Sunday,
January 14, 2007
New "Symphonica Toscanini" on First US Tour
The
ANNOTICO Report
"Symphonica Toscanini" grew out of the former Arturo
Toscanini Orchestra, founded in 1975 and conducted by Lorin
Maazel since 2004. Last May, the musicians voted to
rename it the Symphonica Toscanini and Maazel became its permanent head.
The
group is unique in
The
plan is to give 60 concerts this year. In addition to performances in 12
Another distinguishing aspect of the group is that unlike other Italian and
European orchestras, whose members remain secure essentially for life, Symphonica Toscanini draws on a roster of 200 freelance
musicians, which keeps them on their toes and dedicated to the job.The orchestra is young by most standards,between 20 and 30, but are all professionals.
The
orchestra has gotten great press in
CLASSICAL
MUSIC
A
new, privately funded Italian orchestra that carries on the legacy of the great
conductor Arturo Toscanini launches its first
The
By
Chris Pasles, Times Staff Writer
January
14, 2007
FOR
generations of Americans, Arturo Toscanini was the greatest conductor of their
time, perhaps of all time. He set new performance standards and enforced a
style of following a score as literally and faithfully as possible,
an approach that still draws adherents. Though his star has dimmed since his
death in 1957, the Italian conductor still ranks among the top in the field.
Dedicated to his ideals and repertory, the new Rome-based Symphonica
Toscanini, composed of young, mostly Italian musicians and led for life by New
York Philharmonic music director Lorin Maazel, is making its first
On Tuesday, the orchestra will give a joint concert with the New York
Philharmonic to commemorate the 50th anniversary to the day of Toscanini's
death. As part of the tour, the orchestra will stop in
< B! R>The orchestra has gotten great press in
its home country. "Too perfect to be real," wrote La Provincia di Como. "Everything is appealingly
beautiful, fresh and endowed with superior texture."
"One is struck by their sense of belonging," wrote Il Giornale, "by their discipline and generosity in
giving the best of themselves."
"Maestro Maazel said each one of them could be a
soloist," said Pia Elda Locatelli,
president of the orchestra's sponsoring organization, the Symphonica
Toscanini Foundation based in
"But don't call them a youth orchestra," she cautioned. "They
are young, but they are all professionals. Most of them are between 20 and
30."
The group is unique in
"From the very beginnin g! ,
I supported it because this private enterprise dimension fascinated me,"
said Locatelli, speaking from
Neither could Maria Chiara Raggi,
the orchestra's principal harpist.
"Suddenly from
But she didn't expect much to happen.
"At the beginning, I thought it would be one concert and it would fold .! Suddenly I was really surprised, wow, this is
something else. There is financial backing, and there is a structure, and there
is not just idealism and 'we would like to do this and this.' No, they did it.
That was very big surprise."
But the orchestra had a base. It grew out of the former Arturo Toscanini
Orchestra, founded in 1975 and conducted by Lorin Maazel since 2004. Last May, the musicians voted to rename
it the Symphonica Toscanini and Maazel
became its permanent head.
The budget for the year is now about $10 million, a combination of earned
income and individual and corporate sponsors (Italian defense group Finmeccanica is underwriting the current tour). The plan is
to give 60 concerts this year. In addition to performances in 12
"Funding is very secure at this time," Maazel
wrote The Times in an e-mail from
Another distinguishing aspect of the group is that unlike other Italian and
European orchestras, whose members remain secure essentially for life, Symphonica Toscanini draws on a roster of 200 freelance
musicians, which keeps them on their toes and dedicated to the job.
"Each musician enjoys a solo contract so that we are not bound by work
regulations laid down by others," Maazel wrote.
"Like all free-standing professionals, we rehearse as long as is necessary
(or as little!)."
The musicians say they like the arrangement.
"That's something really new in
In
Tiziana Tentoni, the
orchestra's principal second violinist, agreed.
"It's stimulating," she said, speaking from
The band was built upon the name of the man who was the most renowned conductor
of his time. Toscanini's rise to stardom is the stuff of movies. A 19-year-old
cellist playing in a performance of Verdi's "Aida" in
But he also became a symbol for freedom and democracy. He feuded with Mussolini
and the Italian Fascists, and although he was the first non-German to conduct
at Wagner's shrine in
In addition to tenures at La Scala,
For Tentoni, Toscanini remains "our
symbol."
"He's responsible for the good technique of all orchestras today,"
she said. "He was very severe, but he really wanted the orchestra to
respect the score, to practice and study and to give great dignity to the job.
We really try to do all these things. It's very difficult, but for us, it's a
mission."
http://www.calendarlive.com
/music/cl-ca-toscanini14jan14,0
,6186756.story?coll=cl-music-features
The
ANNOTICO Reports
Can
be Viewed, and are Archived at:
Italia
Italia Mia: http://www.ItaliaMia.com
Annotico
Email: annotico@earthlink.net