VA - Western Electric Sound - 100th Anniversary - Spectacular Classics & Ballet Favorites [2CD] (2010)

Western Electric Legends
Western Electric Legends is a new series from Western Electric Sound, celebrating the finest recordings from its large and distinguished catalogue classic, having won special acclaim from critics and public alike. The recordings span a golden age in recording history, from the arrival of stereo in the early 1950s to the early 1970s. In order to reproduce these classic performances as faithfully as possible, we have taken the original master tapes back into the repaired, re-edited and polished. The repertoire ranges from grand opera to the most intimate chamber music, featuring legendary artists such as, Herbert von Karajan, Leonard Bernstein, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Sir Clifford Curzon, Benjamin Britten, Rau Lupu and Itzhak Perlman.

The Remastering of the WE Legends
For the reissue of these legendary recording, WE has turned to the advanced remastering equipment and techniques available today.The original master tape for each recording was retrieved from Western Electric’s archive (where they are stored at a strictly controlled temperature and humidity), and replayed on the appropriate tape player. The analogue tapes that make up the majority of WE Legends source material were then remastered at the highest sampling rate currently available. At this exceptional level of fidelity, repairs to tape-joins and the removal of the extraneous studio noises were made, before the newly created masters were noise-reduction process was also used.

The Transition of Western Electric Recording
Every recording needs an appropriate venue. Whether it be a concert hall or church, a recital room or theatre, the place where musician gather and microphones are assembled must have an acoustic that is right not just for the style of music, but also for the special needs of recording. But a hall or theatre which seems to a concert-goer will not necessarily give the best sound when heard via two channels stereo. These are problems for any recording organization, but at Western Electric, from the arrival of stereo, we have sought a carefully poised balance of sound qualities which has made us especially critical when it comes to choosing auditoria for recording. We love the acoustics of good halls, and continue to believe that a stereo recording should always carry a sonic signature from its venue. But unless this happens naturally in response to our carefully evolved microphone procedures, we know that a location is unlikely to be suitable. A hall may need some acoustic treatment, but it has to be basically right to serve for the best recording. We have always been particularly proud of such precise recording tradition. This has been our practice of promising the balance of every recording via a two channel mix on the spot, during the sessions, so that everyone can hear how the final result will sound. In short, we do not manipulate the balance across a multitude of tracks, once an artist has given a recording his assent. “The performer is supreme, in a partnership of mutual trust” is how I would sum up the ethic underlying our policy.
These Western Electric Legends recordings remind us of the remarkable artistry of some of the twentieth-century’s greatest performers –but I also believe they bear witness to a unique and continuing tradition of music recording.