Victor De Sabata
Although he was a composer and a violinist and pianist of virtuoso caliber, Victor de Sabata (born Vittorio) was best known as one of the world's leading conductors, particularly of Italian opera.
His father was a chorus master who gave his son well-rounded musical training, including cello, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon. He went on to study at the Milan Conservatory, with counterpoint lessons from Michele Saladino and composition from Giacomo Orefice. He earned his diploma with a Suite for Orchestra. During the first few years of his career his concentrated on composition. His opera Il macigno (The Rock) was premiered at La Scala in 1917 and was frequently played during the next few years.
Arturo Toscanini (who frequently performed de Sabata's tone poem Juventus of 1919) encouraged de Sabata to consider a conducting career. He began to conduct in 1918, but continued composing as his conducting career gathered steam. He wrote several other orchestral works, mainly with an intriguing mixture of Romantic-era Italian lyricism and dramatic episodes. He soon became the conductor of the Monte Carlo Opera. With that company he gave the world premiere of Ravel's L'enfant et les Sortiléges in 1925. His first performance in the United States was with the Cincinnati Symphony in 1927. He conducted that orchestra through much of 1929, but left to assume a post at La Scala in Milan, debuting there in 1930 with Puccini's La fanciulla del West. He remained affiliated with La Scala to the end of his life. He concentrated on a broad spectrum of the traditional repertory, plus modern composers like Stravinsky, Debussy, Ravel, Puccini, Sibelius, Strauss, and his Italian contemporaries. He was active as a guest conductor, appearing at the Vienna State Opera in 1936 and the Berlin Philharmonic in 1939. He became closely associated with Wagner's Tristan und Isolde, leading him to be invited to conduct in Bayreuth in 1939. After World War II he resumed his international touring. He led a special series of all the Beethoven symphonies in 1947 with the London Philharmonic, brought the La Scala company to Britain in 1950, conducted 14 concerts in March, 1950 with the New York Philharmonic in Carnegie Hall, and conducted in several other American cities.
He was known for a precise ear and original interpretations. He had the elasticity of tempo characteristic of the Romantic era. This rhythmic freedom and his unusual interpretations caused him to be criticized in later years as eccentric, which bothered him. Ill health caused him to give up regular conducting in 1953, but not before he led one of the all-time classic opera recordings, Puccini's Tosca, with Callas, Di Stefano, and Gobbi. His conducting at the funeral of Toscanini on February 18, 1957, was his last performance. He remained associated with La Scala as artistic superintendent from 1953 until his death.
© TiVo
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Nathan Milstein with Markevitch and Sabata in Concert
Nathan Milstein, Schweizer Festpielorchester, New York Philharmonic, Igor Markevitch, Victor De Sabata
Classical - Released by Archipel on Dec 8, 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Verdi, G.: Overture To I Vespri Siciliani / Berlioz, H.: Le Carnaval Romain / Strauss, R.: Tod Und Verklarung (Vienna Philharmonic, De Sabata) (1953) (Giuseppe Verdi - Hector Berlioz - Richard Strauss)
Classical - Released by IDIS on Jan 1, 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Franck, C.: Symphony, M. 48 / Dvorak, A.: Symphony No. 9 (New York Philharmonic, De Sabata) (1950) (Cesar Franck - Antonin Dvorak)
Classical - Released by IDIS on Jan 1, 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 6 (de Sabata) (1947)
Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI di Torino, Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale Di Santa Cecilia, Victor De Sabata
Classical - Released by Naxos on Oct 12, 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Victor de Sabata conducting New York Philharmonic Orchestra - Wagner: Orchestral Works
Eileen Farrell, Victor De Sabata, New York Philharmonic
Classical - Released by Mangora Classical on Jul 16, 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wagner: Orchestral Works
Victor De Sabata, Eileen Farrell
Opera - Released by Urania on Feb 6, 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 & Respighi: Pini Di Roma
Classical - Released by Urania on Jan 1, 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Victor de Sabata Edition - Volume X
Victor de Sabata, New York Philarmonic Orchestra
Symphonic Music - Released by G.O.P. on Oct 19, 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Verdi: Requiem & Respighi: Feste Romane
Classical - Released by Urania on Mar 31, 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Victor De Sabata Conducts Schumann & Brahms
Victor De Sabata, New York Philharmonic
Classical - Released by OperaPrima-Carillon on Apr 23, 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
BRAHMS: VIOLIN CONCERTO; DVORAK: SYMPHONY No. 9 "FROM THE NEW WORLD"
Classical - Released by Nar Classical on Apr 12, 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Conductor's Gallery, Vol. 6: Victor de Sabata
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Victor De Sabata
Classical - Released by Universal Music Australia Pty. Ltd. on Aug 25, 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Felix Mendelssohn, Bartholdy: Violin Concerto In E minor, Op. 64 - Johannes Brahms: Violin Concerto In D Major, Op. 77
New York Philharmonic, Victor De Sabata, Nathan Milstein
Classical - Released by OperaPrima-Carillon on Jan 1, 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Giuseppe Verdi: „Macbeth / Otello"-Vol.1
Classical - Released by Documents on Sep 1, 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Victor de Sabata Edition - Volume II
Victor de Sabata, New York Philarmonic Orchestra
Classical - Released by G.O.P. on Oct 16, 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Puccini: Tosca, extraits du troisième acte (Mono Version)
Maria Callas, Giuseppe Di Stefano, Orchestra del Teatro della Scala di Milano, Victor De Sabata
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on Jan 1, 1956
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Puccini: Tosca, extraits (Mono Version)
Maria Callas, Tito Gobbi, Orchestra del Teatro della Scala di Milano, Victor De Sabata
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on Jan 1, 1957
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Debussy: Jeux - Respighi: Les fontaines de Rome (Mono Version)
Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale Di Santa Cecilia, Victor De Sabata
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on Jan 1, 1952
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Victor de Sabata the 20th Century Repertoire
New York Philharmonic, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Arthur Rubinstein, Victor De Sabata
Classical - Released by Archipel on Oct 11, 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Johannes Brahms: Symphony No. 4 In E Minor, Op. 98 - Richard Strauss: Tod Und Verklärung, Op. 24 (Recordings Of 1939)
Berliner Philharmoniker, Victor De Sabata
Pop - Released by GazzaLadra on Nov 30, 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven, L. Van: Symphonies Nos. 3 and 8 (De Sabata) (1946, 1951) (Ludwig van Beethoven)
Classical - Released by IDIS on Jan 1, 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo