"Tom Connor"  about the Boston Symphony / Munch stereo recording....

>...  Needless to say it's been exciting to get the CD release, all the
>music on one surface.  (By the way, the CD says it was recorded in 1955.
>I thought my 1958 Brahms 2nd with Munch and the BSO was supposed to be one
>of the first LIVING STEREO records, and this sounds like the early 60's
>vinyl I have.)

I have a number of CD reissues of original LP releases in my collection
which cause me to rise in an attempt to turn over the vinyl record.  Pavlov
could have used us for his early experiments.

In clarification of recording history; the first experimental RCA stereo
recordings were made in Symphony Hall in February 1954 (Munch/Berlioz
"Damnation Of Faust") according to the literature supplied with many RCA
Living Stereo CD re releases.  My recollection is that many of these
"experimental" recordings were made on a distinctly "semiprofessional" RCA
recorder by the RCA staff and were shortly thereafter released as the first
commercial stereo tape recordings on 7 1/2 Inch Per Second open reel and a
now-forgotten RCA tape cartridge player before later release as the initial
group of 45/45 stereo vinyl records.  The series of experiments were
extended to Chicago (March 1954) when the famous Reiner /Strauss "Also
Sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30" was made.  From that time onward most of RCA
classical sessions were done in both stereo and mono.

Bernard Gregoire
Hingham, MA