Arturo Toscanini (; March 25, 1867 – January 16, 1957) was an Italian
conductor. He was one of the most acclaimed musicians of the late 19th and of the 20th century, renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orchestral detail and sonority, and his
photographic memory. He was at various times the music director of
La Scala Milan, the
Metropolitan Opera in New York, and the
New York Philharmonic Orchestra. Later in his career he was appointed the first music director of the
NBC Symphony Orchestra (1937–54), and this led to his becoming a household name (especially in the United States) through his radio and television broadcasts and many recordings of the operatic and symphonic repertoire.