I have tapes or private CD-Rs of some of those broadcasts. From circa
1941/2. Each 30 minutes. All I have are conducted by Fritz Reiner, who
presumably took the train up from Pittsburgh for the gig. I got the recordings
from fellow Reiner collectors and have no idea who might have conducted other
programs. As one might expect, the selections are short and the musical
gruel is pretty thin. The "theme music" for each program is the French horn
"bedtime" music from Hansel und Gretel.
 
  I do not remember whether the announcer(s) said from where the
broadcasts originated. Sorry.
 
  Don Tait
 
 
In a message dated 3/18/2014 3:38:10 P.M. Central Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:

Starting in 1934 and continuing for a number of years thereafter, the
Detroit Symphony appeared on a radio program, the Ford Symphony Hour. Some
of the most distinguished conductors of that time regularly guested on
this
show, which also featured big name soloists. Preserved broadcasts show
that the orchestra was an excellent one during this period, and the
acoustics audible on these recordings sound OK, with a touch of nice hall
ambiance. A number of these broadcasts are sought after by collectors. I
don't know where these shows were recorded, but I assume they predate the
Ford Auditorium referred to previously.

Best,
John Haley



On Tue, Mar 18, 2014 at 3:57 PM, Leo Gillis <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Hi Tom,
>
> I must second that statement.
> The Ford Auditorium had one of the worst acoustics
> it has ever been my (dis)pleasure to experience.
> No real music lover was saddened at the news of its demolition a couple
> years ago.
> I used to joke that the best sounding concert I ever attended there was
> Marcel Marceau :-)
>
> Meanwhile, a couple miles away on Woodward is the magnificent Orchestra
> Hall,
> which has one of the best acoustics of any hall anywhere,
> and it was built in a matter of 5 months - probably not to any
> 'scientific' principles!
>
> In between these two extremes, the excellent auditorium (and entire
> building)
> of Cass Technical High School is now demolished.
> Perhaps you have some info on the recording session for Berlioz'
> Symphonie Fantastique that Paul Paray and the DSO did there for Mercury?
> Despite my hometown bias, this is still one of my favorite versions of
> that work.
>
>
> -- Leo Gillis
>
>
>
> --------------------------------------------
> On Tue, 3/18/14, Tom Fine <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Old Mercury recording venue gets a rebuild
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Date: Tuesday, March 18, 2014, 7:11 PM
>
> ...
>
> As bad as Northrop was as a recording venue, the absolute
> worst was the Edsel Ford Auditorium in Detroit. This was
> another "modern" venue designed by "science." It was almost
> unusable for stereo recording and barely usable for mono
> recording. Mercury ended up using the old orchestra hall,
> then called the Paradise Theatre and used at other times by
> a local evangelical church. Then Cass Technical High
> School's wonderful auditorium was "discovered," just in time
> for 35mm recording and improved stereo cutting.
>
> -- Tom Fine
>
>