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Loading... The Letters of Arturo Toscanini| 40 | 1 | 654,982 | 
(4.5) | 1 | Fifty years after his death, Arturo Toscanini is still considered one of the greatest conductors in history, and probably the most influential. His letters, expertly collected, translated, and edited here by Harvey Sachs, will give readers a new depth of insight into his life and work. As Sachs puts it, they "reveal above all else a man whose psychological perceptions in general and self-knowledge in particular were much more acute than most people have thought likely." They are sure to enthrall anyone interested in learning more about one of the great lives of the twentieth century. "This is a major contribution to our understanding of Toscanini and of several entire eras of late nineteenth- and twentieth-century musical life, especially the almost improvisatory looseness of opera in Italy, the glamour of European festivals, and the concert life of the United States. It's also a wonderful, sometimes downright salacious read."--New York Times "Toscanini's large, cranky humanity comes alive throughout his letters, as it does in his best recordings."--New York Review of Books "Edited with scrupulous care and wide-ranging erudition."--Wall Street Journal "Sachs has served the conductor well . . . by editing this generously annotated and unprecedentedly revealing collection of letters that were written, usually in haste and often in fury, over the course of seventy years."--Washington Post … (more) |
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To Maria Cristina
my love and now also my wife,
who has stood by me
through my most difficult years  | |
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[Introduction:]
Arturo Toscanini was born in the city of Parma, in Italy's fertile Po plain, on 25 March 1867. He was the oldest of four children and the only son of Paola (nee Montani) and Claudio Toscanini. Both parents came from middle-class families, but Claudio had the temperament of an adventurer and had gone off in his youth to fight in Garibaldi's forces during Italy's wars of independence and reunification. Thereafter, he never managed to settle down seriously to domestic life, and his drinking, philandering and general irresponsibility made life difficult for his wife and children. Arturo entered Parma's Royal School of Music at the age of nine and graduated from it at eighteen, with maximum honors in cello and composition and with a reputation, among local musicians, not only for his virtually photographic memory and other remarkable talents but also for his wide-ranging musical interests and passionately held ideals. The following year, he was engaged as principal cellist and assistant chorus master of an Italian opera company that was to tour South America, and one evening, at Rio de Janeiro, the nineteen-year-old musician was called upon at the last moment to replace the ensemble's regular conductor in Aida, which he led by heart. Thus began one of the most extraordinary careers in the history of musical performances. | |
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[Message to NYPO, 4 June 1931:]
But that's life. It's almost always made up of bitter separations. When one isn't separating from loved ones or dear friends, one is separating from some illusion or other.
[5 January 1931 to Carla Toscanini:]
I firmly believe that the best part of me, that which could best shed light on my soul, is and will forever remain unexpressed. It is given only to truly superior beings like Dante, Shakespeare, Leopardi, Beethoven, Verdi, Wagner to express themselves completely, for the joy of all mankind.
[17 July 1933, to Ada Mainardi, about the "Kyrie" from Bach's Mass in B minor:]
What a marvel! At that moment, Bach must have been in direct communication with his infernal Daemon or God! Most modern composers, even if they are good musicians, have no internal voice to listen to; no revelation comes to them from a world of the spirit, as it came to Bach, Beethoven and Wagner! Poor wretches, why do they continue to daub at paper? By the time I was twenty years old, I had grasped perfectly well the futility of my efforts. | |
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▾References References to this work on external resources.  Wikipedia in English (2)
▾Book descriptions Fifty years after his death, Arturo Toscanini is still considered one of the greatest conductors in history, and probably the most influential. His letters, expertly collected, translated, and edited here by Harvey Sachs, will give readers a new depth of insight into his life and work. As Sachs puts it, they "reveal above all else a man whose psychological perceptions in general and self-knowledge in particular were much more acute than most people have thought likely." They are sure to enthrall anyone interested in learning more about one of the great lives of the twentieth century. "This is a major contribution to our understanding of Toscanini and of several entire eras of late nineteenth- and twentieth-century musical life, especially the almost improvisatory looseness of opera in Italy, the glamour of European festivals, and the concert life of the United States. It's also a wonderful, sometimes downright salacious read."--New York Times "Toscanini's large, cranky humanity comes alive throughout his letters, as it does in his best recordings."--New York Review of Books "Edited with scrupulous care and wide-ranging erudition."--Wall Street Journal "Sachs has served the conductor well . . . by editing this generously annotated and unprecedentedly revealing collection of letters that were written, usually in haste and often in fury, over the course of seventy years."--Washington Post ▾Library descriptions No library descriptions found. ▾LibraryThing members' description |
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