The Toscanini legacy : a critical study of Arturo Toscanini's performances of Beethoven, Verdi, and other composers / [by] Spike Hughes.
| Author/creator | Hughes, Spike |
| Format | Book |
| Publication Info | London : Putnam, 1959. |
| Description | 346 pages : illustrations (music) ; 22 cm |
| Subjects |
| Contents | Preface -- J. S. Bach -- Beethoven. Symphony no 1 ; Symphony no 2 ; Symphony no 3 (Eroica) ; Symphony no 4 ; Symphony no 5 ; Symphony no 6 (Pastoral) ; Symphony no 7 ; Symphony no 8 ; Symphony no 9 (Choral) ; Fidelio ; Missa solemnis -- Boito -- Brahms -- Cherubini. Symphony in D ; Requiem in C minor -- Debussy. La mer ; Iberia -- Elgar -- Gluck -- Haydn. Symphony no 101 in D (Clock) ; Symphony no 94 in G (Surprise) ; Symphony no 88 in G -- Mendelssohn. Symphony no 4 in A (Italian) ; Symphony no 5 in D minor (Reformation) -- Mozart. The Magic Flute (Salzburg 1937) ; Symphony no 35 in D (Haffner) ; Symphony no 41 in C (Jupiter) ; Symphony no 40 in G minor ; Symphony no 39 in E flat ; Divertimento no 15 in D (K. 287) ; Bassoon concerto in B flat (K. 191) -- Puccini. La boheme -- Ravel -- Rossini -- Schubert. Symphony no 8 in B minor (Unfinished) ; Symphony no 9 in C -- Richard Strauss. Don Juan ; Tod und Verklarung ; Till Eulenspiegel ; Don Quixote -- Verdi. Rigoletto (Act IV) ; La traviata ; Un ballo in maschera ; Aida ; Otello ; Falstaff ; Messa da requiem ; Te Deum ; Miscellaneous -- Wagner. |
| Abstract | "What was it that made the art of Arturo Toscanini an unforgettable musical experience? His greatness as a conductor is unlikely to be equalled in a life-time--if only for the reason of his unparalleled span of activity and experience: nearly seventy years of active musical life, including personal links with Verdi and Puccini. Toscanini left a magnificent legacy for future generations of musicians--his recordings. These alone, however, cannot reveal the full range of his art. In this book, Spike Hughes, making a first attempt at a thorough evaluation of Toscanini's genius, examines, from the point of view of performance, most of the recordings that Toscanini made. Mr. Hughes is not however interested in the doctrines of the Hi-Fi cult--he is less concerned that a recorded oboe should sound like a real 'live' one, than that the passage played should resemble exactly what the composer intended in phrasing, tempo and musical significance. From this point of view, one can learn as much from recordings made in 1929 as from those made in Toscanini's last years. Spike Hughes also draws extensively on his own memories of unrecorded performances by Toscanini, and on notes made during many of his rehearsals. He does not attempt exhaustive coverage--he cannot share Toscanini's affection for the music of Brahms, for example--but from Bach to Richard Strauss he presents analyses of Toscanini's approach and interpretation. These essays are as penetrating as they are revealing, and should prove as stimulating to budding conductors and critics as they will be useful to record collectors."--Dust jacket. |
| General note | With 192 musical illustrations. |
| Biographical note | "Patrick Cairns Hughes, b. London 1908. Son of Herbert Hughes, critic and editor-collector of Irish folk-song volumes. Educated Cambridge, Vienna, Berlin, Florence. Music critic of Daily Herald 1933-39. Composer of first television opera--"Cinderella", 1938; ballet "High Yellow" (Markova, Ashton) Savoy Theatre, 1932. Broadcaster since 1930; author of radio plays and musicals (words and music); has broadcast in French, German and Italian and wrote "Puccini in London" for BBC Italian Service in 1958. Has appeared on television since its inception; presented a memorial programme on the anniversary of Toscanini's death last year, and commemorative ditto on centenary of Puccini's birth. Is Correspondent Member of the historical society of Parma, Toscanini's birthplace. With Ernest Newman and Francis Toye was chosen by the BBC to broadcast in a special programme two days after Toscanini's death on January 16, 1957. Author of two volumes of autobiography--Opening Bars, Second Movement; Great Opera Houses (a traveller's guide to their history and traditions); Out of Season (travel book); Famous Mozart Operas, Famous Puccini Operas; Famous Verdi Operas (in preparation). Still composes, and was commissioned by the BBC last year to write the Scherzo, 'The Nonsensical Tailor'. Now working on an orchestral suite "Mediterranean", begun in the summer of 1958 when the composer didn't go to the Mediterranean for the first time for many years, but spent the time settling into a 1603 farmhouse at Ringmer in Sussex, where he lives with his wife Charmian."--Dust jacket. |
| LCCN | 59002907 |
Availability
| Library | Location | Call Number | Status | Item Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Music | Closed Stacks - Ask at Circulation Desk | ML422.T67 H8 | ✔ Available | Place Hold |