[78-L] Metropolitan Opera broadcasts in the old house

[David Lennick]

Richard Rodzinski has tape transfers of Rodzinski/NBC Symphony broadcasts that 
he says were made by Robert Sarnoff for Mrs. Rodzinski (Halina). Too bad the 
discs weren't cleaned and played with a proper stylus and were on quarter-track.

What about all these supposedly first-generation tape transfers Bill Shaman 
claims to own?

dl

On 12/27/2010 1:59 PM, Kevin P. Mostyn wrote:
> Now that the Library of Congress Sonic catalog is back on line (it was down
> last night for routine maintenance), I am able to see at least a dozen full
> length recordings of MET Opera broadcasts from the 1930s, in the NBC
> Collection, starting about 1936. Linechecks, not airchecks. Made by NBC. I
> invite you to verify this for yourself.
>
> http://lcweb5.loc.gov/cgi-bin/starfinder/1978546/sonic.txt?action=-oyQK
>
> I am aware of other NBC MET Opera linechecks in private collections.
>
> So the alleged absence of NBC linechecks of the MET Opera in the 1930s turns
> out to be a canard.
>
> While the Met contract with NBC may very well have specified that "no
> recordings were to be made by the network at all", it is indisputable that
> many were made nonetheless. Murder is strictly illegal, yet it happens every
> day.
>
> As for the January 4, 1941 Met broadcast of Wagner's "Tannhauser," which was
> the instant cause of this thread, please note that the NBC discs of this
> broadcast are at the LoC. Certainly I am not the only one on this maillist
> who knows that the NBC Archive, when still in NYC, was somewhat "porous."
> Essentially all of the MET Opera pirate recordings sourced from actual
> linechecks of the 1930s and 1940s, were copied from the NBC transcription
> discs when still in NYC. Certain well-known personages had sub-rosa access
> to the NBC Archive and copies were routinely made for these people. A wise
> man once told me that "you can get anything you want in this world, if you
> want it badly enough."
>
> --Kevin Mostyn
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: 78-l-bounces at klickitat.78online.com
> [mailto:78-l-bounces at klickitat.78online.com] On Behalf Of Kevin P. Mostyn
> Sent: Sunday, December 26, 2010 11:38 PM
> To: '78-L Mail List'
> Subject: Re: [78-L] Metropolitan Opera broadcasts in the old house
>
> Elizabeth,
>
> *All* is a pretty absolute word, not to be used casually. It is possible
> that you are not fully informed on this matter. I invite you to look at
> these scans:
>
> http://www.mostyn.com/images/19360329.jpg
>
> http://www.mostyn.com/images/19391230.jpg
>
> These discs are parts of complete sets of these broadcasts and are in my
> collection here in California. These are real discs, 16" aluminum base
> lacquers.
>
> At this late hour, I do not have access to certain other resources, but I
> believe that there are several NBC transcriptions of MET broadcasts from the
> 1930s. Linechecks, not airchecks.
>
> --Kevin Mostyn
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: 78-l-bounces at klickitat.78online.com
> [mailto:78-l-bounces at klickitat.78online.com] On Behalf Of Elizabeth McLeod
> Sent: Saturday, December 25, 2010 5:09 AM
> To: 78-L Mail List
> Subject: Re: [78-L] Metropolitan Opera broadcasts in the old house
>
> on 12/25/10 2:36 AM Michael Biel wrote:
>
>> I wouldn't be surprised if part of the reason is that most Met
>> broadcasts survive as outside air-checks while the Tosciinini
>> broadcasts are line-checks or direct in-house recordings.  There were
>> so many opera lovers recording off-air and there has been little real
>> recordings from the network to use as upgrades, while the Toscanini
>> broadcasts are quite common from NBC and RCA originals.
>
> I believe, in fact, that the Met contract with NBC specified that no
> recordings were to be made by the network at all, at least until the
> contract was renegotiated around 1940. So *all* surviving Met broadcast
> recordings from the thirties are airchecks, and anything goes so far as
> quality is concerned.
>
> Jackson's book "Saturday Afternoons At The Old Met" discusses this in some
> detail, and reproduces a letter from a Speak-O-Phone studio to a Met
> performer, offering to record her upcoming performance.
>
> Elizabeth