Reflections on Toscanini

These 'reflection' books are generally additional musings that were left out for one reason or another in the original Toscanini biography undertaking [1978] but they often can act as the capstone of the original work. Dr. Alan Walker comes immediately to mind with his magnificent 25 year research effort in the Franz Liszt trilogy subsequently getting its own 'reflections' tome, as it were, in the 2005 book 'Reflections on Liszt.' Well worth the read for these two capstones both in the Liszt and Toscanini efforts not to mention that when the name Franz Liszt is mentioned, one almost immediately thinks of Alan Walker and ditto for Harvey Sachs when it comes to Arturo Toscanini! So too, Toscanini makes for some very interesting reading as his talent and of course his equally famous temperament were both legendary. There is the famous ditty about the Maestro hearing a grumble about his tempi and Toscanini asks by what 'authority' is his tempi being 'challenged' whereupon the person who made the comment says with some indignance, "I believe I reserve that right, Maestro, since I am the composer!" There follows a silence as literally everyone within hearing distance waits for what appears to be a veritable checkmate of the Maestro but then comes the classic of classics where Toscanini says without batting an eye, "You, sir, do not understand your own music!" But then remember this comes from the same man who said to a member of the orchestra whose playing finally brought on the famous Toscanini wrath, "I am communicating with God and you stand in my way!" Or as Norman Lebrecht reports in "The Book of Musical Anecdotes" [1985 -- p. 277], "The soprano Geraldine Farrar, with whom he had a passionate affair, deviated from the score in the rehearsal of a Puccini aria, and objected when Toscanini interrupted and rebuked her. 'Maestro', she retorted, 'please remember I am a star!' -- 'The place for stars is in heaven!', shouted Toscanini." I've often pondered what would have happened if Toscanini had been the conductor instead of Bernstein that famous evening when 'GG' [Glenn Gould] had 'creative differences' with Bernstein prompting Bernstein to address the audience and voice his 'concerns.' Had that been Toscanini, one can only ponder the result when it comes to the old conductor vs interpreter thing and just who makes the call! My take is that Toscanini, especially if sufficiently worked-up, might have told Gould to place his famous folding chair where the sun doesn't shine! And GG? Dunno! He might have been so flustered at such a Toscanini response that GG would quite possibly have reverted forthwith to his Theodore Slutz NYC cabbie persona and/or a sort of English/German Sir Nigel/Klopweisser/von Hochmeister combo accent mix in a lame effort to make like the whole thing was actually a well planned shtick of sorts! Ahhh! Half the 'fun' with the musical personalities are their collective egos! Talent and seriousness of purpose issues notwithstand