Dmitri Mitropoulos conducts the NBC Symphony Orchestra (on the Symphony of the Air) – Mozart’s Magic Flute Overture and Vaughan Williams’s A London Symphony; December 9, 1945.
Couldn’t resist listening to such a find this morning before getting down to some editing…even though VW at his most magical and mystical is best heard at the other end of the day! Worth tolerating the wobbly sound and pre-echo (and I wonder whether anyone put the NBC announcer right about the correct pronunciation of RVW’s first name?), as it’s conducted with much love, even if sometimes with a tad too much haste, as was Mitropoulos’s way. A moving document, not least as a gesture from our WW2 allies just months after peace was restored.
Oh, forgot to say: those with perfect pitch will be disconcerted by the incorrect pitch: a semitone flat! Any chance, Col, that you have the software to fix it? I may be able to help
Ach, alas, Col. On closer acquaintance, it’s not simply a question of jacking up the pitch throughout. There are several semitonal fluctuations, down for a few minutes, then up again, etc. It’s a bigger job than I thought – more time-consuming! This is a worthwhile and fascinating document, a real find. But a more complicated job than I can spare the time for at the moment. Have to get on with…more recent projects!
Wow, this is quite a find Col.
Indebted as always.
Couldn’t resist listening to such a find this morning before getting down to some editing…even though VW at his most magical and mystical is best heard at the other end of the day! Worth tolerating the wobbly sound and pre-echo (and I wonder whether anyone put the NBC announcer right about the correct pronunciation of RVW’s first name?), as it’s conducted with much love, even if sometimes with a tad too much haste, as was Mitropoulos’s way. A moving document, not least as a gesture from our WW2 allies just months after peace was restored.
Oh, forgot to say: those with perfect pitch will be disconcerted by the incorrect pitch: a semitone flat! Any chance, Col, that you have the software to fix it? I may be able to help
Not me Andrew, but if you can help, great! Col
Ach, alas, Col. On closer acquaintance, it’s not simply a question of jacking up the pitch throughout. There are several semitonal fluctuations, down for a few minutes, then up again, etc. It’s a bigger job than I thought – more time-consuming! This is a worthwhile and fascinating document, a real find. But a more complicated job than I can spare the time for at the moment. Have to get on with…more recent projects!
No worries Andrew, thanks for your interest. Col