It is often said that in his later years Toscanini’s conducting became inflexible and hard-driven. There is an element of truth in this, but as the wonderful Philharmonia Brahms cycle (Pristine), a Saint-Saens Organ Symphony that makes everyone else sound self-indulgent and this Dvorak - to name but a few - show, this was definitely not always the case and a live 1938 NBC performance of the Dvorak (Nathan Brown Archive) is actually slightly faster in all four movements. In both you get consistent tempi, with slightly more rubato in ’38, razor-sharp forte chords, sforzandi and staccati are observed, every climax is meticulously constructed and weighted, there is absolute clarity, delineation of line, texture and rhythm, melodic lines are beautifully sung and sculpted (the closing pages of the Largo are gorgeous) and Toscanini exerts a vice-like grip on orchestra and listener. Yes the ’38 performance has even more power, the crashing timpani are more accurate and the first movement exposition repeat is observed, but both are paragons of Dvorak conducting.
The DSD256 sound is a huge improvement on previous transfers. The mono image is bright and forward and while the upper-string and woodwind tone are thin, you get that on both UK and US first label LPs, the brass and timpani cut through, there is nice sense of depth and the pitch is reasonably true and constant, with one small slur prior to the coda. So there is no reason to miss this great performance because of the sound.
