“I hate Toscanini. I’ve never heard him in a concert hall, but I’ve heard enough of his recordings. What he does to music is terrible in my opinion. He chops it up into a hash and then pours a disgusting sauce over it. Toscanini ‘honoured’ me by conducting my symphonies. I heard those records, too, and they’re worthless. I’ve read about Toscanini’s conducting style and his manner of conducting a rehearsal. The people who describe this disgraceful behaviour are for some reason delighted by it. I simply can’t understand what they find delightful. I think it’s outrageous, not delightful. He screams and curses the musicians and makes scenes in the most shameless manner. The poor musicians have to put up with all this nonsense or be sacked. And they even begin to see ‘something in it’. (…) Toscanini sent me his recording of m Seventh Symphony and hearing it made me very angry. Everything is wrong. The spirit and the character and the tempi. It’s a sloppy, hack job. I wrote him a letter expressing my views. I don’t know if he ever got it; maybe he did and pretended not to - that would be completely in keeping with his vain and egoistic style. Why do I think that Toscanini didn’t let it be known that I wrote to him? Because much later I received a letter from America: I was elected to the Toscanini Society! They must have thought that I was a great fan of the maestro’s. I began receiving records on a regular basis: all new recordings by Toscanini. My only comfort is that at least I always have a birthday present handy. Naturally, I wouldn’t give something like that to a friend. But to an acquaintance-why not? It pleases them and it’s less trouble for me. That’s one of life’s most difficult problems- what to give for a birthday or anniversary to a person you don’t particularly like, don’t know very well, and don’t respect. Conductors are too often rude and conceited tyrants. And in my youth I often had to fight fierce battles with them, battles for my music and my dignity.” ― Dmitri Shostakovich, Testimony: The Memoirs
This wasn't in the underrated film TESTIMOMY. A film about Shostakovich using the memoirs as a basis. Ben Kingsley played Shostakovich! But no this wasn't in there. Would love to have gotten his views on Mravinsky...who premiered some of his works but could also be tough on Orchestras. Maybe a bit more like Reiner than Toscanini.
@@theboogie_monsta I guess so. I would've thought Italian culture but he was conducting the most visible (On Radio and TV) Orchestra in the US so.....oh YES! AT conducted a medley of national anthems that Verdi had prepared. HYMN OF NATIONS. With Jan Peerce as soloist.....it's on here somewhere....I think NBC (or someone) cut the Russian one and proceeded directly to the US national Anthem
The silence in the room after his outbursts is the sound of musicians dying inside. He truly makes the guy in Whiplash look like an angel in comparison.
At one time, there was an orchestra where the Principal Bass oriented new section hires to play earlier than written, shorter than written, and louder than written. The more you know about acoustic physics and perception, the more you can appreciate this advice.
Grandissimo direttore: non si discute. Uomo detestabile: e anche su questo non c'è dubbio. E bestemmiava pure. Oggi sarebbe semplicemente inaccettabile.
Good grief. I think I would have titled this video 'famous conductor completely loses his cool and screams at the double basses for two minutes straight'. It's excessive no matter how late they were. Not impressed by Toscanini's behavior here.
The musicians of the NBC SYMPHONY knew precisely what they signed up for so they tolerated it like pros. In this century, management would immediately step in, stop the rehearsal, and bring in a substitute Conductor.
@@leodreamguitar7463 Maybe....just better unions. Toscanini and Reiner had the authority to fire musicians on the spot. Toscanini knew he had great players....bitching them out was easier than firing and replacing them!
Definitely not! When you play with world-class conductors, you get paid accordingly. If you fuck up your parts repeatedly, you must endure the wrath. There is no "management" or HR stepping in. No conductor on that level would accept it, if some bureaucrats tell him how he should conduct himself (no pun intended).
@@sigurdkaputnik7022 Right.....THEN there wasn't.....there is NOW. Apparently in Europe it was worse. I read something about Furtwangler slapping someone.
Dude why do you think this shit is acceptable? "They knew what they signed up for" is the worst excuse for excessive derision by someone who is supposed to be a leader figure. Do you think this is productive? No, it's super unprofessional and he deserves the criticism imo
Just learnt an Italian culture point called bestemmie. And then I thought, well let's go back to those Toscanini tantrums videos and see if he had said any.
Oh my heaven's sake, Toscanini is brutal!! I can't imagine anyone wanting to have him as a conductor with outrages like that at his players! So sad how he belittles the orchestra players. 😠😳
in all fairness, as a former serious violinist in childhood, when id get pissed after making a mistake, id take the bow swear and whip my music with it. lol. i have lots of bow marks in my repertoire 😂.
I think a physicist needs to point out to Toscanini about the properties of sound. Low pitched sounds, no matter how fast they're played, always take longer to reach the ears.
bro, this is unnecessary. even musical notation software is not exact, let alone a simple human being. toscanini needs to calm down & take a deep breath
@@jaker9901it isn’t cattlefarming either. These are top class master musicians. This behaviour is completely unnecessary. Read what Shostakovich said about the “maestro”
@@martonkthey are screwing up on the easiest mistakes,if you were Toscanini trying to lead a orchestra through Puccini’s Turandot and they give a god awful performance,that not only ruins the show,but also disrespects the opera itself,there’s a reason why Toscanini is mad,and it’s not because he hates them,but because they’re playing like they’re trying out on the violin for the first time.
the guy should be glad Toscanini didn't fire him on the spot. If Toscanini is unhappy with how you play, you will rehearse that part until your fingers bleed. Otherwise you have no right to be there.
Did Toscanini care too much? His interest was always and only to achieve the highest possible standards in the artistic challenge at hand. And of the dozens of the major conductors of the 20th Century, how many are remembered today? And of them, there are no more than a very few still held in such reverence and extolled so universally as is Arturo Toscanini.
Si vede che voi buonisti non avete mai sentito un direttore di clinica Barone dei tempi d’oro in sala operatoria. Sapete, cari benpensanti , che nessuno se ne curava sul serio? La società era così . In ogni caso adesso si sentono cantanti o strumentisti fuori tempo e nessuno può dire niente! Sono dei coglionazzi ! Aveva ragione Toscanini .
Read what Shostakovich had to say about Toscanini’s abbrasive behaviour AT THE TIME. Was he too soft aswell? He is not today’s person. This style is excessive and cannot be defended. He is screaming at world class master musicians, not schoolchildren. He made a fool of himself with this disgraceful behaviour.
Exactly,if this was today ,Toscanini would have gotten kicked out and there would have been a new dumbass conductor who didn’t give a shit about performance.
@@laurababyyy1 That sounds like two extremes instead of what would likely happen. I never understood why some people find it necessary to use such an abbrasive tone with musicians (I'm not one) as if they were soldiers or football players or something.
@@martonkmusic is a delicate form,if Toscanini is furious about how you’ve played,you’re either kicked out or forced to play until your fingers bleed. It’s an exaggeration again,but a prime example on how to be a good conductor.as modern conductors today,they’re too whiny and babyish to learn how to be a good musician
@@martonktrust me,that build good work in them,you can’t expect a person to be perfect,hence why hammering it home to them works better,it’s my opinion though,you might have a different opinion
@@ilcondottierocartografo6770 Im Italian bro. what is he blaspheming? The only time he mentions god is "Corpo di un dio" or "Corpo di un dio santissimo". Thats not blasphemy its a common phrase in italy.
@@ilcondottierocartografo6770 yeah, he is saying it in vain, but blasphemy is completely different from using gods name in vain and its a way more serious offense
