Score one for Toscanini
Sir: Paul Johnson (And another thing, 16 February) might be amused at this delightful vignette about Toscanini’s genius. An out-oftown visitor to Milan was enticed by a poster announcing that Toscanini would conduct that night’s opera entirely from memory. Being a sceptic, he purchased a ticket for a gallery seat so as to see for himself this amazing performance. Halfway through the opera, he noticed that the conductor was leafing through a score. Approaching La Scala’s manager after the show, he demanded a refund on the grounds of false advertising. The manager smiled and said: ‘Ah, sir — Maestro Toscanini did indeed conduct this evening’s opera from memory. What you saw him looking at was the score for tomorrow night’s opera.’
Asher Tarmon
Kfar Vitkin, Israel
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