Anyone who loves Verdi probably already has every performance on this 12-disc set. It contains Arturo Toscanini's canonical NBC recordings originally broadcast between 1942 and 1952. That's 11 operas, including Aida, La Traviata, Rigoletto, Falstaff, and Otello plus the Requiem and two single-movement choral works all directed by the conductor Verdi himself endorsed as his chosen interpreter. Sung by some of the great Verdi singers of the time, including Licia Albanese, Jan Peerce, Leonard Warren, Zinka Milanov, and Cesare Siepi, and played by the in-house RCA Symphony Orchestra, Toscanini's interpretations are extremely dramatic, intensely agitated, and incredibly effective. Every character is pushed to the edge, every emotion is expressed to the utmost, and every climax is driven to the limit. Digitally remastered, NBC's Studio 8H sounds as close and real as possible on this 2006 release and anyone who loves Verdi and doesn't already know Toscanini's recordings should check out these reissues. Start with Toscanini's shattering Otello or his relentless La forza del destino or his magnificent Nabucco, or, if you dare, his nihilistic Requiem. Despite the sound, it'll be hard to go back to more recent performances.
© TiVo