Eva Gustavson

The historic Toscanini television concerts with the NBC Symphony Orchestra. This concert, broadcast in two parts, on 26 March and 2 April 1949, from NBC Studio 8H, features the opera "Aida" by Giuseppe Verdi. (Both broadcasts were released as "Vol. 3" in the DVD series.)

To hear is not the same as seeing and hearing! To watch Maestro Toscanini conduct this opera is a revelation. This man is a direct link to Verdi, Puccini and other great opera composers. He did the premier performances of many major operas. His tempos, phrasing, etc. must be considered definitive. I was mesmerized from start to finish. One will forget the soft black and white, and sometimes blurred images, the lack of subtitles, and the relatively limited sound frequency range, as the focus will be on what Toscanini is doing on the podium. Richard Tucker -- what can I say about Mr. Tucker? His performance was wonderful, clear, nuanced.