RCA 2-TRACK TAPE FCS-2: STRAUSS - EIN HELDENLEBEN / REINER / CHICAGO / TAS

$

67

RICHARD STRAUSS -

Ein Heldenleben

Fritz Reiner/Chicago Symphony Orchestra

RCA FCS-2

2-Track Stereo Reel-to-Reel tape for "In-Line" heads.

7 1/2 ips; 7-inch reel; notes on the back of the box

Please note: for proper balances on playback, all 2-track tapes must be played on a 2-track machine.   Playback on a 4-track machine will not give even weight to the channels and may not be satisfactory.

Recorded in Orchestra Hall, Chicago

March 6, 1954

John Pfeiffer, producer

Leslie Chase, engineer

Along with the recording of Strauss' The Dance of the Seven Veils, this was the product of the very first day that RCA Victor held a recording session with the Chicago Symphony under Fritz Reiner, and was the very first stereo recording the CSO ever made.  It derived from a marathon recording session which began at 9:00 a.m.  They did not finish Heldenleben until 10:30 p.m. (though with an hour off for lunch and two hours for dinner), at which point they turned to The Dance of the Seven Veils - and apparently did not complete that recording, actually, until the next day at 1:00 a.m.

This recording was originally issued on LP in mono only (LM-1807) and was never issued in stereo at all on RCA's full-price Red Seal line of LP's.  It's first LP issue in stereo came on the budget Victrola line (VICS-1042 in 1964).

This 2-track tape was thus not only the first issue of this recording in stereo - it was also the only way this recording was available in stereo for ten years.  The first reference I can find to it comes in Clough & Cuming's World Encyclopedia of Recorded Music, Supplement III, which covered releases through December of 1955.

For reference, see The Abso!ute Sound, Issue #108, Pages 110-111.

The tape is in excellent condition; its box shows minor shelf wear.

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Auction Close and Shipping Information

If you win more than one item from this auction, please wait for me to send you an invoice with individualized calculation of discounted shipping fee for a parcel including multiple items.  In the United States, the shipping cost for each extra reel after the first one is $1.00.

All shipping fees include insurance.  The fee quoted for foreign shipping ($24.00 for a single record) applies to all countries except Canada.  For Canadian shipments, shipping a single disc costs $18.00.  For all foreign countries, the shipping cost for each additional record shipped in the same parcel is $6.00.   Buyer is responsible for any and all customs charges which may apply to his or her country.

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