[alfajim]

Reading through the whole catagory and I find it interesting that no one here likes Toscanini for any of his recordings. Why is that?

Jim

[Photon46]

As you ask this question on an audiophile forum, I suspect a prime reason is because his recorded legacy sounds technically "old." I believe he started conducting in 1886 and ceased conducting around 1954. I'm sixty one and when I was a teenager learning to appreciate classical music, his recordings always sounded poor compared to more recently recorded material. I've no idea how today's remastering technology has restored his legacy. That aside, I always found his often remarked upon sense of rhythmic precision and excellent timing to sound somewhat metronomic and rigid. His chosen tempos often seemed a bit too fast for my tastes in a number of cases.

[HsvHeelFan]

I'm in my early 50's.   From an audio standpoint, I like recordings from around 1950 or later.  I also tend to prefer the Big Five Orchestras:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Five_%28orchestras%29


plus Berlin, London and Vienna

Those are my preferences.

As a brass player, I tend to like Chicago over the others.  They had a great brass section in the 50's - 80's.

HsvHeelFan

[alfajim]

I'm in my early 50's.   From an audio standpoint, I like recordings from around 1950 or later.  I also tend to prefer the Big Five Orchestras:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Five_%28orchestras%29


plus Berlin, London and Vienna

Those are my preferences.

As a brass player, I tend to like Chicago over the others.  They had a great brass section in the 50's - 80's.

HsvHeelFan

I find it interesting that wikipedia does not even mention the NBC symphony orchestra as a good, great or important orchestra. I find that very strange as history has it otherwise, or Toscanini's conducting the Philadelphia orchestra either. The NBC was the most broadcast orchestra concerts of the time, so it had to have had some importance?

Jim

[HsvHeelFan]

Jim,  I agree completely.  I suspect it has to do with the NBC Symphony disbanding in 1963. 

Also, since it wasn't a fully staffed orchestra, some of the non-salaried players were hired out of the local AFM pool.  I would think that would include a number of New York Phil players "filling in" when they weren't playing with the NYP.

New York has always had a ton of great players.

HsvHeelFan

[alfajim]

I find it interesting that wikipedia does not even mention the NBC symphony orchestra as a good, great or important orchestra. I find that very strange as history has it otherwise, or Toscanini's conducting the Philadelphia orchestra either. The NBC was the most broadcast orchestra concerts of the time, so it had to have had some importance?

Jim

My bad wikipedia has a great write up on the Orchestra They say it paid the highest salaries of any orchestra of the time and also offered a 52 week contract. They also pulled 21 members from orchestra's from around the world. After Toscanini retired the orchestra disbanded and them reformed as the Symphony of The Air under Stokowski plus at times conducted by all the big name conductors. Something I didn't know was they did the Victory at Sea Symphony for TV and also separate recordings.

Jim

[HsvHeelFan]

I've got 3 recordings of Victory at Sea music.   I've got the Houston Symphony performing "Selections from Victory at Sea".  I think it's around 13 minutes or so.  The orchestra that I'm in has played that several times over the years.

I also have a Telarc recording of the Cincinnati Pops performing 5 selections from Victory at Sea (I think it is five).   Technically, the recording is the typically stellar Telarc recording.  The recording is really good.  However, the performance just lays there.  It's uninspired and kind of lifeless. 

My favorite recording is conducted by Robert Russell Bennett and was recorded in '57 or '58 ( I don't remember the exact year) and it's the RCA Victor Symphony.  The recording is decent, probably run of the mill for a late 50's recording, by the performance is fantastic.  There orchestra plays with lots of energy and enthusiasm.

I'm unclear how the RCA Victor Symphony is related to the NBC Symphony orchestra, if they're related at all.

HsvHeelFan