Sam Kemp wrote:

>A 3CD set, ref. no GA2036, rel. Nov. 6th, 2000
>Conductor: Erich Leinsdorf
>Singers: Astrid Varnay, Kerstin Thorborg, Lauritz Melchior, Mack Harrell
>
>A 2CD set, ref. no GA2020, rel. Jun. 9th, 2000
>Conductor: Erich Leinsdorf
>Singers: Elisabeth Rethberg, Lauritz Melchior, Emanuel List, Leonard Warren
>
>Are either of the two worth buying?

I have not heard either of those recordings but my experience w/ other old
Met recordings is that you'll like them if you like your Wagner and are
interested in hearing the artists and that you'll be highly impatient with
them, if you don't want to hear various stage and other ambient sounds and
what I can only describe as an unevenness of volume reminding one of short
wave broadcasts in the WWII era.

I'd spring for them at $8.99 a pop.

I have a Danacord (DACOCD 322-3224) recording of what is billed as
"The Final Matinee Broadcast" of Melchior singing *Lohengrin*, together
w/ Traubel, Varnay, Janssen, Ernster, and Guerrera, w/ Fritz Stiedry
conducting, that I enjoy subject to the above caveats.  I probably paid
about $50.00 for that recording many years ago at the now defunct Serenade,
where I was told that (at least at that time), Met recordings of complete
operas could normally only be sold by the Met itself and I felt like a
conspirator when I made my purchase.

Walter Meyer