Testament Records (UK)
Encyclopedia
The Testament Records label, based in Great Britain, specialises in historical classical music recordings
, including previously unreleased broadcast performances by Arturo Toscanini
and the NBC Symphony Orchestra
and Solomon. It has also issued DVDs of the digitally reprocessed kinescope
s of Toscanini's 10 televised concerts on NBC from 1948 to 1952, adding sound taken from magnetic tape recordings of the broadcasts.
In 2004 Testament released the complete Verdi Requiem
conducted by Arturo Toscanini
from a BBC
recording of a live concert at Queen's Hall
, London, 27 May 1938, with soprano Zinka Milanov
, mezzo-soprano Kerstin Thorborg
, tenor Helge Rosvaenge
, bass Nicola Moscona, and the BBC Symphony Orchestra
and Chorus. The Gramophone Classical Musical Guide described the Testament issue as "skillfully remastered" and a superior performance to Toscanin's better known recording on RCA
from 1951.
In 2008 the company released the complete 1955 Bayreuth
Wagner Ring Cycle conducted by Joseph Keilberth
. The cast included Hans Hotter
as Wotan, Gustav Neidlinger
as Alberich, Ramón Vinay
as Siegmund, Astrid Varnay
as Brünnhilde, and Wolfgang Windgassen
as Siegfried. Andrew Quint, writing in Fanfare magazine, described the release as "the Wagner recording phenomenon of recent years" and Testament's reissue of them as "heroic", since the recordings had previously "been surrounded by a bureaucratic ring of fire."
Historical classical music recordings
Historical classical music recordings are generally classical music recordings made prior to the stereo era of vinyl disc recording, which began around 1957....
, including previously unreleased broadcast performances by Arturo Toscanini
Arturo Toscanini
Arturo Toscanini was an Italian conductor. One of the most acclaimed musicians of the late 19th and 20th century, he was renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orchestral detail and sonority, and his photographic memory...
and the NBC Symphony Orchestra
NBC Symphony Orchestra
The NBC Symphony Orchestra was a radio orchestra established by David Sarnoff of the National Broadcasting Company especially for conductor Arturo Toscanini...
and Solomon. It has also issued DVDs of the digitally reprocessed kinescope
Kinescope
Kinescope , shortened to kine , also known as telerecording in Britain, is a recording of a television program made by filming the picture from a video monitor...
s of Toscanini's 10 televised concerts on NBC from 1948 to 1952, adding sound taken from magnetic tape recordings of the broadcasts.
In 2004 Testament released the complete Verdi Requiem
Requiem (Verdi)
The Messa da Requiem by Giuseppe Verdi is a musical setting of the Roman Catholic funeral mass for four soloists, double choir and orchestra. It was composed in memory of Alessandro Manzoni, an Italian poet and novelist much admired by Verdi. The first performance in San Marco in Milan on 22 May...
conducted by Arturo Toscanini
Arturo Toscanini
Arturo Toscanini was an Italian conductor. One of the most acclaimed musicians of the late 19th and 20th century, he was renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orchestral detail and sonority, and his photographic memory...
from a BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
recording of a live concert at Queen's Hall
Queen's Hall
The Queen's Hall was a concert hall in Langham Place, London, opened in 1893. Designed by the architect T.E. Knightley, it had room for an audience of about 2,500 people. It became London's principal concert venue. From 1895 until 1941, it was the home of the promenade concerts founded by Robert...
, London, 27 May 1938, with soprano Zinka Milanov
Zinka Milanov
Zinka Milanov was a Croatian-born operatic spinto soprano who had a major career centred on the New York Metropolitan Opera.-Biography:...
, mezzo-soprano Kerstin Thorborg
Kerstin Thorborg
Kerstin Thorborg Born in Venjan, Sweden, the contralto Kerstin Thorborg was one of the best dramatic Wagnerian singers in the two decades between 1930 and 1950. She made her debut in 1924 singing the difficult role of Ortrud. Eight years later, the famed conductor Bruno Walter engaged her for the...
, tenor Helge Rosvaenge
Helge Rosvaenge
Helge Rosvaenge , Helge Anton Rosenvinge Hansen, was a famous Danish operatic tenor whose career was centred on Germany and Austria, before, during and after World War II....
, bass Nicola Moscona, and the BBC Symphony Orchestra
BBC Symphony Orchestra
The BBC Symphony Orchestra is the principal broadcast orchestra of the British Broadcasting Corporation and one of the leading orchestras in Britain.-History:...
and Chorus. The Gramophone Classical Musical Guide described the Testament issue as "skillfully remastered" and a superior performance to Toscanin's better known recording on RCA
RCA
RCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...
from 1951.
In 2008 the company released the complete 1955 Bayreuth
Bayreuth Festival
The Bayreuth Festival is a music festival held annually in Bayreuth, Germany, at which performances of operas by the 19th century German composer Richard Wagner are presented...
Wagner Ring Cycle conducted by Joseph Keilberth
Joseph Keilberth
Joseph Keilberth was a German conductor who specialized in opera.He started his career in the State Theatre of his native city, Karlsruhe. In 1940 he became director of the German Philharmonic Orchestra of Prague. Near the end of World War II he became principal conductor of the Dresden...
. The cast included Hans Hotter
Hans Hotter
Hans Hotter was a German operatic bass-baritone, admired internationally after World War II for the power, beauty, and intelligence of his singing, especially in Wagner operas. He was extremely tall and his appearance was striking because of his high, narrow face, wide mouth, and big, aquiline nose...
as Wotan, Gustav Neidlinger
Gustav Neidlinger
Gustav Neidlinger was a German bass-baritone, who was most famous for playing Wagner's "howling-and-spitting" villains. Born in Mainz, Neidlinger studied at the conservatory in Frankfurt, where he was trained by Otto Rottsieper...
as Alberich, Ramón Vinay
Ramón Vinay
Ramón Vinay was a famous Chilean operatic tenor with a powerful, dramatic voice. He is probably best remembered for his appearances in the title role of Giuseppe Verdi's tragic opera Otello....
as Siegmund, Astrid Varnay
Astrid Varnay
Ibolyka Astrid Maria Varnay was an American dramatic soprano of Hungarian heritage and Swedish birth, who did most of her work in the United States and Germany. She was one of the best-known Wagnerian heroic sopranos of her generation...
as Brünnhilde, and Wolfgang Windgassen
Wolfgang Windgassen
Wolfgang Windgassen was a tenor internationally known for his performances in Wagner operas.-Life and career:...
as Siegfried. Andrew Quint, writing in Fanfare magazine, described the release as "the Wagner recording phenomenon of recent years" and Testament's reissue of them as "heroic", since the recordings had previously "been surrounded by a bureaucratic ring of fire."