Search - Tchaikovsky, Toscanini :: Tchaikovsky: Manfred; Romeo and Juliet

Enthralling

David Saemann | 05/28/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This performance of Manfred is a rare opportunity to hear a Toscanini performance in recorded sound that is full bodied with a wide dynamic range. It is also a famous Toscanini interpretation, with some cuts in the work (My Everest recording with Eugene Goosens from a few years later is even more heavily cut.). In the first and fourth movements, the maestro leads his orchestra in readings of high drama and superlatively expressive playing. The middle two movements are more relaxed, as Toscanini pretty much stays out of the way and allows Tchaikovsky's lyricism to play itself out unaided. Annotater Mortimer Frank feels that these movements are unusually four square for Toscanini, but I feel the maestro knows exactly what he is doing. As for Romeo and Juliet, the sound engineering here is slightly more distant than for Manfred, but still very good. The performance is thrilling, with unrelenting tension and exciting playing especially from the winds. If you've never understood the clamor about Toscanini or else just find a lot of his work off putting, this CD should remedy the situation."