Musicians or performances you wish were recorded in stereo.

[Cristofori]

Which particular Musicians, or recordings are there that you wish were recorded in stereo?

A short list for me would be:

1. Walter Gieseking - He was right on the cusp of the golden age of stereo. If only he had lived just a little longer, we surely would have got one, perhaps even before he completed the Beethoven cycle he was working on???

I also would have loved to have had that future third Debussy cycle in stereo! But alas, it was not meant to be.

2. Arturo Toscanini - It's always been a mystery to me why we never got a stereo recording from him, considering he was probably the most prolific and famous of artists working for RCA, who pioneered some of the first stereo recordings.

They had already made some experimental stereo recordings with Munch and Reiner as early as 1954 (which were later released), and as far as I know, Toscanini recorded almost up to the year he died (1957).

I did hear once from an unconfirmed source that there was indeed some experimental sessions done in stereo with Toscanini, but these apparently have been lost, if they ever existed.

3. Heifetz/Piatagorsky/Rubinstein Trio: Ravel/Tchaikovsky Piano Trios -  These beautiful performances (still my favorites) were recorded in 1950, so there was not even a ghost of a chance they could have been in stereo. But what I wouldn't have given to be in the room with them on that day!

4. Some of the early mono Mercury Living Presence Recordings - Like the Mussorgsky "Pictures" and Dvorak's "Ma Vlast" with Kubelik in particular. These performances sound so fantastic in mono, you almost wouldn't even know or miss that they weren't in stereo, which makes me wonder what they would have been like if they were!

5. Britten: St. Nicolas - the one conducted by the composer with Peter Pears in 1954. Still my favorite recording of this often neglected and rarely recorded choral work.

Of course, there is no use crying over spilled milk, and if these artists or recordings sounded like those closer to today, they would lose much of that character that makes them appealing, like colorizing a B&W movie or something.

But it's always nice to fantasize!

[Superhorn]

   I wish that Furtwangler had lived longer and gotten a chance to make stereo recordings.  But unfortunately, he died in 1954, at the age of only 68. 

[Drasko]

2. Arturo Toscanini - It's always been a mystery to me why we never got a stereo recording from him, considering he was probably the most prolific and famous of artists working for RCA, who pioneered some of the first stereo recordings.

They had already made some experimental stereo recordings with Munch and Reiner as early as 1954 (which were later released), and as far as I know, Toscanini recorded almost up to the year he died (1957).

I did hear once from an unconfirmed source that there was indeed some experimental sessions done in stereo with Toscanini, but these apparently have been lost, if they ever existed.

http://www.amazon.com/Toscanini-April-1954-Final-Concert/dp/B000001OJL

[Cristofori]

http://www.amazon.com/Toscanini-April-1954-Final-Concert/dp/B000001OJL

OK, that's great to know! However, this being a live concert recording, (and one fraught with problems) it's not quite the same thing as an "official" studio release.

Also, It said in the reviews for the Music & Arts CD on Amazon.com that it was first released in the 1980's on what appeared to be a bootleg disc, so it looks like RCA never officially released it.

It looks like he just barely missed out by a few months on the first stereo recordings on RCA Red Seal. His retirement truly marked the end of an era!

[dirkronk]

Two above all others on the conductor front: Mengelberg and Furtwangler.

In the arena of instrumentalists: Rachmaninoff on piano...and any number of violinists I could name, but especially early Enescu, early Szigeti (he was recorded in damn good stereo on Mercury, but way too late in his career), Kreisler, Spalding, and Neveu.

I'll probably think of a dozen others as soon as I click "post."

Dirk

[hornteacher]

Dennis Brain.

[Brian]

Heifetz/Beecham Sibelius concerto, 1935. I still haven't found a stereo performance that satisfies me like this one does.

[71 dB]

Heifetz/Beecham Sibelius concerto, 1935. I still haven't found a stereo performance that satisfies me like this one does.

Perhaps stereophonic crystal clear sound ruins the work for you? Sometimes I feel people love that crappy old sound more than the music itself...

[prémont]

1. Walter Gieseking - He was right on the cusp of the golden age of stereo. If only he had lived just a little longer, we surely would have got one, perhaps even before he completed the Beethoven cycle he was working on???

At least some of Gieseking´s LvB pianosonatas for English Columbia 1956 (now EMI) are recorded in stereo, but it makes little difference in the case of a solo piano, IMO.

[MN Dave]

Heifetz/Beecham Sibelius concerto, 1935. I still haven't found a stereo performance that satisfies me like this one does.

Yah.

[Beetzart]

Some performances I wish were recorded in stereo:

[Cristofori]

At least some of Gieseking´s LvB pianosonatas for English Columbia 1956 (now EMI) are recorded in stereo, but it makes little difference in the case of a solo piano, IMO.

I'm glad I started this thread, as I'm discovering things I didn't know about! Although none of Gieseking's Beethoven sonatas I've seen or own myself on EMI/Angel are in real stereo, although I don't have them all.

As far as solo piano goes, with it's bass chords and resonance, stereo can still make a difference. Some recordings have a slightly murky, one dimensional sound that wouldn't be there had they been in stereo.

[Coopmv]

Elisabeth Schwarzkopf - most of her recordings made during the peak of her career were recorded in monaural.

[DarkAngel]

Elisabeth Schwarzkopf - most of her recordings made during the peak of her career were recorded in monaural.

I was thinking more like 1948-1958 Maria Callas in rich modern sound (SACD Hybrid, DSD masters), that would really be priceless.

As long as we are wishing how about collection of Callas HD 1080p Blu Ray disc performances of her best known opera roles from the same period, even more priceless 

[The new erato]

Concerning older recordings noise and dynamic range are important, the number of channels isn't.

[PerfectWagnerite]

Elisabeth Schwarzkopf - most of her recordings made during the peak of her career were recorded in monaural.

You know what, some of the mono sound in those EMI/Walter Legge recordings are so good(as in Der Rosenkavalier) where I think it actually did 100% justice to her voice.

[Todd]

At least some of Gieseking´s LvB pianosonatas for English Columbia 1956 (now EMI) are recorded in stereo, but it makes little difference in the case of a solo piano, IMO.

Gieseking also made a war time Emperor in stereo (complete with audible anti-aircraft guns) and a stereo disc of some Mozart songs with Schwarzkopf.  The el cheapo Seraphim CD of Gieseking playing LvB sonatas is in stereo.

To the original question, I wish all of the great artists of the past could have been recorded in SOTA stereo, including even Artur Nikisch.  Imagine what his LvB 5th would have sounded like with a full band playing in a real auditorium.  Other names pop up instantly - a young Josef Hofmann, Mischa Levitski, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Willem Mengelberg, the Budapest Quartet (in their prime), etc, etc.  Come to think of it, I wish all current recordings were in SOTA sound, because they aren't all equally good.

[Scarpia]

Concerning older recordings noise and dynamic range are important, the number of channels isn't.

I think they are both important, although bad audio quality is a bigger concern than lack of stereo sound in older recordings.  One that comes to mind is Samson Francios' recordings of the Chopin Ballades, which were recorded in early 50's mono.  He plays with expansive dynamics and the loud passages are 80% noise on those old EMI recordings.  I don't know if the original sound recording was really that bad or whether the release is from a degraded master.  The performances make a great impression, but who knows what they really sounded lke.  What I wouldn't give to have even a mono Mercury Living Presence recording of the same performance.