Arturo Toscanini's Biography

He stemmed from a modest family filled with republican ideals and in 1876 he began to study cello under Leandro Caranini at the Conservatory in his home city in 1876 and composition under Giusto Dacci. In 1884 he was seen by the public for the first time as a cellist, conductor and composer. From 1884 to 1885 he was already working as a répétiteur, although he only took his examinations in 1885, passing with honours. He became the répétiteur of an Italian operatic group, which went on tour round Brazil. When several conductors were absent on 30th June 1886, he deputised and conducted «Aida» by Verdi from memory. In the light of his improbable success the impresario also entrusted him to conduct the 11 other operas which were performed throughout the tour. Back in Italy he was invited to play at the Theatro Regio in Turin (1886). He was engaged by the Scala as second cellist to be able to attend the premiere of Giuseppe Verdi's «Othello». In the years to follow he conducted all repertoire operas in Italy with mediocre groups and orchestras. During this hard period of training he resolved to respect the music scores at all events. From 1890-91 he served as deputy conductor at the Teatro Liceo in Barcelona. In 1892 he was commissioned by an impresario to conduct the premiere of Ruggero Leoncavallo´s «I Pagliacci». More and more frequently he conducted in Turin, where he also conducted his first symphony concert in 1896. In the same year he was responsible for the premiere of Giacomo Puccini´s «La Bohème» in Turin and two years later he was responsible for the Italian premiere of three of the «Quattro pezzi sacri» by Verdi during the world exposition there. To his great joy he became acquainted with the composer. From 1898 to 1903 he was director at the Milan Scala and during that period he was in charge of the Italian premières of many major operas «The Mastersingers from Nuremberg» (1898) and «Siegfried» (1899) by Wagner, «Eugene Onegin» (1900) by Tchaikovsky, «Euryanthe» (1902) by v. Weber, «Pélleas et Mélisande» (1902) by Debussy. In 1900 he was able to perform the première of «Zaza» by Leoncavallo and in 1902 the première of «Germania» by Franchetti. Toscanini helped start the careers of Enrico Caruso and Fyodor I. Shalyapin. On artistic issues he was resolute; he gained enemies and had to resign as director of the Scala, which he had been a second time between 1906 and 1908, before he took over at the Met (1908-15). There was a continuous run of premières as i.e. «La fanciulla del West» (engl. «The Girl from the Golden West») by Puccini (1910), «Madame Sans-Gene» by Giordano (1915) and American premières as «Ariane et Barbe-Bleue» (engl. «Ariadne and Blue Beard» by Dukas (1911), «Boris Godunov» by Mussorgsky (1913), «L´amore dei tre re» (engl. «The Love of the Three Kings») by Montemezzi (1914). After difficulties with directorship of the house he resigned and returned to Italy. During the First World War he conducted at the front and despite the hostility of the public he played German works on the programme. In 1920 he became director of the Scala for the third time (until 1929) and was again a staunch advocate of contemporary music. During that period he conducted the following premières: «Debora e Jaele» (1922) and «Fra Gherardo» (engl. «Brother Gherardo») (1920) by Ildebrando Pizzetti, «Nerone» (1924) by Arngo Boito, «La cena delle beffe» (engl. «The Meal of the Mockers») (1924) by Umberto Giordano, «I cavalieri da Ekebu» (engl. «The Riders of Ekebu») (1925) by Riccardo Zandonai and «Turandot» (1926), which Giacomo Puccini left incomplete. In 1920 he made his first gramophone record. His rejection of Italian fascism prompted him to conduct more and more abroad. In 1927 he gave his first radio concert. From 1928 to 1936 he was musical director of the New York Philharmonic. In 1929 he made his debut in Bayreuth. In the same year he conducted the première of Ottorino Respighi´s symphonic poem «Feste romane» (engl. «Roman Festival»). In 1930 he celebrated triumphs in Paris, Vienna and Berlin. Out of protest against the persecution of Jews in Germany he refused to conduct a second time in Bayreuth. Until the annex of Austria he gave guest performances regularly in Salzburg. In 1937 he broke off relations with Wilhelm Furtwängler, whom he accused of sympathising with the Nazi regime. Ostentatiously he conducted the Palestine Symphony Orchestra. NBC decided to establish an orchestra especially for him. Artur Rodzinski and Pierre Monteux took over the first rehearsals. On Christmas Eve in 1937 the first broadcast was made with the newly founded formation under Toscanini as conductor. For seventeen years Toscanini offered a wide American public an insight into his wide repertoire once a week: a total of 117 operas by 53 composers and 480 symphonic works by 175 composers were broadcast. In doing so he supported younger composers as i.e. the premiere of «First Essay» and «Adagio» by Samuel Barber (1938) and the American premiere of «Symphony No. 7» by Dmitri D. Shostakovich (1942). After the Second World War he returned to Italy. In 1946 he conducted the festival concert for the reopening of the Scala, was appointed Senator for life by the Italian Republic and supported the young conductor Guido Cantelli. On 4th April 1954 he conducted his last concert. His outbreaks of rage remain well-known but also his passionate strict method of conducting. As an operatic conductor he particularly set unachievable standards in interpretations of the operas by Giuseppe Verdi, and his performance in the field of symphonies was no less. Ferruccio Busoni dedicated his opera «Turandot» to him, Zoltan Kodaly dedicated his Symphonie « 'in memoriam' » to him and the second version of «Nyári este» (engl. «Summer Evening»), which he had revised following a suggestion by Toscanini.

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