Beethoven: Symphony No 9 “Choral“ (1952) Toscanini/NBC

Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 “Choral“ 1. Allegro ma non Troppo, un poco maestoso (0:07) 2. Molto vivace - Presto (13:42) 3. Adagio molto e cantabile - Andante moderato - Adagio (26:57) 4. Finale, Presto - Allegro assai - Presto (41:23) Eileen Farrell, soprano Nan Merriman, mezzo-soprano Jan Peerce, tenor Norman Scott, bass Robert Shaw Chorale Robert Shaw, director Arturo Toscanini, conductor The NBC Symphony Orchestra Recorded on March 31/April 1, 1952 at Carnegie Hall, New York We have posted restorations of this recording three times before. Each time there is an improvement in our methodology, this is one of the first we look at. For the present edition, we went back to the earliest digital 1610-based sourcing from 1990 and took an entirely new approach. An effort to take this immortal performance to a whole new level of restoration. There are many recordings of the “Choral“ symphony, including a very famous one by Toscanini and the NBC from 1939, but the present one from 1952 stands out as one the of the greatest recordings of it ever made. Distinctly Toscanini, and quite memorable. Certainly our effort to bring it to an even higher level of fidelity is completely justified here. Toscanini clearly intended to leave behind a recording of this symphony with a level of sound quality that would stand up for the ages. We believe he succeeded. Digital transfer (1990) RCA New York Full acoustic and sonic balance restoration (2023): Paul Howard - Yucaipa Studio We do not monetize here and our post is commercial free. If you wish to offer support for this kind of music restoration you can buy us a cup of coffee at: