VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis; MOZART: Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, K. 550; Symphony No. 41 in C Major, K. 551 “Jupiter”; BACH: Aria from Suite No. 3 in D Major, BWV 1068 – NBC Symphony Orchestra/Arturo Toscanini – Opus Kura

by | Jan 7, 2008 | Classical Reissue Reviews | 0 comments

VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis; MOZART: Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, K. 550; Symphony No. 41 in C Major, K. 551 “Jupiter”; BACH: Aria from Suite No. 3 in D Major, BWV 1068 – NBC Symphony Orchestra/Arturo Toscanini

Opus Kura OPK 2045,  67:52  (Distrib. Albany) ****:

Toscanini’s 8 November 1945 performance of the Tallis Fantasia of Vaughan Williams derives from scratchy-sounding V Discs from the WW II era, which often featured established interpreters in uncommon repertory. Toscanini moves the Fantasy at a heady clip; even the ripieno section of the concerto grosso does not linger in its chamber-music medium for long. The whole proceeds less as a mystical experience a la Mitropoulos than an exercise in instrumental textures and densities, quite deconstructionalist, actually. The 1937-1939 (the Andante re-recorded 7 February 1939) G Minor Symphony of Mozart is taken from a set of Italian “La voce del Padrone” HMV 78s. Toscanini pays exceptional attention to Mozart’s propulsive, linear balances, the apportionment of instrumental weights to the various lines of development in strings, winds, and horns. Subsequently, the first movement evolves in architectural sections, not so far from a Bruckner experience. No dawdling for the Andante, either. Still, the lower bass lines are clearly delineated, the higher strings’ sforzati and flute scales urgent and immediate. The last two movements shed Mozart’s “rococo” image for a demonized, energetic persona uncompromising in its multilayered complexity and singleness of purpose.

An RCA domestic set for the C Major Symphony (1946), a colossal and febrile account only rivaled for sheer vitality by Albert Coates. The whistling strings, woodwind, and tympani carry us along an undeniable flood of emotion, with only the flute’s offering any respite from the mortal storms. Even the plucks of the pizzicato strings carry a decided thump, and the ensuing rockets leave us breathless at the coda. The relatively relaxed Andante reveals a deep, serene bass line, the oboe part in clear detail. The lines are long and sinewy, followed by aggrieved string punctuations of human tragedy. Despite the brisk pace of the Menuetto, it still retains a courtly, ennobled character. Again, the luster of the bass lines adds a color dimension to Tocanini’s Mozart we do not always call to mind immediately. The explosively polyphonic Finale culminates the Toscanini-NBC collaboration, a happy display piece for conductor and his virtuoso ensemble. Ceremonial pomp and sheer adrenalin rush permeate every line. The recording sheds its 60 years with the first onslaught of sound! Required listening for aficianados and students of orchestral discipline.

— Gary Lemco

 

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