Toscanini In Britain

Product Description

During the 1930s Arturo Toscanini conducted many concerts broadcast by the BBC from Londons Queens Hall where he also made some unsurpassed recordings. Drawing on newly researched material in British & American archives Christopher Dyment reveals how the most renowned & influential conductor of the twentieth century notoriously microphone-shy though he was came to conduct so frequently in London a tale replete with unexpected twists turns & ingenious stratagems. Toscaninis dominating influence on London critics & audiences in the period covered by the narrative extending through to his final appearances at the Royal Festival Hall in 1952 is copiously documented from contemporary sources. Dyment also presents fresh evidence showing how the remarkable combination of passionate conviction & architectural mastery that characterised Toscaninis conducting was grounded not only in his obsessive study of the score but also in his awareness of performing traditions dating back to the mid-nineteenth century. This book will fascinate those with a particular interest in Toscaninis career & recorded legacy. It is also essential reading for anyone with an interest in the history of conducting & recording in the first half of the twentieth century set against the vividly evoked backdrop of Londons concert scene of the period. This comprehensive study

Includes:: both an annotated table of all Toscaninis London concerts & his EMI discography. CHRISTOPHER DYMENT has written extensively about historic conductors since the 1970s particularly Felix Weingartner & Arturo Toscanini. His first book on Weingartner was published in 1976.