Search - J. Strauss, Toscanini, NBC :: Blue Danube

Disappointing Fake Stereo Transfer Clouds Sound

11/16/1998

(3 out of 5 stars)

"If the RCA/BMG engineers had not afflicted this volume of the Toscanini Collection with a heavy bath of fake stereo ambient echo, this would have been a desirable collection of the shorter, light works conducted by Toscanini during the period of the forties and early fifties.However, so much extra stereo echo has been added that the sound balances are clouded and confused. This does little harm to the later recordings in high fidelity (Dance of the Hours, Invitation to the Dance) but the earlier ones from 78 rpm masters or live radio transcriptions (such as the Skater's Waltz, L. Mozart Toy Symphony, Strauss waltz and short pieces, Paganini Moto Perpetuo) do not benefit from the alteration. However, this appears to be the very first authorized issue of the marvelous performance of the Glinka Jota Aragonesa from the broadcast of March 4, 1950: therefore, one must put up with the imprecision and cloudiness of the blowsy sound to be able to enjoy the performance (which in my opinion is not QUITE as exciting as the broadcast performance of 1945, once available on an ATS LP issue.)If RCA chooses to REMOVE the echo, this will be a valuable release. One must also add that apparently a newer version of the 1941 broadcast of the Toy Symphony has appeared, and has been played at the NY Public Library Toscanini collection; this older issue (originally released in 1967 on a Victor 5-disk LP set) has very bad, pinched telephone-line narrowband sound.Yet, as always, the Toscanini spirit of intensity and clarity shines through, despite the variability of the sound quality of commercial sessions and live broadcasts."