Arturo Toscanini and the NBC Symphony Orchestra: The Television Concerts 1948-52, Vol. 1
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DVD Cover Information
Composer: Richard WagnerComposer: Ludwig van Beethoven
Conductor: Arturo Toscanini
Orchestra: NBC Symphony Orchestra
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Black & White, Classical, DVD, Import, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 121 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-02-14
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Testament UK
Movie Reviews of Arturo Toscanini and the NBC Symphony Orchestra: The Television Concerts 1948-52, Vol. 1
Movie Review: As good as it gets. Wonderful!
Summary: 5 Stars
These DVDs are essentially the same as the VHS releases in the 1980s. The titles, Martin Bookspan commentary, end credits, booklet notes are all present. (And no, the originally televised David Sarnoff introduction for the first concert is still not there). I am not a fan of the cover art, or of the menus. But the menus are simple and direct, so that can be also a plus. At first, I thought this was a cheap transfer and not much was paid to clean up the picture and sound, as I experienced with the DVD Toscanini documentary released by RCA in 2004. When the concerts started, my fears were alleviated.
The picture is as improved as it might ever get, barring a future blu-ray release. I think you have to approach your expectations with the idea that these are historical documents. Since this was recorded during the early days of television, and of presenting televised concerts, you can count on the picture looking primitive, camera shots not well planned, and variable focus work. If you are looking for pristine HDTV, forget it. I am not sure if Testament got hold of the original film Kinescopes, or the Kinescope video transfer masters that RCA did for the VHS release in the 1980s, but it seems like they worked on the picture quality of whatever they had, and it shows. I was not disappointed in the slightest. Some of it was darn near perfect! There are still some dust and spots, but that will never be eliminated because of the age. And in Vol. 2 and Vol. 4, there are long sections that are slightly out of focus, probably at the time of the original Kinescope recordings. But I was overall pleased.
The sound is the next big concern. It can be the make or break element for most buyers as the picture quality looks quite primitive to today's standards (good audio can help a viewer look past the visual defects). They did an incredible job on the sound and put it on PCM Twin mono. It is something you would hear from a very good and clean mono CD of the era. No pops or crackles that I could detect. It is a massive improvement. I went back to my old VHS to make sure, and there is no comparison. The treble/bass sounds are more natural and it is all crisp and clean. Magnificent.
The final test was the audio/picture synchronization. The old VHS tapes were off a bit, and thus marred the overall enjoyment. The sync in the DVDs are all fixed and we finally get to see Toscanini as he should be seen: in clear command with tight accurate conducting, and the rapid response from a world-class orchestra. For me, this made my appreciation for Maestro Toscanini's art all the more exhilarating.
As for the performances, this first volume is my personal favorite. I like Wagner's music and the Beethoven Ninth Symphony is my favorite composition in music literature. Toscanini's passion for these works is obvious when you see him conduct.
The brisk opening to Act III of Lohengrin begins the all-Wagner concert. Then Forest Murmurs (Siegfried), Dawn&Rhine Journey (Götterdämerung), Overture&Bacchanale (Tannhäuser), and ending with the thrilling Ride of the Valkyries from Die Walküre. The only misstep is the slightly out of tune opening of the Tannhäuser, but the rest is brilliant.
The second program is the Beethoven's Ninth, and it may well bring tears to your eyes. Unlike the moody dirge we hear so often these days in the first three movements, the feeling Toscanini gives is one where we are leading towards a union with the Almighty Spirit. The first movement is full of drama and pathos, the second is bright and full of earnest, and the third gives us quiet solemnity. In the Finale, we break free of the difficult past and celebrate with joys our brighter future (in Beethoven's words, with human brotherhood). Toscanini made this movement happy and joyous. Perhaps the most joyful I have ever heard it! Chorus and the soloists sing as one, which I hardly hear in any performance. Nothing is rushed or dragged. It is the most inspired and satisfying I have experienced. And above all, it all seemed very honest and true to Beethoven.
Some day, hopefully, the complete 1943 film of Toscanini conducting Verdi's "La Forza del Destino" Overture and "Hymn of Nations" will be fully restored and cleaned up for a solid DVD presentation as Testament has done with these television concerts. (And I have to remark about Vol. 3, the complete Aida, that it would have helped that Testament had put in subtitles and translations for the non-Italian speakers and/or opera novices so the concert could have made more sense to them. Same for the Beethoven Ninth Finale.)
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