David -- I hope your message is forwarded with this.
The 1949 Rhine Journey: I don't believe it did appear on Victrola, but since I haven't checked I can't be sure. The 1941 Victor 78s were never transferred until the Toscanini CD edition around 1991. Then there's the live Rhine Journey from 1941 -- the one of part of the Prologue with Traubel and Melchior, yes (or did you mean another)? And then.... AT did this selection a lot, as he did with Wagner in general.
Many Victrola Toscanini releases had excellent sound, better than a number of the Red Seal predecessors and in some cases better than the big CD set. All one had to do toward the end of the Victrola series was search around for mono copies rather than the ghastly electronic stereo counterparts. That took a bit of work.
Total agreement about the inferior sound in LM-6020. But I'll never forget how thrilled, overwhelmed I was to own that set as a boy around 1957. A different issue, of course!
By the way, the late John Wilson had a Toscanini website with a discography. It doesn't seem that he listed 78 and LP numbers, but I could be wrong about that. The web address is
http://home.earthlink.net/~jw3
It has much interesting information.
Don Tait
**************
Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape.
http://body.aol.com/fitness/winter-exercise?NCID=aolcmp00300000002489
------------------------------------------------------------------------
By the way, the Victrolas I have DON'T include Siegfried's Rhine Journey. Did that appear on Victrola? (Not the 1941 live version, I have that.)
David Lennick wrote:I just went to the shelf and pulled the three Toscanini Wagner compilations on Victrola reissues (70s) and those dates are the same. Hadn't thought to look there previously. by the way, the sound on LM 6020 is atrocious..too much compression or something, overcutting to squeeze 29 minutes onto each side resulting in distortion on loud passages (and these are mint pressings, with various styli tried). Very tedious listening.
dl
Jim Long wrote:The booklet that came with my Toscanini Collection CD set (RCA Victor Gold Seal 09026-60250-2, booklet copyright 1992) says, though of course I don't know how accurate the information is:
TRISTAN UND ISOLDE: PRELUDE and LIEBESTOD: January 7, 1952, Carnegie Hall, 18:32.
DIE GOTTERDAMMERUNG: PROLOGUE; SIEGFRIED'S RHINE JOURNEY: December 22, 1949, Carnegie Hall, 11:00, what is titled "Dawn & Siegfried's Rhine Journey." Thus the preceding is something of a guess for me (not a Wagner naming expert). But the only other close title is the same, recorded in 1941. LM-6020 being one of RCA Victor's 1950's "hi-fi" releases, I doubt that a 1941 recording would have been used.
DIE GOTTERDAMMERUNG, ACT III: SIEGFRIED'S FUNERAL MUSIC: January 3, 1952, Carnegie Hall, 13:20, as "Siegfried's Death & Funeral Music." A similar situation to the one above.
DIE MEISTERSINGER: ACT I, PRELUDE: March 11, 1946, Carnegie Hall, 8:57. I guess this wouldn't be tape. No other alternative to choose from.
DIE MEISTERSINGER: ACT III, PRELUDE: November 26, 1951, Carnegie Hall, 7:01.
SIEGFRIED IDYLL: July 29, 1952, Carnegie Hall, 17:37. Other choices are far earlier.
LOHENGRIN: ACT I, PRELUDE: October 22, 1951, Carnegie Hall, 8:41. Other choices far earlier.
LOHENGRIN: ACT III, PRELUDE: October 22, 1951, Carnegie Hall, 3:05. Other choice far earlier.
PARSIFAL: PRELUDE and GOOD FRIDAY SPELL: December 22, 1949, Carnegie Hall, 15:24 and 10:38, respectively.
In a message dated 1/19/2008 12:03:51 AM Eastern Standard Time, LISTSERV@xxxxxxx writes:
Anyone have a Toscanini discography handy? Specifically, I'd like the dates for the contents of the TOSCANINI PLAYS WAGNER album (RCA LM 6020).
TRISTAN UND ISOLDE: PRELUDE and LIEBESTOD....PRELUDE PARSIFAL: PRELUDE and GOOD FRIDAY SPELL
Jim Long Baroda, MI </HTML>
------------------------------------------------------------------------
No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.503 / Virus Database: 269.19.6/1231 - Release Date: 1/18/08 11:55 AM