Search - Berlioz, Arturo Toscanini :: Romeo & Juliet / Damnation of Faust (Bonus CD)

A valuable release, Flawed remastering

phaedrus | Brooklyn, NY | 11/02/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Guild has endeavoured to trump BMG's reissue of the 1947 "Romeo" by giving us the complete broadcasts as played. Toscanini had approved these for commercial issue, but in the RCA records and

CDs, the "Queen Mab" scherzo was replaced by a 1951 recording due to some rather noticeable horn flubs in the 1947 transcription. Guild, as it has in many of its reissues, has 'fixed' this. Much ink has been expended debating this dubious policy of repairing 'defective' older recordings; Guild has carried this to extremes, at times splicing together operatic performances with different casts, or with the same cast from different performances, to fill in perceived defects. I believe that this is misguided and unfortunate; those who are interested in these performances because of their musical and documentary value will want to hear what was performed, and are almost certain to have studio recordings which are 'perfect' and note-complete.

Furthermore, Guild is not uncommonly careless with pitch, which is noticeable in the 2d movement of the Romeo.

On the other hand, they are at least honest about their 'patches' , and their notes are exemplary. I have heard the original unrepaired broadcast recording of the Queen Mab Scherzo, and prefer to hear the performance as played, horn errors and all, which add, perhaps, a touch of humanity, like the bad knots deliberatly placed into Persian carpet.

"