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| Arturo Toscanini Conducts the Blue Danube Waltz | 
 enlarge | Creators: Johann Sebastian Bach, Mikhail Glinka, Leopold Mozart, Niccolo Paganini, Amilcare Ponchielli, Johann Ii Strauss, Franz Von Suppe, Emile Waldteufel, Carl Maria Von Weber, Arturo Toscanini, Nbc Symphony Orchestra
Label: RCA
Category: Music
Buy New: $30.00
Buy New/Used/Collectible from $23.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  (2 reviews)
Sales Rank: 239727
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
UPC: 090266030828
EAN: 0090266030828
ASIN: B000003EY2
Release Date: May 25, 1990
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Tracks:
| • | The Skaters Waltz, Op.138 | | • | Toy Sym: Allegro | | • | Toy Sym: Minuetto | | • | Toy Sym: Allegro | | • | Tritsch-Tratsch Polka, Op.214 | | • | On The Beautiful Blue Danube Waltz, Op.314 | | • | Poet And Peasant: Ov | | • | La Gioconda: Dance Of The Hours | | • | Moto Perpetuo, Op.11 | | • | Ste No.3: Air | | • | Invitation To The Dance, Op.65 | | • | Jota Aragonesa (Spanish Ov No.1) |
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| Customer Reviews:
 Toscanini's Light Classics February 16, 2006
One of the remarkable things about Arturo Toscanini (1867-1957) was his ability to take the lighter, more familiar classics and bring new life to the music. The compilation offers a good sampling of how Toscanini excelled in bringing out the best from all-too-familiar musical treasures.
Toscanini was particularly known for his arrangement of Emil Waldteufel's "Skater's Waltz." This is the epitome of Viennese romanticism and it is a thoroughly delightful performance. Toscanini clearly understood the "ebb and flow" qualities of concert waltzes; there is an appropriate amount of rubato and true joy in this performance by the NBC Symphony Orchestra, recorded in Carnegie Hall. Unfortunately, the recording was NOT made in high fidelity and was apparently released on 78-rpm discs when wartime restrictions often resulted in less than pristine sound.
It is quite remarkable to hear how much fun Toscanini and the NBC musicians had with Leopold Mozart's "Toy Symphony." This is very charming, lively music, filled with all sorts of noise-makers and Toscanini was able to capture the magical qualities of these enchanting pieces.
Toscanini was particularly good with the music of Johann Strauss and this disc offers two excellent examples: the fiery, irrepressible "Tritsch-Tratsch Polka" and the wonderful "On the Beautiful Blue Danube."
Franz von Suppe's "Poet and Peasant" overture has become VERY familiar over the years and, of course, many learned the music through cartoons. However, Toscanini treats it with great dignity and energy, resulting in a top-notch performance.
The "Dance of the Hours" is the magical ballet music from Ponchielli's most famous opera, "La Gioconda." In this recording Toscanini succeeds in bringing out the best of music that became very popular through its inclusion in the original 1940 animated film "Fantasia," as performed by Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra and preserved in multi-channel stereo. This monaural version was better performed by the NBC Symphony under Toscanini and remains one of the great delights of his long career.
The first time I heard Toscanini's recording of Paganini's "Moto Perpetuo" I was captivated by the never-ending energy and enthusiasm of music that was intended to go on forever. It is really wonderful and quite a tribute to the fine playing by the NBC's string section.
In 1947, Toscanini and the NBC Symphony Orchestra gave a rare, complete performance of Johann Sebastian Bach's "Suite No. 3 in C," complete with terraced dynamics and great intensity and precision. The "Air on the G String" is perhaps the most known section of the suite and was recorded by itself in this commercial recording; it is proof that Toscanini could conduct Bach's music with wonderful results.
Toscanini first recorded the Weber-Berlioz "Invitation to the Dance" with the BBC Symphony Orchestra. He clearly admired how Hector Berlioz had orchestrated and arragned Karl Maria von Weber's spectacular piano piece. In the NBC recording, made in 1951, there is a beauty and intensity that has rarely been heard.
It may amaze some that Toscanini did conduct some of the music of the pioneering Russian composer Mikhail Glinka. "Jota Aragonesa" is one of the pieces inspired by Glinka's extended visit to Spain and it is very colorful and delightful. Toscanini's recording brings out the best in this memorable Spanish=Russian concert overture.
 Disappointing Fake Stereo Transfer Clouds Sound November 17, 1998
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
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.
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