recorded with what seemed like assembly -belt efficiency. sing. I like to let the singer 'cook' for a while. When The Decca schedule was every bit as rigorous, if not he warms up to his best, we move in for a take." quite so ambitious in scope. Decca's recording director, Victor Olof, who brings to his work as Decca recording Victor Olof, and his technical associates moved to Vienna director twenty years' experience as violinist and con- in mid -May from their headquarters in London. The ductor, feels that recording Mozart is "a very personal next six weeks probably encompassed the most intense business." He lets his friend the conductor Charles Munch workout that Mozart has ever been given anywhere. It define his job: "Recording Mozart is a little like pre- was sixteen hours of Mozart a day, sometimes including paring for an operation. If you're going to have it done, week ends. By the end of June, four operas - Don Gio- you need a good surgeon - like Olof." Watching Olof vanni, Le Nozze di Figaro, Così fan tutte, and Die Zauberflöte in action, one quickly appreciates how astute his judg- -- were on tape. ment is both in the domain of music and in that of sound engineering. Certainly, the world -wide success of re- cordings bearing the "ffrr" trademark must be credited IN THE history of recording, 1955 will go down as in large degree to his rare talents as musical -technical co- the year of the Dons. Philips had no sooner recorded ordinator. According to Olof, the Vienna Philharmonic its Don Giovanni in the Vienna Konzerthaus than Decca Orchestra - "which plays Mozart like no other orchestra moved in to perform the same task, with Cesare Siepi in in the world" - was reason enough for coming to Vienna. the role. (When Siepi arrived at the Sachet Hotel, he Indeed, the only drawback to Vienna, as he sees it, is the found awaiting him a portrait of George London in cos- perplexingly large number of accomplished singers and tume, inscribed: "To my favorite Don Giovanni. ") It instrumentalists active in that city. For example, there might have been a tale of three Dots in Austria were it are two young American singers now coming to promin- not for a shortage of qualified singers. Walter Legge ence in Vienna - though little known as yet in their own cancelled a proposed EMI -Angel recording under Her- country - whom Olof was considering for important bert von Karajan's direction for lack of a suitable and roles in the Mozart opera recordings. Eventually, how- uncommitted Don. However, a third Don Giovanni was ever, it was decided at Decca to stick to singers of well - actually recorded in 1955 by Cetra in Italy; its American established reputations. Olof understands the commer- release, sometime during the bicentennial year, will be cial considerations behind such a policy, but he is not on the Capitol label. Max Rudolf, of the Metropolitan convinced that it is always in the best long -term artistic Opera, conducts in this Italian recording and Giuseppe interests of his company. One of the big failings of large Taddei has the name part. "It's a case of survival of the record companies, he believes, is their reluctance to build fittest," says Decca's Victor Olof. "Of course, nobody artists. It should be added here, parenthetically, that can be expected to buy all three of them." Patently, Mr. Decca- London is one of the least culpable in this respect. Olof has a very firm notion of which Don will prove The company has something of a reputation for contract- the fittest. ing promising youngsters, then occupying them with Marius van der Meulen, recording director for the ten -inch "recital" records until the time and vehicle ar- Philips -Epic Don, is a violinist who became intrigued with rive which may promote them to disk- stardom. the musical side of acoustics and changed his vocation for that of sound engineer. He believes that "Mozart at his most dramatic does everything with music" and that THE Decca- London Mozart issues from Austria may there is no need to rely on any kind of extraneous sound lack new names but they have many of the old well - effects in a recording. But, in order to avoid monotony, known ones from the Vienna State Opera. This fact, plus "acoustical direction" is needed. The process, as Van der the choice of conductors, should put these recordings Meulen explains it, begins long before the first recording high in the Mozart sweepstakes. Josef Krips, who made take. "To begin with," he says, "I read through the the Vienna Mozart ensemble great in the immediate post- score. Then I study productions of the opera in the theater war years, directs Don Giovanni; Karl Böhm, present direc- and annotate the acoustical approach in the score. Finally, tor of the Vienna State Opera, conducts Così and Die Zan - I break down the score into scenes of acoustical importance. berföte; Le Nozze di Figaro is conducted by Erich Kleiber. I've actually done the opera at least five times before we This is not the place to evaluate the four recordings, which record it." have been - or will shortly be - - issued in the U. S. A. The Philips -Epic Don Giovanni embodies Van der Meulen's But the results, with conductors of this stamp in charge, notions of "acoustical direction." "It's possible," he says, are certain to be of considerable merit. At least so they "to give the orchestra a drier sound during the Over- appeared to me when I attended many of the recording ture and a more festive sound just before the Don's party. sessions in Vienna last year. The problem is to avoid monotony and still convince the The Philips Jubilee Edition, over half of which was listener that he isn't just listening to a group of singers recorded in Austria, overshadows even the magnificent in front of a microphone." The singer in turn has to be operatic splurge made by Decca. The records from Philips' so relaxed that he "undresses himself musically." "What factories are now being stamped "1756- 1956" in honor we try to accomplish is not so much to get a singer to of the Mozart year. Actually, Philips intends to continue make records as to make ourselves available (our record- recording Mozart until every one of the Köchel numbers, ing equipment is kept outside the studio) and let him plus later discoveries, are on disks. Continued on page 1S3 64 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE www.americanradiohistory.com.