Search - Cherubini, Toscanini, NBC :: Cherubini: Symphony in D/Cimarosa: Il Matrimonio Segreto/ Il Matrimonio Per Raggiro

The Maestro Scores Again: Wonderful Readings, Good Sound!

09/17/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The symphony by Cherubini is a conventional four-movement work that was prepared early in the 19th century for the London Philharmonic Society, and drawn from the material originally composed for a 5-movement string quartet. The Toscanini performing version (which is utilized for all current competing CD editions) makes some small structural and textual changes; one has to delve back into the LP catalog to find the 'urtext' edition, but will not find a reading as convincing as Toscanini's. Even the newest CD (1998) featuring Alun Francis on "cpo", though it does utilize the first movement exposition repeat avoided by Toscanini, has a mincing, miniature, and contrived quality compared to the robust, enthusiastic, and natural interpretation of the Maestro. The recording sessions were held in 1952 in Carnegie Hall, with the redoubtable Lewis Layton as engineer (he taped the "golden age" of Victor Red Seal Living Stereo performances by the Chicago and Boston Symphonies, and some of the later Toscanini recordings, notably the best in sound.) Only by comparing this recording session with some of the Maestro's live broadcasts (unreleased) can we hear a better and more spontaneous performance of this admirable work.The 3 companion Cherubini overtures are major works of their type: "Anacreon" and "Medee" being dramatic and rhetorical, and "Ali Baba" a hilarious comic opera prelude (one of the few pieces of classical music that is likely to make an auditor laugh out loud!) similar in spirit to Weber's "Abu Hassan", though larger in scale. Lawrence Foster has recorded these overtures in stereo for a Claves CD, but his interpretations -- though elegant and polished -- have not the elemental drama of Toscanini. The brief Cimarosa overtures are utter delights, though they were recorded almost a decade earlier than the Cherubini during live broadcasts in the forties: one of my friends considers the "Il matrimonio segreto" Overture performance to be his all-time FAVORITE Toscanini recording!Surely this is a 5-star release! Even monophobes will appreciate the clean, clear quality of the symphony recording."

Lively Cherubini and Cimarosa

Robert E. Nylund | Ft. Wayne, Indiana United States | 11/20/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Arturo Toscanini championed the music of Cherubini and Cimarosa during his long career. This is clearly delighted by these wonderful recordings of Cherubini's "Symphony in D" (the only one he wrote), several overtures from his operas, and the two operatic overtures by Cimarosa. Toscanini brought a great intensity and precision to these performances, which benefit from really top-notch high fidelity recordings.



The Cherubini symphony is much in the vein of Franz Schubert's symphonies, with perhaps a hint of Beethoven as well. It has moments of great dignity as well as drama and power. Toscanini's 1952 recording in Carnegie Hall is definitely one of the best of this delightful work. The first movement is the longest of the four movements and probably the most intense and dynamic. The NBC musicians give really fine performances throughout the music.



The overtures are all superbly performed at all, benefiting from Toscanini's incredible "inner vision" of the music. The Cherubini overtures are great fun to hear. Cimarosa's overtures are much in the style of Mozart's Italian operas, filled with considerable energy and enthusiasm.



Too often this music has been ignored or overlooked. It is wonderful that RCA chose to reissue these outstanding performances by a great conductor and a great orchestra."