Arturo Toscanini Hymn of the Nations 2

[joanabanyeres]

Tres émouvant . la humanité unie par la musique Maestro Verdi Toscanini Peerce et choeur Many Thanks, Grazie, DANKE....

[vpo2g2]

Peerce -- one of the great and underrated tenors. Secure production, squillo and impeccable musicianship. No wonder Arturo loved him.

[Republicrat74]

I was nine years old when this performance was recorded. Watching it never fails to conjure up memories of what it was like during the war years....the ration books, Victory Gardens, scrap metal and paper drives, War Bond drives....10 cent savings stamps one could buy at school....learning to eat Beef Tongue and Kidneys with lots of sweet-n-sour Gravy for the Dumplings, Gold Stars in the windows, mixing food coloring into the bricks of white Margerine, my Mother making Lye Soap, etc.

[JulienLebesque]

Magnifique...je suis moi même ténor professionnel en toute modestie... j'en ai des frissons... Monsieur Toscani , quel Grand Homme et quel Maestro jusqu'à ce jour resté le N° 1 des tous les chefs d'orchestre..le meilleur à mon humble avis... Et ce Ténor, quel voix...je ne connaissais pas..un régal...ces deux grands artistes...que du bonheur...

[tenorismo]

The best sung national anthem, Great job Pinky. I always think of this recording when Im watching a baseball ,or a hocky game when people struggle to sing the national anthem.

[monjiou]

I have an old 33LP of this concert bought at a very discounted price many years ago with the "Internationale" intact . Also I think this is the best rendition of the Star Spangled Banner ever sung.

[gbarnardoh]

This version has been censored. In the original, the Internationale came after Verdi's music and before the Star Spangled Banner. In 1943, the USSR and USA were allies!

[gaytenor]

Buried in all the nonsense about this cut and that cut is the fact that Jan Peerce is giving one of the greatest performances of his or any tenor's life with eye poping top b naturals

singing the tenor solo originally written for Enrico Tamerlick the leading high note stunner of his day and the original Don Alvaro in the Saint Petersburg La Forza del Destino.

The other stuff shouldn't diminish the glories obtained by Toscanini and Peerce.

[Republicrat74]

I'm in complete agreement with your comments gaytenor. I became a fan of Peerce from first hearing him on Met radio broadcasts in the 1940's. The voice is truly magnificent, effortlessly sung with a bright vibrato which seems to float on the column of air coming from his diaphram.

[gaytenor]

Thank you for your remarks and I totally agreed with you that Peerce had a great tenor voice that was effortless in the 1940s and for many, many years after that. No one has ever equaled his performance here and he had a recital at Town Hall that evening, Hopefully the tide is turning in Peerce's favor and he seems to be becoming more popular again.

[natethegreat155]

Toscanini took Verdi's original - which featured the French and English national anthems, and added L'Internationale for the Soviets and the Star Spangled Banner for the Americans.

[rpfaiola]

All the 16mm prints - both from the 40's and the Blackhawk dupes of the 70's - are complete including "The Internationale".

[konstanse1985]

This is so clever of Verdi.. I love the end where you have the French national antem in the orchestra, the Italian in the soloist and the English in the choir. Very clever, indeed.

And they are all performed without any modifications or changes - they go perfectly well together as they are!

Love it :)

[JudgeDHughes]

This print of the December 1943 US Office of War Information film "The Hymn of the Nations" has the then-USSR national anthem "Internationale" excised. That was done during the "Red Scare" time of the early 1950's, when things Soviet were systematically suppressed in the US.

The US Library of Congress recovered the video of the Internationale (from Alaska?) and reassembled the Hymn of the Nations in its original form in a copyright video in 1988.

[zooeyhall]

Yes...a shameful display of blatant censorship.

[phatphace]

@zooeyhall Agreed... I much prefer tasteful displays of blatant censorship.

[OrpheuCe]

very interesting watch Toscanini working.

Awesome!!!

[hernia56]

Rehexagon:

The USSR wasn't an entity until 1917. This was written by Verdi. The Soviet anthem was added later by some wartime orchestrator.

[aristophanes2000]

As was the Star Spangled Banner, which wasn't even the American National Anthem in Verdi's time.

[hernia56]

"The Star Spangled Banner" was recognized for official use by the Navy in 1889 and the President in 1916, and was made the national anthem by a Congressional resolution on 3 March 1931." - wikipedia

[neobenisichi01]

Toscanini made it

[redhexagon]

The USSR national anthem was sung before the US national anthem, in this version it has been censored - disappointing.

[YTM021807]

True. In the "Inno delle Nazioni " video this cut can be appreciated. There are uncut versions available on DVD

[Philly1967]

Potrebbe essere un ottimo inno per massoni e giacobini...L'intero sporco mondo è nelle loro mani..

Viva le Due Sicilie!!!

Un Dio, Una Patria, Un Re!!!!

[blupiano]

Ars Longa ....Vita Brevis.

[paki691]

questo inno fu scritto in meno di un giorno, esattamente quello in cui in Italia fu abbattuto il potere fascista di Mussolini. L'antifascismo del maestro si legge chiaramente sul suo volto.

[pippomelodrammatico]

Cosa? Questa musica è di Giuseppe Verdi, morto nell'anno 1900, perchè bisogna dire delle delle scemenze così grosse?

[sensoryreceptor]

Jan Peerce has such perfect diction and the emotion he expresses with his voice is incredible. To see him sing and watch the emotions in his eyes and on his face is a treat. It is thrilling to hear him sore above the orchestra and chorus - what power! Thank you for this posting!

[tomasjuhasz]

One of the best tenor ever!

[YTM021807]

The missing part is available in the clip "inno dela nazioni".

[bentinck69]

Has anyone found this clip? Search fails.

[paki691]

questo documento è posseduto dalla biblioteca del congresso degli U.S.A.

[RobtRobt]

Search for Inno delle Nazioni I tried to post the link but it won't go through. Unfortunately the quality of the clip is poor, and it also cuts off before the orchestra rises to its feet at the start of the Star Spangled Banner. But at least you can see them play the Soviet hymn.

[bentinck69]

Thanks much... that is an interesting and a lively clip. I envy you your 16mm footage.

[Michaelbos]

Thank you

[sexbrain]

Like Orpheus, coducting a global anthem - crossing boundaries not only of race, gender and language - - genius overcoming death - there is the mythic maestro - Tocanini - timeless, passionate - with his perfect deathless,sense of time.

[paulzappa]

I have seen this complete video numerous times and it never fails to move me. It is a powerful statement and glorious musicmaking. The 7' section is really the heart of the piece with the text changed to" O Italy my betrayed country". One comment about the BMG/RCA video-it is NOT COMPLETE -it is missing the soviet anthem which appeared beforethe USA. C'mon the cold war is over---isn't it?

[Fuiga]

I think so, but there are people that just dont get it, Music is for enjoying, and therefore I would not cut it, not even Toscanini did as it seems, but the people editing the video seem to be the ones to cut it.

[musikview]

This piece never fails to move me, either. And I too am dismayed that the Soviet anthem is missing. This film came out during World War 2, making this song even more meaningful.  Please put back the Soviet anthem portion of this film! I once heard a recording of Toscanini ROARING at his orchestra during a rehearsal (I assume over a goof the players made). He may have sounded frightening but did get results!!!!

[RobtRobt]

The Soviet anthem was cut from most post-war prints and whoever prepared this film for the DVD just didn't bother to find the missing footage.

I have a beautiful 16mm print with the missing footage. It shows a tribute to the Star Spangled Banner - at the opening bars the entire NBC orchestra rises to their feet! But you don't get to see that in version that is missing the Soviet anthem.

[RobtRobt]

When I show my 16mm print of the complete version it never fails to bring a ROAR of approval from the audience at the finish. It may be 1940s fidelity, but the intensity of the performance isn't diminished in the least.

[Roadsidepictures]

Thank you for posting this fantastic footage!

[Fuiga]

isn't it a piece of art???

I totally love it!