC);
  • Mozart, the Magic Flute (1937, representation of the Festival of Salzburg);
  • Puccini, Bohemia (1946, Symphony orchestra of NBC);
  • Rossini, Openings of operas (Symphony orchestra of NBC);
  • Schubert, 9th symphony (1953, Symphony orchestra of NBC or 1941 with the Orchestra of Philadelphia);
  • Schuman, Manfred (Symphony orchestra of NBC);
  • Made green, Mass of requiem (1940, Symphony orchestra of NBC or recording of 1953);
  • Made green, Falstaff (1937, recording of the representation of the festival of Salzburg or 1950, Symphony orchestra of NBC);
  • Made green, Otello (1947, Symphony orchestra of NBC);
  • Wagner the Masters Singers of Nuremberg (1937, with the festival of Salzburg).

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