The Stokowski Concert Collection

Frequently Asked Questions

 

What type of media is used for the Stokowski Concert Collection?
The Stokowski Concert Collection is on CD-Rs. These can be played like normal CDs on every standard CD player. I am using only high-quality blanks (TDK, Verbatim etc.) and never heard that anyone had problems playing them. If you should encounter any problems though, you can certainly return the discs.

What are the sources of the recordings? 78s or LPs?
The recordings are not from 78s or other formerly commercially available media. Most of the recordings are from radio broadcasts etc. and have never been issued by professional record companies. Tapes of the recordings are traded among collectors, but often the sound quality is very disappointing. The aim of the Stokowski Concert Collection is to make these great recordings accessible to a wider public in an acceptable sound quality.

What sound quality can I expect?
The sound quality varies between "acceptable historical" (as you might know from historical labels like Pearl, Biddulph, Music & Arts etc.) and very good. In any case you can be sure that the sound of the original master has been improved a lot and that all major distortions (AM noise, hum, clicks & pops, dropouts etc.) have been removed. I will not issue recordings with permanent wow or other overall faults. Generally, all performances can be enjoyed without annoying interruptions. In some very few cases, short cuts were unavoidable since they were already in the original material.

Why do some recordings still have audible noise?
Applying noise reduction to a recording does also always mean damaging some of the music signal. The more noise reduction is used, the more of the music is damaged as well. Some recordings contain very subtle acoustics or shades of strings and woodwinds, which would be destroyed if too much noise reduction would be applied. In my opinion, it is preferable to preserve these details at the expense of a somewhat higher noise floor.

Why are some discs not filled up to 80 minutes?
Each volume of the Stokowski Concert Collection contains a complete Stokowski concert from a special day. The total playing time of the concerts can vary between 40 and about 120 minutes. So the total length of each volume depends on the length of the original concert. The maximum a single CD can hold is 80 minutes. I am trying to get everything on as few CDs as possible, but usually it can not be avoided that the total playing time on a single disc is considerable less than 80 minutes. I am not using any "fillers", since these would necessarily derive from other concerts which are planned to be released in complete on separate volumes at some future time.

Is the Stokowski Concert Collection available in record stores?
No, the Stokowski Concert Collection is a private CD project and can only be ordered from this website.

How much is the postage to my country and how can I pay?
For postage and payment details, please see here or contact me at stokowskisite@gmx.net.

Is the Stokowski Concert Collection a commercial enterprise?
The Stokowski Concert Collection is a a musicological project and not a commercial enterprise. The price for the CDs and the number of sold copies is too low to make great profit with them, particularly considering the enormous working time which is necessary for each CD. I am remastering these concerts mainly for myself and would do it also if nobody else would be interested in them. This website only offers a chance to other collectors to share the experience of this extremely rare musical material.

I have some other Stokowski live material on tapes. Could you make a CD of it?
If you have some Stokowski live material you would like to have remastered on CD, please contact me at stokowskisite@gmx.net. If the material is of interest for a CD release, you will get the remastering free of charge.

 

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