Arturo Toscanini (1867-1957) was born in Parma, Italy.
Acclaimed for his intensity, perfectionism, and photographic memory, he was at
various times musical director of La Scala, Milan; the Metropolitan Opera, New
York; and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. He was the first music director
of the NBC Symphony Orchestra (1937-1954), and in November 1947 he conducted them
in a performance of incidental music from Felix Mendelssohn’s Midsummer Night’s Dream. Somehow missing
from the maestro’s Wikipedia article is the fact that in 1964, Abbott
Laboratories licensed this same 1947 performance from RCA Victor and re-released
it in the form of a promotional LP for one of their sedatives, Placidyl (a.k.a.
“jelly-bellies”). The hits keep coming! Dig this groovy excerpt from the liner
notes:
In
an attempted suicide, a 38-year-old female took betwen 20 to 25 Gm. (40 to 50
capsules) of Placidyl. After recovery, kidney function studies, respiratory
function and EKG were within normal limits. Examination showed no evidence of
deleterious effects.
Dude, would it kill you to focus on something more positive?
Toscanini isn’t my jam, either, but JESUS.
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