Toscanini: The Maestro
Encyclopedia
Toscanini: The Maestro is a documentary about Italian conductor Arturo Toscanini
, who was once considered by most to be the greatest maestro of the twentieth century. It was originally created for the Bravo channel in 1985. However, PBS
televised it in January 1988, perhaps (though this has never been confirmed) as a corrective to Joseph Horowitz
's highly controversial, revisionist book on the conductor, Understanding Toscanini, which had been released the year before to both enthusiastic and devastating reviews. Horowitz put forward the thesis that Toscanini's enduring fame was largely due to publicity drummed up by NBC
during the years that he conducted the NBC Symphony Orchestra
, and was not based on the conductor's actual abilities, an opinion which, only thirty years previously, would probably have been considered tantamount to heresy.
Toscanini: The Maestro is the last television program narrated by Alexander Scourby
, and the program is highlighted by interviews with NBC Symphony Orchestra musicians who were then still alive, as well as reminiscences by such operatic singers as Robert Merrill
, Herva Nelli
, Jarmila Novotná
, Licia Albanese
and Bidú Sayão
, all of whom worked with Toscanini, and rare color home movies of the maestro with such musicians as Vladimir Horowitz
and Andrés Segovia
. Also included was color footage of Salzburg
in 1937. Excerpts from several of Toscanini's television appearances, preserved on black-and-white kinescopes, which at that time were undergoing extensive restoration prior to their release on videocassette, are also featured, as well as an extensive clip from Hymn of the Nations
, a short subject
that Toscanini filmed to support the U.S. war effort in 1944.
Arturo Toscanini
Arturo Toscanini was an Italian conductor. One of the most acclaimed musicians of the late 19th and 20th century, he was renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orchestral detail and sonority, and his photographic memory...
, who was once considered by most to be the greatest maestro of the twentieth century. It was originally created for the Bravo channel in 1985. However, PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
televised it in January 1988, perhaps (though this has never been confirmed) as a corrective to Joseph Horowitz
Joseph Horowitz
Joseph Horowitz is an American cultural historian whose seven books mainly deal with the institutional history of classical music in the United States. As a producer of concerts, he has played a pioneering role in promoting thematic programming and new concert formats...
's highly controversial, revisionist book on the conductor, Understanding Toscanini, which had been released the year before to both enthusiastic and devastating reviews. Horowitz put forward the thesis that Toscanini's enduring fame was largely due to publicity drummed up by NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
during the years that he conducted the NBC Symphony Orchestra
NBC Symphony Orchestra
The NBC Symphony Orchestra was a radio orchestra established by David Sarnoff of the National Broadcasting Company especially for conductor Arturo Toscanini...
, and was not based on the conductor's actual abilities, an opinion which, only thirty years previously, would probably have been considered tantamount to heresy.
Toscanini: The Maestro is the last television program narrated by Alexander Scourby
Alexander Scourby
Alexander Scourby was an American film, television, and voice actor known for his deep and resonant voice...
, and the program is highlighted by interviews with NBC Symphony Orchestra musicians who were then still alive, as well as reminiscences by such operatic singers as Robert Merrill
Robert Merrill
Robert Merrill was an American operatic baritone.-Early life:Merrill was born Moishe Miller, later known as Morris Miller, in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York, to tailor Abraham Miller, originally Milstein, and his wife Lillian, née Balaban, immigrants from Warsaw, Poland.His mother...
, Herva Nelli
Herva Nelli
Herva Nelli was an Italian-born operatic soprano.-Biography:Named after the French socialist Gustave Hervé, she was born in Florence, where she attended a convent school...
, Jarmila Novotná
Jarmila Novotná
Jarmila Novotná was a celebrated Czech soprano and actress and, from 1940 to 1956, a star of the Metropolitan Opera.-Early career:...
, Licia Albanese
Licia Albanese
Licia Albanese is an Italian-born American operatic soprano. Noted especially for her portrayals of the lyric heroines of Verdi and Puccini, Albanese was a leading artist with the Metropolitan Opera of New York from 1940 to 1966...
and Bidú Sayão
Bidu Sayão
Bidú Sayão was a Brazilian opera soprano. One of Brazil's most famous musicians, Sayão was a leading artist of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City from 1937 to 1952.-Life and career:...
, all of whom worked with Toscanini, and rare color home movies of the maestro with such musicians as Vladimir Horowitz
Vladimir Horowitz
Vladimir Samoylovich Horowitz was a Russian-American classical virtuoso pianist and minor composer. His technique and use of tone color and the excitement of his playing were legendary. He is widely considered one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century.-Life and early...
and Andrés Segovia
Andrés Segovia
Andrés Torres Segovia, 1st Marquis of Salobreña , known as Andrés Segovia, was a virtuoso Spanish classical guitarist from Linares, Jaén, Andalucia, Spain...
. Also included was color footage of Salzburg
Salzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
in 1937. Excerpts from several of Toscanini's television appearances, preserved on black-and-white kinescopes, which at that time were undergoing extensive restoration prior to their release on videocassette, are also featured, as well as an extensive clip from Hymn of the Nations
Hymn of the Nations
Hymn of the Nations, originally titled Arturo Toscanini: Hymn of the Nations , is a film directed by Alexander Hammid, which features a patriotic work for tenor soloist, chorus, and orchestra, composed by Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi in the early-1860s...
, a short subject
Short subject
A short film is any film not long enough to be considered a feature film. No consensus exists as to where that boundary is drawn: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all...
that Toscanini filmed to support the U.S. war effort in 1944.