INTRODUCTION

Scope

A discography containing only the basic data about Toscanini's HMV sessions during 1937–39 would be meagre indeed; it would cover barely a couple of sheets – but it would reflect a mere tithe of EMI's endeavours. From Chapter 3 onwards, the narrative of those endeavours demonstrates the efforts of the major recordmaking company in Europe to follow the twists and turns of a pre-eminent artist who hated recording; to placate and please him with the object of securing enough music in the grooves to meet the clamour of demand from an impatient, recordbuying public. Recording sessions were one aspect of the effort. Another aspect was the elaborate preparations to make live recordings of some of the concerts. Yet another was the equally elaborate aftermath of so many sessions, live and ‘studio’, taking place in the Abbey Road Transfer Room with the aim of producing a final product for the Maestro's approval. Without a full picture of all these activities, a discography would mislead.

Furthermore, EMI's efforts continued after the Second World War. Fully expecting to record Toscanini and the Orchestra of La Scala on their aborted visit to London in July 1946, EMI had instead to fall back on the Zürich Radio acetates of the substituted Lucerne concerts. Where judged fit for transfer, these discs were subjected in the Transfer Room to the same processing as some of the pre-war BBC SO live recordings and with the same aim: securing Toscanini's approval of them for issue.