Title: Great, but not quite the best. . .
Product review: This recording was made in the penultimate year of Toscanini's tenure with the NBC (he was 86 years old!) And while it is very good, the Maestro was faltering, and let little details get by him. The "Manfred" was Toscanini's greatest Tchaikovsky achievement, but there is a better recording than this one--the NBC/Toscanini account recorded in 1949, and currently available on RCA Gold Seal #60298. The performance is cleaner and meatier than the 1953, the sound is spectacular for its day, and Toscanini has a better grasp of the details. You won't be sorry you acquired this disk for your collection. (Be aware that Toscanini altered a few sections of this work, including a large cut in the final movement, but I believe he made it a better piece than Tchaikovsky left it.)
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