DECCA DISCOGRAPHY >>V VIENNA, Austria, Germany, Hungary, etc. The Vienna Philharmonic was the jewel in Decca’s crown, particularly from 1956 when the engineers adopted the Sofiensaal as their favoured studio. The contract with the orchestra was secured partly by cultivating various chamber ensembles drawn from its membership. Vienna was favoured for symphonic cycles, particularly in the mid-1960s, and for German opera and operetta, including Strausses of all varieties and Solti’s “Ring” (1958-65), as well as Mackerras’s Janá ček (1976-82). Karajan recorded intermittently for Decca with the VPO from 1959-78. But apart from the New Year concerts, resumed in 2008, recording with the VPO ceased in 1998. Outside the capital there were various sessions in Salzburg from 1984-99. Germany was largely left to Decca’s partner Telefunken, though it was so overshadowed by Deutsche Grammophon and EMI Electrola that few of its products were marketed in the UK, with even those soon relegated to a cheap label. It later signed Harnoncourt and eventually became part of the competition, joining Warner Classics in 1990. Decca did venture to Bayreuth in 1951, ’53 and ’55 but wrecking tactics by Walter Legge blocked the release of several recordings for half a century. The Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra’s sessions moved from Geneva to its home town in 1963 and continued there until 1985. The exiled Philharmonia Hungarica recorded in West Germany from 1969-75. There were a few engagements with the Bavarian Radio in Munich from 1977- 82, but the first substantial contract with a German symphony orchestra did not come until 1982. After reunification Chailly’s Berlin RSO was joined by the Leipzig Gewandhaus and from 1991-98 both were extensively employed on the Entartete Musik project. Thereafter Berlin hosted various small scale recordings, as did Neumarkt from 1991-2006, whilst symphonic sessions were concentrated in Leipzig under Blomstedt (1995-2004) and Chailly (since 2005). While teams could be sent to Paris, Rome and Vienna to record native singers of opera, the Soviet Union was not prepared to admit the lackeys of Western capitalism. Tito’s Yugoslavia was more pragmatic, so in 1955 Russian opera was recorded in Belgrade and Zagreb. Elsewhere in Eastern Europe a few discs were made by the Hungarian State Symphony Orchestra in Budapest from 1972- 75 and a few more came from Prague in the 1990s. >RVV VENUES Seventy-two different venues were used, seventeen in Austria, forty-five in Germany and ten elsewhere, but only five (those in bold ) hosted more than twenty entries, whilst thirty-six were only visited once. AUSTRIA STEPHANIENSAAL, GRAZ, Styria (1885), a 1000 seat concert hall, was used just once for a 1999 vocal recording. STIFTSKIRCHE, MELK, Lower Austria (1736), a monastery church, was visited twice by Argo, in 1974 and 1978, to record the organ (Hradetzky, 1970). STIFTSKIRCHE, MILLSTATT, near Villach, Carinthia (1070) hosted three Camerata Academica Salzburg recordings from 1988-90. STIFTSKIRCHE, OSSIACH, near Villach, Carinthia (1745), yet another abbey church, was the venue for Wilhelm Backhaus’s last recitals in 1969. Domkirche, ST.PÖLTEN, Lower Austria (1735) was visited by Argo in 1978 to record the new cathedral organ (Metzler, 1974). GROSSES FESTSPIELHAUS, SALZBURG (1960), a 2100 seat opera house, staged two live recordings during the 1992 Festival. KAPUZINERKLOSTER, SALZBURG (1602), another monastery, was selected for a 1999 recording of cantatas. MOZARTEUM, SALZBURG (1914) was used twelve times for various sessions from 1983-97, normally in the 800 seat GROSSER SAAL, but at least once in the 200 seat WIENER SAAL. MOZARTS GEBURTSHAUS, SALZBURG, a museum since 1880, saw three recordings from 1991-93, using the composer’s fortepiano preserved there. AUGUSTINERKIRCHE, VIENNA (1349) was visited by Argo in 1986 to record the new choir organ (Reil, 1985). KONZERTHAUS, VIENNA (1913), comprising the 1800 seat GROSSER SAAL, the 700 seat MOZART SAAL and the 400 seat SCHUBERT SAAL, was a regular venue in succession to the Sofiensaal from 1986-97. [21+22+6 entries] MUSIKVEREIN, VIENNA (1870) houses the 1750 seat GROSSER SAAL (famed for the Vienna Philharmonic’s New Year concerts) and the 600 seat BRAHMSSAAL. They were used regularly from 1950-55, then on occasion (the former mainly for live recordings and videos) from 1972-2009. [79+9 entries] REDOUTENSAAL, VIENNA (1748) was tried out for six recordings in 1955, when the Musikverein was evidently considered unsatisfactory for stereo, but was abandoned as soon as the Sofiensaal was discovered. Wien-Film Studios, ROSENHÜGEL, VIENNA (1923), used by O.R.F. as television studios from 1966-90, hosted three opera recordings from 1977-81. SOFIENSAAL, VIENNA (1826), originally a spa and then a ballroom, was the favourite venue from 1955-86 for everything from the “Ring” cycle to solo piano sessions, including Decca’s first digital recording. The hall, where the Decca team had had their own flat and control room, was burnt out in 2001 (see “Gramophone” November 2001, page 16). [372 entries] STEPHANSDOM, VIENNA (c1469) was visited for a live recording in 1991. YAMAHA CENTRE, VIENNA (1986), a showroom for the company’s wind and keyboard instruments, was selected for a 1989 piano recital. GERMANY Grosse Halle, SCHLOSS ANSBACH, Bavaria (1575), where an annual Bach Festival began in 1948, was used for a related recording in 1955. ST.FRIDOLINS-MÜNSTER, BAD SÄCKINGEN, Baden-Württemberg (1755) was visited in 1994 to record the new organ (Klais, 1993). FESTSPIELHAUS, BAYREUTH, Bavaria (1876), a 1900 seat opera house, staged six productions, from 1951-55 and in 1983, that were recorded live. MARKGRÄFLICHES OPERNHAUS, BAYREUTH, Bavaria (1748), a 500 seat house, was chosen for a couple of vocal recordings in 1992 and 1996. ANDREASKIRCHE, WANNSEE, BERLIN (1896) was the 2008 venue for recording the New Seasons Ensemble. BABELSBERG FILM STUDIOS, near BERLIN (1912), with a 1929 sound stage, were modernised from 1992 and hosted a 2001 album of arias. FRIEDENAUER KAMMERKONZERTE, BERLIN (1986), a recital room set in a town house (1907), was favoured just once by L’Oiseau-Lyre in 1989. FUNKHAUS, Nalepastrasse, KÖPENICK, BERLIN (1951), the headquarters of East German Radio until 1989, was visited for six recordings from 1995-96. HANSA-STUDIO, Köthenerstrasse, BERLIN (1972), built for pop music, was selected for three projects from 1989-92. JESUS-CHRISTUS-KIRCHE, DAHLEM, BERLIN (1932), a venue favoured by Karajan, was used first with him in 1972 and then regularly for all sorts of sessions from 1982-97. [54 entries] Evangelische JOHANNES STIFT, SPANDAU, BERLIN (1858), an abbey church, was chosen for two 1968 operatic recordings. PHILHARMONIE, BERLIN (1963), a 2450 seat concert hall, hosted three live recordings of the resident orchestra guest conducted by Solti from 1993-96. RIAS [Rundfunk im Amerikanischen Sektor] STUDIOS, Wilmersdorf, BERLIN (1948) were used twice in 1988 for Ute Lemper’s Weill series. SCHAUSPIELHAUS, BERLIN (1821), rebuilt as an 1850 seat concert hall in 1984, was the Deutsches Symphony’s venue for eight recordings from 1992-95. SFB [Sender Freies Berlin] STUDIOS, Charlottenburg, BERLIN (1931) were visited in 1998 to record an operetta for the Entartete Musik series. SIEMENS VILLA, Lichterfelde, BERLIN (1929), a music room attached to a mansion, was the source of a licensed 1987 New Line piano recording. TELDEC STUDIOS, Lichterfelde, BERLIN (1950), inherited from Telefunken and eventually sold off by Warner in 2001 and re-named TELDEX, were used for instrumental recordings on three occasions from 1998-2007. RUDOLF-OETKER-HALLE, BIELEFELD, North Rhine Westphalia (1930), a 1600 seat concert hall, was selected for the first batch of sessions for Dorati’s Haydn symphony cycle in 1969, but dissatisfaction with the venue saw the rest of the series transferred to Marl. FREIE WALDORFSCHULE, BREMEN (1974), a school hall, was favoured for a 1994 recording of the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie. Sendesaal, RADIO BREMEN (1952) was chosen for the same locally-based ensemble in 1993. Grosses Sendesaal, FUNKHAUS, COLOGNE, North Rhine Westphalia (1950) hosted two concerts by the resident orchestra broadcast in 1953 and 1956. PHILHARMONIE, COLOGNE, North Rhine Westphalia (1986), a 2200 seat concert hall, was visited a couple of times, in 1996 and 2005. ALTE OPER, FRANKFURT, Hesse (1880), rebuilt as a 2500 seat concert hall in 1981, was used twice in 1984 and once more for a live recording in 1996. BARTOLOMAÜSKIRCHE, HALLE, Saxony-Anhalt (1742), close to Handel’s birth place, was deemed apt for recording his concertos on the organ (Contius, 1743) in 2008. BENDESDORF FILM STUDIOS, HAMBURG (1947) were the source of a 1990 television documentary. FRIEDRICH-EBERT-HALLE, Harburg, near HAMBURG (1965), a multi- purpose hall, was the venue for four piano recordings from 1981-2008. MUSIKHALLE, HAMBURG (1908), a 2000 seat concert hall, staged a 1992 performance by Ute Lemper and Michael Nyman. EVANGELISCHE KIRCHE, HONRATH, North Rhine Westphalia (1857) hosted two string quartet recordings in 1992 and 1995. LiebfrauenMÜNSTER, INGOLSTADT, Bavaria (1407) was visited by Argo in 1989 to record the organ (Klais, 1977). Neues GEWANDHAUS, LEIPZIG, Saxony (1981), a 1900 seat concert hall, was chosen for recording the resident orchestra, latterly usually live, on thirteen occasions from 1995-2008. PAUL GERHARDT-KIRCHE, LEIPZIG, Saxony (1900) was used seven times from 1991-96, mainly for operatic, choral and vocal sessions. Evangelische SCHLOSS Kirche, LUDWIGSBURG , Baden-Württemberg (1726) was the venue for most of the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra’s recordings from 1964-85. [18 entries] DOMKIRCHE, MAINZ, Rhineland-Palatinate (c1200) witnessed a televised concert in 2005. ST.BONIFATIUS KIRCHE, MARL, North Rhine Westphalia (c1900) was used eleven times from 1970-75 for most of the Philharmonia Hungarica’s sessions. DOMKIRCHE, MERSEBURG, Saxony-Anhalt (c1517), another cathedral, was visited in 1992 to record works by Liszt on an instrument (Ladegast, 1855) admired by the composer.