Search - Ravel, Toscanini, NBC :: Daphnis Et Chloe

Indispensible Item in Any Toscanini Historic Collection!

09/17/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"5 Full Stars of Praise for this exciting CD reissue in the "official" RCA / BMG canon. Transfers are honest and pure, in genuine full- bodied monaural sound. In each and every case, no prior issue (either domestic US, British, or German LP) has sounded as good as this compact disk production. Those auditors who still prefer LPs over CDs must note that the Berlioz "Roman Carnival Overture", Franck, Dukas, Saint-Saens, and Thomas selections were generally available in the latter fifties and later in "enhanced sound" pressings that had falsified, boosted treble and bass, and extra peak compression, to "juice up" the playback quality for RCA Victor Orthophonic phonographs. Here, we have as close a transfer of the masters as we are ever likely to get, without the "enhancement". Some of the recordings are breathtaking in their fidelity and impact: the items mentioned immediately above, as well as even the 1949 (compressed and limited) tape master of the Ravel "Daphnis et Chloe" Second Suite, which has never sounded fresher and more impressive. It is even surprising to discover that the Berlioz "Rakoczy March" acetate aircheck disk from a September, 1945 Studio 8-H broadcast has so much richness and clarity (being far superior in dynamic range to the RCA recording by Monteux and the SF Symphony from 1951.)Once again, the calumny that RCA made "bad Toscanini recordings" is refuted here in this essential collection, sure to please music lovers of the widest taste in French repertoire (which was always a specialty of the Maestro.) Highly recommended!"