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Re: [ARSCLIST] Concertapes - some more history



I'm in the muddle of reorganizing my CDs and can't lay hands on specific items at the moment, but I bought two or three Concert-Disc sourced New York Woodwind Quintet reissues on a label which name I don't recall.

The Solomon Omega line is not to be confused with the LP label of the same name. The LP one had records by Claude Helfer, a terrific pianist, and the conductor Argenta, among others.

Steve Smolian


----- Original Message ----- From: "Tom Fine" <tflists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, October 30, 2007 6:05 AM
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Concertapes - some more history



Hi Steve:

Yes, Bernard Solomon, my mistake. Seymour owned Omega Records, which reissued some if not most Everest classical titles on CD and then a few early SACD, but it seems like Omega died with Seymour Solomon in 2002. Some of the Omega CD's are now available as ArkivCD CDR's.

As I understand it, Madacy Entertainment:
http://www.madacy.com/Investor/index.php
bought rights or bought outright the Everest classical catalog, what remains of it. Classic Records then licensed from a Madacy subsidiary in Germany to make their LPs and DVD-A's. BTW, the 3-channel DVD-A's are as close as you're going to get to the master tapes and the whole way this remastering was done was technically the best you can do for those old films. As far as I know, Everest used the Westrex equipment in its stock configuration, so the EQ curve was well known, etc.


There was a 2-part article series on Everest in Classic Record Collector this year.

But, back to my main topic, while we've seen the Everest classical catalog resurface first on CD's and very early SACD's for a few titles, and now on Classic LP's and DVD-A's, I've never seen nor heard of any Concertape reissues in the modern era.

-- Tom Fine

----- Original Message ----- From: "Steven Smolian" <smolians@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, October 29, 2007 10:07 PM
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Concertapes - some more history



Tom, you'll have to define "Everest Masters." The 35mm company was one entity. Acquiring it and adding to it, Mr. Solomon (Bernard, not Seymour, I believe), built a conglomerate. Various segments were licensed out but I think he still owns the entire (Everest I and II) catalogs. Others may have rights, but not exclusively, as far as I can tell.

As to the location of master tapes, that's a separate jungle.

Steve Smolian

----- Original Message ----- From: "Tom Fine" <tflists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, October 29, 2007 7:25 PM
Subject: [ARSCLIST] Concertapes - some more history



I ponied up some money and got copies of the Concertapes folder contents in the Leonard Sorkin archives at U Wisconsin.

A few highlights:

1. Steve Smolian, right again -- Concertapes was acquired by Seymor Solomon/Everest, looks like in 1963. Concertapes put out what looks like it's last brochure in what seems to be early 1963 (brochure #163) and the same titles were listed in a later Everest brochure, seems to be from late 1963 or early 1964.

2. Company financial statements in 1961-62 show a profitable concern. There was a payout of stockholder equity to shareholders in late 1962, taking profits before sale of the company.

3. Concertapes also carried recordings of the "NBC Symphony of the Air," which I believe were Toscanini's players after the Maestro left. I wonder if these were made by David Sarser?

4. Despite listing the "Fine Arts Symphony Orchestra" for some orchestra recordings -- I think we've discussed this was probably most of the Chicago Symphony in all but name -- this performer is not listed in any Concertape catalogs in the file, including one from the mid or late 50's. The Fine Arts Quartet (Sorkin and 3 other Chicago Symphony string players) was listed as the artist on a series of tapes.

So, this leads to another question. Were the Concertape masters acquired by the Canadian company that acquired the Everest classical masters?

-- Tom Fine

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