Composer(s): Verdi, Giuseppe
Lyricist(s): Boito, Arrigo
Conductor(s): Toscanini, Arturo
Choir(s): NBC Chorus
Label: Naxos Historical
Series: Great Opera Recordings
Genre: Opera
Period: Romantic
Catalogue No: 8.111320-21
Barcode: 0747313332021
Distribution Note(s):
Not available in the United States due to possible copyright restrictions
Release Date: 02/2008

VERDI: Otello (Vinay, Nelli, Toscanini) (1947)

Arturo Toscanini was the second cellist in the orchestra of La Scala, Milan, for the triumphant first performance of Verdi's Otello on 5th February 1887. Sixty years later he led a radio broadcast of Otello spread over two evenings that is considered by many to be the most successful of his opera recordings for NBC. Described by one of Toscanini's biographers, Joseph Horowitz, as ‘the one that comes closest to recapturing Toscanini's revolutionary impact in the pit’, this December 1947 recording is remarkable for Toscanini's dramatic grasp of Shakespeare's timeless tragedy, and his scrupulous observation of Verdi's most detailed dynamic markings.

Tracklist

Disc 1
Verdi, Giuseppe
Boito, Arrigo - Lyricist
NBC Chorus (Choir)
Moscona, Nicola (bass)
Nelli, Herva (soprano)
Merriman, Nan (mezzo-soprano)
Assandri, Virginio (tenor)
Vinay, Ramon (tenor)
Grauer, Ben (narrator)
Valdengo, Giuseppe (baritone)
Newman, Arthur (bass)
Toscanini, Arturo (Conductor)
NBC Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra)
Chabay, Leslie (soprano)
1 Opening announcement for 6 December 1947 broadcast 01:49
Grauer, Ben (narrator)
2 Act I: Spoken Synopsis 02:35
Grauer, Ben (narrator)
3 Act I: Una vela! (Chorus, Montano, Cassio, Iago, Roderigo) 04:16
NBC Chorus (Choir)
Valdengo, Giuseppe (baritone)
Assandri, Virginio (tenor)
Newman, Arthur (bass)
Toscanini, Arturo (Conductor)
NBC Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra)
4 Act I: Esultate! (Otello, Chorus, Iago, Roderigo) 04:43
Valdengo, Giuseppe (baritone)
Chabay, Leslie (soprano)
Toscanini, Arturo (Conductor)
NBC Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra)
Vinay, Ramon (tenor)
NBC Chorus (Choir)
5 Act I: Fuoco di gioia! (Chorus) 02:44
NBC Chorus (Choir)
Toscanini, Arturo (Conductor)
NBC Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra)
6 Act I: Roderigo, beviam! (Iago, Cassio, Chorus, Roderigo) 01:15
Valdengo, Giuseppe (baritone)
Chabay, Leslie (soprano)
Toscanini, Arturo (Conductor)
NBC Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra)
Assandri, Virginio (tenor)
NBC Chorus (Choir)
7 Act I: Inaffia l'ugola! (Iago, Cassio, Roderigo, Chorus) 03:52
NBC Chorus (Choir)
Valdengo, Giuseppe (baritone)
Chabay, Leslie (soprano)
Toscanini, Arturo (Conductor)
NBC Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra)
Assandri, Virginio (tenor)
8 Act I: Capitano, v'attende (Montano, Cassio, Iago, Roderigo, Chorus) 01:22
Valdengo, Giuseppe (baritone)
Toscanini, Arturo (Conductor)
NBC Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra)
Newman, Arthur (bass)
Assandri, Virginio (tenor)
NBC Chorus (Choir)
9 Act I: Ola! Che avvien? (Otello, Iago, Cassio, Montano) 03:27
Toscanini, Arturo (Conductor)
NBC Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra)
Vinay, Ramon (tenor)
Valdengo, Giuseppe (baritone)
Assandri, Virginio (tenor)
Newman, Arthur (bass)
10 Act I: Gia nelle notte (Otello, Desdemona) 01:41
NBC Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra)
Toscanini, Arturo (Conductor)
Vinay, Ramon (tenor)
Nelli, Herva (soprano)
11 Act I: Quando narravi (Desdemona, Otello) 02:57
Vinay, Ramon (tenor)
Toscanini, Arturo (Conductor)
NBC Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra)
Nelli, Herva (soprano)
12 Act I: Venga la morte! (Otello, Desdemona) 04:30
NBC Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra)
Toscanini, Arturo (Conductor)
Vinay, Ramon (tenor)
Nelli, Herva (soprano)
13 Act II: Spoken Synopsis 03:10
Grauer, Ben (narrator)
14 Act II: Non ti cruciar (Iago, Cassio) 02:19
Valdengo, Giuseppe (baritone)
NBC Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra)
Assandri, Virginio (tenor)
Toscanini, Arturo (Conductor)
15 Act II: Credo in un Dio crudel, "Iago's Credo" (Iago) 04:27
Valdengo, Giuseppe (baritone)
Toscanini, Arturo (Conductor)
NBC Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra)
16 Act II: Eccola (Iago) 01:22
Valdengo, Giuseppe (baritone)
Toscanini, Arturo (Conductor)
NBC Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra)
17 Act II: Cio m'accora (Iago, Otello) 04:03
Valdengo, Giuseppe (baritone)
Toscanini, Arturo (Conductor)
NBC Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra)
Vinay, Ramon (tenor)
18 Act II: Dove guardi splendono (Chorus, Iago, Desdemona, Otello) 04:49
Valdengo, Giuseppe (baritone)
NBC Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra)
Vinay, Ramon (tenor)
NBC Chorus (Choir)
Toscanini, Arturo (Conductor)
Nelli, Herva (soprano)
19 Act II: D'un uom che geme (Desdemona, Otello, Iago, Emilia) 04:40
Valdengo, Giuseppe (baritone)
Merriman, Nan (mezzo-soprano)
Toscanini, Arturo (Conductor)
Vinay, Ramon (tenor)
NBC Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra)
Nelli, Herva (soprano)
20 Act II: Desdemona rea! (Otello, Iago) 01:40
Valdengo, Giuseppe (baritone)
NBC Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra)
Vinay, Ramon (tenor)
Toscanini, Arturo (Conductor)
21 Act II: Ora e per sempre addio (Otello, Iago) 03:32
NBC Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra)
Vinay, Ramon (tenor)
Valdengo, Giuseppe (baritone)
Toscanini, Arturo (Conductor)
22 Act II: Era la notte (Iago, Otello) 03:56
Valdengo, Giuseppe (baritone)
Toscanini, Arturo (Conductor)
NBC Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra)
Vinay, Ramon (tenor)
23 Act II: Si, pel ciel (Otello, Iago) 06:09
Toscanini, Arturo (Conductor)
NBC Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra)
Valdengo, Giuseppe (baritone)
Vinay, Ramon (tenor)
Disc 2
1 Opening announcement for 13 December 1947 broadcast 01:26
Grauer, Ben (narrator)
2 Act III: Spoken Synopsis 01:25
Grauer, Ben (narrator)
3 Act III: Introduction 01:06
Toscanini, Arturo (Conductor)
NBC Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra)
4 Act III: La vedetta del porto (Herald, Otello, Iago) 01:11
Valdengo, Giuseppe (baritone)
Vinay, Ramon (tenor)
Toscanini, Arturo (Conductor)
NBC Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra)
5 Act III: Dio ti giocondi, o sposo (Desdemona, Otello) 09:12
Vinay, Ramon (tenor)
Toscanini, Arturo (Conductor)
NBC Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra)
Nelli, Herva (soprano)
6 Act III: Dio! Mi potevi scagliar (Otello, Iago) 03:44
Valdengo, Giuseppe (baritone)
Toscanini, Arturo (Conductor)
NBC Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra)
Vinay, Ramon (tenor)
7 Act III: Vieni, l'aula e deserta (Iago, Cassio, Otello) 03:40
Valdengo, Giuseppe (baritone)
NBC Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra)
Toscanini, Arturo (Conductor)
Vinay, Ramon (tenor)
Assandri, Virginio (tenor)
8 Act III: Questa e una ragna (Iago, Cassio, Otello) 01:47
Vinay, Ramon (tenor)
Assandri, Virginio (tenor)
Valdengo, Giuseppe (baritone)
Toscanini, Arturo (Conductor)
NBC Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra)
9 Act III: Come la uccidero? (Otello, Iago, Chorus) 01:18
Valdengo, Giuseppe (baritone)
NBC Chorus (Choir)
Toscanini, Arturo (Conductor)
NBC Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra)
Vinay, Ramon (tenor)
10 Act III: Viva il Leon di San Marco! (Lodovico, Otello, Desdemona, Emilia, Iago, Roderigo, Chorus) 05:03
Moscona, Nicola (bass)
Toscanini, Arturo (Conductor)
NBC Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra)
Vinay, Ramon (tenor)
Nelli, Herva (soprano)
NBC Chorus (Choir)
11 Act III: A terra!… si… nel livido fango (Desdemona, Emilia, Cassio, Roderigo, Lodovico, Chorus, Iago, Otello) 09:42
Nelli, Herva (soprano)
Merriman, Nan (mezzo-soprano)
Assandri, Virginio (tenor)
Toscanini, Arturo (Conductor)
NBC Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra)
NBC Chorus (Choir)
12 Act IV: Spoken Synopsis 02:59
Grauer, Ben (narrator)
13 Act IV: Era più calmo? (Emilia, Desdemona) 03:24
Merriman, Nan (mezzo-soprano)
Toscanini, Arturo (Conductor)
NBC Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra)
Nelli, Herva (soprano)
14 Act IV: Mia madre aveva una povera ancella, "Willow Song" (Desdemona, Emilia) 06:31
NBC Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra)
Merriman, Nan (mezzo-soprano)
Toscanini, Arturo (Conductor)
Nelli, Herva (soprano)
15 Act IV: Ave Maria (Desdemona) 06:28
Toscanini, Arturo (Conductor)
NBC Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra)
Nelli, Herva (soprano)
16 Act IV: Chi e la? (Desdemona, Otello) 03:11
Toscanini, Arturo (Conductor)
Vinay, Ramon (tenor)
NBC Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra)
Nelli, Herva (soprano)
17 Act IV: Calma come la tomba (Otello, Emilia, Desdemona, Cassio, Iago, Lodovico, Montano) 03:09
Vinay, Ramon (tenor)
Nelli, Herva (soprano)
Merriman, Nan (mezzo-soprano)
Toscanini, Arturo (Conductor)
NBC Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra)
Assandri, Virginio (tenor)
18 Act IV: Nium mi tema (Otello, Cassio, Lodovico, Montano) 09:48
NBC Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra)
Assandri, Virginio (tenor)
Moscona, Nicola (bass)
Toscanini, Arturo (Conductor)
Vinay, Ramon (tenor)
Newman, Arthur (bass)

Total Playing Time: 02:30:22