RCA Victor Demonstration Record" K-4 by Leopold Stokowski and Lily Pons 1933

[melvind]

This is a very interesting record perhaps more for its label than the recorded content. But an example of this same label in Mike Sherman’s “Collectors Guide To Victor Records” book was included in “The Kit Of Demonstration Records” provided to dealers/customers in 1933. My copy is one number larger so it too may have also been part of that set of demonstration recordings. The K-3 example in Sherman’s book had 78rpm on one side and 33 1/3rpm on the other side. K-4 has 78rpm on both sides.

 

From what I can gather the kit of demonstration records were given to customers that bought the new dual speed machines that could play both 78rpm and 33 1/3rpm records. Both sides of the record are from already released records. 

 

Side A sounds pretty great and is lively orchestral music. Side B also sounds great but has a couple of things going against it. Firstly, it is a pretty softly recorded record with lots of dead space between phrases. And, it has obviously been played much more often that Side A. It still shows how magnificent the soprano voice of Lily Pons was.

 

 

[Henry]

Beautiful transfers! Thanks for posting.

 

I own the album with Lily Pons singing the Bell Song. It's on one side of a 12", and only the first part of the aria is on the demo record here, but what a pleasure to hear this magnificent clean transfer! (I don't have a score to check this, but as to the "dead space between phrases," I'm pretty sure that the piece is notated that way.)

 

Again, thanks for the spectacular treat!

 

P.S. Could you describe the equipment you used for your transfer? You know, turntable, cartridge, stylus, filtration/compensation, all that good stuff. Thanks!

 

Later addition/correction: I own the album with Pons Bell Song alright, but it's not with Stokie and the Phils. It's Columbia Masterworks set M-MM-561, a 12" three-record set with Bell Song on two sides and the Mad Scene from Lucia di Lammermoor on four sides. "With orchestra conducted by Pietro Cimara", who was a conductor at the MET Opera. His career came to an unfortunate end, as he suffered a stroke while conducting La forza del destiny" in Jan. 1958. Here's a link to an article in the NY Times: https://www.nytimes.com/1958/01/14/archives/conductor-collapses-at-met-violinist-takes-over-on-podium-conductor.html?unlocked_article_code=1.A1E.73Dv.wDI3d5zpjU89&smid=url-share

Edited 9 minutes ago by Henry