# What is the best set of Toscanini Beethoven symphonies (1950's with NBC Orchestra)?



## Zbums (Apr 11, 2015)

I want to purchase a set of Toscanini's Beethoven Symphonies from the 1950's with the NBC Symphony Orchestra, and am looking for the best possible sound quality available. I have narrowed it down to 2 sets:

Beethoven - The 9 Symphonies which was released in 2003 on the Alliance Label in 5 cds

Toscanini Conducts Beethoven which was released in 2019 on the Sony Masterworks Label on 6 cds

Any opinions out there as to which of these sets provides the best sound quality. Alternatively, is there another set of the complete Beethoven symphonies with Toscanini which provides better sound quality than either of these sets?


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

Pristine Classical has been producing a newly restored set from the 1950s RCA recordings. The sound restoration is stunning and the performances are riveting. I may have to toss my old RCA set and get these.

https://www.pristineclassical.com/products/pasc598


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## Zbums (Apr 11, 2015)

mbhaub said:


> Pristine Classical has been producing a newly restored set from the 1950s RCA recordings. The sound restoration is stunning and the performances are riveting. I may have to toss my old RCA set and get these.
> 
> https://www.pristineclassical.com/products/pasc598


These look really interesting, but to get all 9 symphonies from Pristine would be pretty expensive. Hoping for a more reasonably priced alternative


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## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

I don't know specifically, but the 1949-50 performances were largely recorded in Carnegie Hal, which gives the engineers a lot more to work with than the NBC Studio 8H recordings.


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

Zbums said:


> These look really interesting, but to get all 9 symphonies from Pristine would be pretty expensive. Hoping for a more reasonably priced alternative


They mave be expensive but buying any other edition is false economy to me. Personally, I agree with mbhaub. Forget all the other incarnations of these recordings and get the Pristine ones. The difference is not just slight, it's enormous. I used to find the 50s cycle near unlistenable but the Pristine set brings them back to life. They are still far from perfect (the 7th is a poor recording with distortion and sound congestion in louder passages, the 9th sounds very thin and the 3rd sounds like it was recorded in a large cardboard box) but it's as good as you're gonna get. I'd still say spend your money elsewhere but if its Toscanini you insist on the Pristine is the only option.


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## The3Bs (Apr 1, 2020)

Oh! Oh!

This:
https://www.pristineclassical.com/products/pasc598

is very tempting...

Will definitely sample the available snippets... I will compare with my old RCA CD's....


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## Perfectfullmoon (Jul 16, 2020)

Just as a reminder... Toscanini's 1939 Beethoven cycle is also available on Pristine.
Personallly I think the 9th in the cycle should not be missed.


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## Brahmsianhorn (Feb 17, 2017)

The best Toscanini Beethoven is the Szell cycle on Sony


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## DarkAngel (Aug 11, 2010)

mbhaub said:


> Pristine Classical has been producing a newly restored set from the 1950s RCA recordings. The sound restoration is stunning and the performances are riveting. I may have to toss my old RCA set and get these.
> 
> https://www.pristineclassical.com/products/pasc598





Merl said:


> *They mave be expensive but buying any other edition is false economy to me. Personally, I agree with mbhaub. Forget all the other incarnations of these recordings and get the Pristine ones. The difference is not just slight, it's enormous*. I used to find the 50s cycle near unlistenable but the Pristine set brings them back to life. They are still far from perfect (the 7th is a poor recording with distortion and sound congestion in louder passages, the 9th sounds very thin and the 3rd sounds like it was recorded in a large cardboard box) but it's as good as you're gonna get. I'd still say spend your money elsewhere but if its Toscanini you insist on the Pristine is the only option.


Hey peeps keep in mind Pristine XR has annual HD streaming service for 100 euro ($119 USA dollar), so for the price of buying a few albums you get unlimited access to entire Pristine catalog of orchestral and opera works......amazing historical works here in best sound to be found anywhere


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

DarkAngel said:


> Hey peeps keep in mind Pristine XR has annual HD streaming service for 100 euro ($119 USA dollar), so for the price of buying a couple albums you get unlimited access to entire Pristine catalog of orchestral and opera works......amazing historical works here in best sound to be found anywhere


Thanks DA. Didn't know that! :tiphat::tiphat:


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## 89Koechel (Nov 25, 2017)

Yes, Brahmsianhorn, I like the juxtaposition of that photo (of Furtwangler, conducting) while you recommend the Szell cycle, as the "best Toscanini Beethoven". Nice!


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## 89Koechel (Nov 25, 2017)

Yes, Merl, and Dark Angel is RIGHT! ... Andrew Rose & his Pristine label is truly the best! Jascha Horenstein's nephew - Misha - has contributed some GREAT recordings of Misha's uncle, heretofore NOT to found, anywhere ... and one can find some of the best reissues of the past sources, of about a quarter-century, right there. You can subscribe to the STREAMS, or simply buy downloads, or even CD dubs; if you subscribe to Pristine's newsletter, you'll learn even more. Today/Friday, the Newsletter will be updated, with certain discounts on certain musicians, etc.


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## Guest (Aug 6, 2020)

Well let me know when you find the answer. Trying to find out online which issue is which is hard work. I began searching Presto Classical yesterday, but with multiple recordings and mulitple issues and reissues, (different again between US and UK perhaps?) I lost the will to live.

For example...the search...

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/search?search_query=toscanini beethoven symphony no 5

The recommendation...

https://www.prestomusic.com/classic...thoven-complete-symphonies-selected-overtures


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## skywachr (Apr 17, 2019)

*Don't forget vinyl*

I recently purchased a flawless mint 7 LP Mono boxed set of the 50's RCA burgundy label "shaded dog" heavy vinyl discs. They made and sold lots of them and may be had for very little money. Really a delight to listen to. If you have a good turntable setup and a preamp with a MONO/STEREO switch you owe it to yourself to listen to them this way.

The key is to find a virtually unplayed set that was never stacked (played on a record changer).


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

I have the 1952 box of the Beethoven symphonies by Toscanini and the sound is not that good sadly. But the performances of course are for the electric even though Toscanini was suffering from hardening of the arteries by this time


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