Samuel Antek was first violinist in the acclaimed NBC Symphony Orchestra for 17 years under the baton of the legendary maestro Arturo Toscanini, widely considered the greatest conductor of the mid 20th century. In his musical memoir, Antek shares his keen observations of Toscanini’s singular approach to music making, his unpredictable moods, his passions, his relentless demands on himself and his musicians, and his unwavering dedication to faithfully interpreting composers’ works.
Antek’s daughter, former TV producer Lucy Antek Johnson brings this stellar work back into print with this new and expanded edition, This Was Toscanini: The Maestro, My Father And Me, making Toscanini’s legacy available to new generations of students, musicians, music historians and classical music fans.
I spoke with Lucy about her father, Toscanini, even a bit of baseball with the NBC Symphony Orchestra:
