Art of Fugue (excerpts) BSO Live Rehearsal 10-24-1949

Remastered bv Nathaniel S. Johnson, March 24, 2011

From a live, coast-to-coast broadcast rehearsal of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Charles Munch, conducting (from Hill Auditorium, Michigan University, Ann Arbor)
Transfer from original glass masters at BMG/RCA supervised by Nathaniel S. Johnson

Charles Munch’s live, coast-to-coast broadcasts rehearsal were among the varied transfers I supervised at BMG/RCA, in cooperation with the BMG Archives division in 1988. When we first observed the fragile state of these 16-inch acetate masters, we made the decision to rescue as many, as quickly as time and budget allowed. And while there were no plans to release Mr. Munch’s live rehearsals of the BSO, it was determined that these precious documents must be preserved right away. We discovered that some of these discs were actually glass-based, instead of aluminum. Glass, despite the obvious disadvantage of fragility, was used during the war years as it provided a perfectly smooth and even supporting surface for the application of lacquer. Glass-based recording blanks came into general use for the duration of the war because of the heavy demand for aluminum.

During the transfer, I specified employment of a stereo playback cartridge so that left & right groove walls could be auditioned (and treated) separately, thus optimizing the opportunity to recover the signal from any damage, distortion, ticks, clicks, and pops. Our dedicated BMG engineers did a spectacular job handling and transferring these delicate discs.