Toscanini, Arturo
Name
Toscanini, Arturo
Gender
Male
Birth
March 25, 1867 Parma
Death
January 16, 1957 New York
Descriptive Note
Arturo Toscanini was one of the most renowned Italian musicians and conductors. He studied cello at the Conservatorio of his hometown, Parma, in the Emilia Romagna region of Italy. His conducting career began at the age of 19 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, when he substituted the local conductor in the performance of Aida, gaining immediate acclaim. He served at various times as the music director of La Scala in Milan and the New York Philharmonic.
Besides conducting, Toscanini contitnued to play the cello, and participated as cellist in the world premiere of Verdi's Otello at La Scala in 1887. In 1896, Toscanini conducted his first symphonic concert in Turin, with works by Schubert, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, and Wagner. By 1898, Toscanini was Principal Conductor at La Scala, and in 1908 he joined the Metropolitan Opera in New York.
Toscanini made his debut at the New York Philarmonic in January 1926. Under Toscanini, the New York Philarmonic became the first orchestra to produce live coast-to-coast radio broadcasts of its concerts. During Toscanini's tenure, the Philharmonic performed numerous World and US Premieres, including Ravel’s Bolero in 1929. In fact, Toscanini conducted the world premieres of many operas, such as Pagliacci, La bohème, La fanciulla del West and Turandot. After resigning in 1936, he became music director of the NBC Symphony Orchestra, which he led until 1954.
In the 1930s, he conducted the Salzburg Festival, and the 1936 inaugural concert of the Palestine Orchestra, which then became the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in Tel Aviv.
On the occasion of the Exposition of Turin 1911, Maestro Toscanini was invited to direct five concerti sinfonici in the Salone delle Feste, Pavilion of Festivals and Concerts:
September 16th: music by Bach-Mahler, Beethoven, Brahms, Wagner, and Strauss.
September 19th: music by Beethoven, Gluck, Martucci, Wagner and Rossini.
September 23th: music by Brahms, Handel, Dukas, Wagner, and Weber.
Septemebr 28th: music by Mozart, Martucci, Debussy and Wagner.
September 29th: music by Debussy, Handel, and Wagner.
Roles
Performing Artists, Conductors (Musicians)
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