Wagner: Tannhäuser (Solti, 1971) 5.1 Blu-ray Audio from Decca Quad Tapes

[humprof]

Anybody pick this up yet? Listening reports?

 

[Soundfield]

It was recorded at the Sofiensaal in Vienna, Decca's main European recording venue. I don't believe that you're correct about large-scale classical performances being recorded in concert venues, especially back then. Typically they'd find ballrooms or other rooms with acoustic properties conducive for recording - empty halls are actually pretty problematic in terms of acoustic unless you do something to fill the seats. They'd multimike pretty heavily and then the producer would mix live to however many tracks they had as an option. These opera recordings (the Ring Cycle was done in the same venue) were anything but near-live recordings - they were meticulously assembled out of many takes to bring the opera to record - not just capturing a performance but making something more alive than a recorded performance can be.

And if you don't believe that, just listen to the quad mix of Bernstein's recording of Carmen, made around the same time. It's definitely not a "two mics in front, two in the hall" affair. Like this one, it's a studio creation and that allows for more creative use of four channels.

Recently there has been a bit of a shift to live recording in classical - the major labels aren't doing as much recording and orchestras are releasing their own recordings - typically made mostly live with a patch session done later. But the technology and markets were different in the early 70s, and live classical recordings were still an exception.

You are absolutely correct. "Live" opera performances, recorded in the theatre are all but non existent - simply too many variables for the recording companies and limited opportunities for retakes. One of the few that I can think of from back in the day are the recordings of Reginald Goodall's sublime Ring cycle by the English National Opera recorded in the London Coliseum (at performances I attended!) in the 1970s and released by EMI in SQ (the box set of Twilight of the Gods was the first ever quadraphonic LP box set I bought, even before I had any means of playing them back!). Some 'historic' live recordings also turn up but are usually actually transcriptions of live radio broadcasts.

 

[skherbeck]

Anybody pick this up yet? Listening reports?

I bought it... nice disc-size book-package (the text portion is about 1/2" thick!), but waiting for the right mood to listen...

 

[4-earredwonder]

I bought it... nice disc-size book-package (the text portion is about 1/2" thick!), but waiting for the right mood to listen...

Don't forget your opera glasses and better brush up on your German!

 

[JediJoker]

"Live" opera performances, recorded in the theatre are all but non existent - simply too many variables for the recording companies and limited opportunities for retakes. One of the few that I can think of from back in the day are the recordings of Reginald Goodall's sublime Ring cycle by the English National Opera recorded in the London Coliseum (at performances I attended!) in the 1970s and released by EMI in SQ (the box set of Twilight of the Gods was the first ever quadraphonic LP box set I bought, even before I had any means of playing them back!). Some 'historic' live recordings also turn up but are usually actually transcriptions of live radio broadcasts.

Don't sleep on John Eliot Gardiner's Mozart operas on Archiv Produktion. Historically informed live performances on period instruments, with audience.