Conductors: Salute from the Ranks

As any gourmet knows, the place to learn a chef's secrets is in his kitchen rather than at the table. Similarly, the place to understand a conductor's skills is at his rehearsals rather than at a concert. In the case of Arturo Toscanini, not only the keys to his greatness but also some of his finest performances were to be heard at rehearsals. "Any body who missed them, missed Toscanini," says Violist Nicolas Moldavan, who played under the maestro in the NBC Symphony. "That was where there were the moments of beauty and...