Hans Knappertsbusch

conducts the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra,

Soloists and Chorus

in a performance of

Wagner’s ‘Die Meistersinger von Nurenberg’

on Six Decca Orange and Gold label Mono (No Stereo Issue) LPs, LXT 2659/64

FIRST PRESSING 1956

This beautiful and rare 6 LP set from Decca preserves Hans Knappertsbusch’s legendary reading of Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg – recorded 2-9 September 1950 (Act II) and 11 – 22 September 1951 (Acts I & III) in the Grosser Saal of Vienna’s Musikverein.

The incomparable cast boasted Paul Schoeffler as Hans Sachs, Otto Edelmann as Veit Pogner, Hugo Meyer-Welfing as Kunz Vogelgesang, Wilhelm Felden, Karl Dönch as Sixtus Beckmesser, Alfred Poell as Fritz Kothner, Erich Majkut as Balthasar Zorn, William Wergnick as Ulrich Eisslinger, Hermann Gallos as Augustin Moser, Harald Pröglhöf as Hermann Ortel and the Night Watchman, Franz Bierbach as Hans Schwarz, Ljubomir Pantscheff as Hans Foltz, Günther Treptow as Walthar von Stolzing, Anton Dermota as David, Hilde Gueden as Eva, Else Schürhoff as Magdalene, the Staatsopernchor, and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra on resplendent form.

 Knappertsbusch is not always admitted to the pantheon of ‘greatest’ conductors, denied entry for an alleged waywardness, if not unevenness of achievement. But this is true of any conductor, and if in certain repertoire (Tchaikovsky’s Nutrcracker?) he was found wanting, elsewhere – and particularly in Wagner – his mastery was impregnable. It was in the opera pit that his re-creative powers burned most intensely, his long partnership with the VPO making for incandescent performances, nowhere more so than in this unforgettable account of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. Added to that is a cast seldom equaled and never surpassed, a fabled catalog of great Wagnerian singers. Decca’s engineers were well up to the task, faithfully capturing the glowing acoustics of the Musikverein with no loss of presence or theater to stagecraft.

This set is more often encountered in six separate LP’s jackets, without box,

GRADING

RECORDS (ALL SIX LPs):VISUAL GRADE NEAR MINT

This set was well taken care of over the years: the vinyl LPs are in NEARMINT condition and all labels are absolutely clean.

records has a "deep groove" (an indent in the label about 1/2-inch from the edge of the label, which on SOME labels is associated with very early or first pressings).

COVERS: Near Mint

The condition of the 6 jackets is Near Mint (all are without seamsplits, bends, nor owners’ markings and remain bright, tight, and glossy)

This set is more often encountered in six separate LP’s jackets, without box,

LABELS: Near Mint

There is no libretto.

All-in-all, very much a handsome collector’s copy of rare set in its most desirable pressing.

All my items are rigorously graded close to a 100w lamp

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P O S T A G E   and   P A C K I N G

N. LPs

Weight

Italia

EUROPE

USA/JAPAN/ASIA

Australia/Oceania

 1/3

UP TO 1000 grams

$11 

$19 

$26 

$36 

 4/7

1000 - 2000 GRAMS

$14 

$27 

$41 

$49 

OVER 2 Kg - PLEASE ASK

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RECORD GRADING POLICY:

I DO NOT HAVE TIME TO PLAY GRADE ALL LPS, BUT WILL NOTE WHEN AN LP HAS BEEN PLAY GRADED.  SEE MY GRADING SCALE FOR MORE DETAIL.. TO BE MORE EXACT, I ALSO USED "MINUS" OR "PLUS" WHICH CORRESPOND TO INTERMEDIATE CONDITION. IF AN ERROR IS MADE AND RECORD NOT CORRESPOND AS DESCRIBED, I OFFER A MONEY BACK GUARANTEE FOR PURCHASE PRICE OF THE ITEM IF RETURNED SAFE AND SECURE AND REQUESTED WITHIN A WEEK OF RECEIPT .   A thorough cleaning is recommended before playing to remove mold and mildew spores that may not be visible. 

Mint: New stock.

Near Mint (NM): A nearly perfect record. There may be one or two small inaudible defects. The record should show no obvious signs of wear. An LP jacket should have no creases, folds, seam splits or any other noticeable similar defect. No cut-out holes, either.

Near Mint Minus (NM-): A record that should play mint but has a few slight visible marks. There just may be some superficial scuffs  from the sleeve or very light hairlines that shouldn't be audible. An NM- album cover subjectively fits somewhere in between VG+ and NM.

Very Good Plus (VG+): A record will show some signs that it was played. Record surfaces may show some slight signs of wear and may have slight scuffs or very light scratches that don t significantly affect play. It might play with a few pops, but has no serious problems. The label may have some ring wear or discoloration, but it should be barely noticeable. The centre hole will not have been misshapen by repeated play. An LP jacket may have slight signs of wear also and may be marred by a cut-out hole.

Very Good (VG): Many of the defects found in a VG+ record will be more pronounced in a VG disc. Surface noise will be evident upon playing, especially in soft passages but will not overpower the music otherwise. Groove wear will start to be noticeable, as will light scratches (deep enough to feel with a fingernail) that will affect the sound. A well-used record that still sounds OK when played, but may have moderate surface noise, pops, some occasional background crackle, but will have no sticks, or skips.  LP covers may be marred by writing, or have tape or stickers (or their residue) attached. However, it will not have all of these problems at the same time, just two or three of them.

Good (G), Good Plus (G+): Good does not mean Bad! A record in Good or Good Plus condition can be put onto a turntable. A record that has been played a lot and visible groove wear.  Probably more than a few scuffs and scratches.  May play with consistent background noise, or the occasional hard pop.  May or may not have skip or stick.  Covers will have significant seam damage, tape, writing, stickers, or any combination of the above

Poor (P), Fair (F): Below good. imperfections will be described.