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Title: Fine performance, questionable interpretation, awful remaster
Review: It was difficult to decide just how to rate this item. On the one hand, Toscanini's performance with the nbcso was as usual very impressive, although maybe lacking somewhat in understanding of how the symphony should be interpreted - which may account for Shostakovich's dismissal of this performance. Whatever the merits of the performance, RCA's remaster was terrible. I am used to 78 rpm mono remasters, and expect some surface noise, along with mysterious clicks and rattles. But this remaster was so over burdened with extraneous noise and loud repetitive clicks, that it is really hard to listen to. I am going to get Karl Ancerl's mono recording from the mid 1950's. It is almost as good a performance with much better mono sound, per multiple reviews.
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