Toscanini was my childhood idol. I was 10 when he died. I sat glued to WQXR radio when he was on his deathbed waiting to hear the news none of us wanted to hear. This is the music of angels.
Toscanini asked the great Italian tenor, Giuseppe Di Stefano, to sing in a 1952 recording of Verdi's Requiem. Di Stefano was reluctant. When Toscanini asked why Di Stefano said "I heard that you are mean." Toscanini answered "I am only mean to stupid people." The recording was made, no one was mean, and it was a great success.
...and me, as well. Although Toscanini was still conducting during my early childhood, i had no idea, until reading Denby's piece, that he was such a moral force. What better time to celebrate great anti-fascists.
He was brilliant well beyond political views. Why diminish the man's incredible musical and artistic intelligence giving him kudos for a political stance?
@@noahwhite-telles5570 yet... he was not americanized ever and he was a great and brilliant artist who brought the best out of who ever played under his baton be they fascist or not.... That's an artist!
@@ozielich But that's just the thing! Toscanini rarely accepted interviews and was a very private man. However, one thing he was very outspoken about was his rejection of fascism. He refused to conduct in fascist countries. After Hitler became Chancellor, Toscanini refused to conduct in Germany again, and he even conducted an orchestra comprised of escaped Jews for free. In Italy in 1931, Toscanini was attacked and beaten in the face by a group of Fascists for refusing to conduct the Fascist anthem. I think the fact that Toscanini stood up for what was right is even more to celebrate!
This is exactly the way this overture is supposed to sound. It's the gold standard.
2023... I still watch his playing.
What a great maestro he is!
How clean and perfect!
Incomparable principal cellist Frank Miller
Toscanini was my childhood idol. I was 10 when he died. I sat glued to WQXR radio when he was on his deathbed waiting to hear the news none of us wanted to hear. This is the music of angels.
There is no other way to describe it, this is perfection. Toscanini was amazing.
Beautiful tone of cellos. Great orchestra. Brilliant Maestro Toscanini.
And of course Toscanini was himself a cellist (he played in the world premiere of Verdi's penultimate opera Otello).
Toscanini asked the great Italian tenor, Giuseppe Di Stefano, to sing in a 1952 recording of Verdi's Requiem. Di Stefano was reluctant. When Toscanini asked why Di Stefano said "I heard that you are mean." Toscanini answered "I am only mean to stupid people." The recording was made, no one was mean, and it was a great success.
Ooh that hurts 😂
An amazing performance as one would expect from Toscanini ! ❤😊
This is unreal! Brilliant Toscanini!
My childhood friends father played under Toscanini's baton. He was a hard task master, but everyone came out the better for it.
El mejor Director de Orquesta de todos los tiempos.
I'm in a wheelchair, but at 7:51 I leapt up and ran for my steed. He was a silver one.
Such precise movements. You just need to watch the stick. Nowadays half the time I don't know what conductors are even doing up there.
I can only hope to be as productive and in complete control as Toscanini at age 84 !
What a performance!!!
David Denby's review of Harvey Sachs' biography of Toscanini brought me here.
Great book!
This is amazing
Beautiful
2:55 #mickeymouse slays this part perfectly with a tornado appearing in the middle of a band concert he's conducting.
Toscanini loved Disney's cartoon, The Band Concert. When he saw it in the theater, he requested the cartoon to be repeated.
7:55
...and me, as well. Although Toscanini was still conducting during my early childhood, i had no idea, until reading Denby's piece, that he was such a moral force. What better time to celebrate great anti-fascists.
why political comments....? Art is another very different dimension of human soul
@claudio maglio Toscanini was actually known to be VERY outspoken against fascism in Italy.
He was brilliant well beyond political views. Why diminish the man's incredible musical and artistic intelligence giving him kudos for a political stance?
@@noahwhite-telles5570 yet... he was not americanized ever and he was a great and brilliant artist who brought the best out of who ever played under his baton be they fascist or not.... That's an artist!
@@ozielich But that's just the thing! Toscanini rarely accepted interviews and was a very private man. However, one thing he was very outspoken about was his rejection of fascism. He refused to conduct in fascist countries. After Hitler became Chancellor, Toscanini refused to conduct in Germany again, and he even conducted an orchestra comprised of escaped Jews for free. In Italy in 1931, Toscanini was attacked and beaten in the face by a group of Fascists for refusing to conduct the Fascist anthem. I think the fact that Toscanini stood up for what was right is even more to celebrate!