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Italian and French Opera records
Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2023 3:33 pm
by audiophile102
Today came into possession of 10 - 12-inch Italian opera records. I much prefer 78 jazz records so intend to sell them. The condition is excellent and I'm sure that they demanded a premium from the buyer back in the day. I photographed the labels and made contact sheets so that someone could please tell me what I have. If there is a web site that can help me find out what they are worth, please provide a link. All five of the Victor red seal records are red in color. Please take a moment to look at the proof sheets and click on them to zoom in for more detail.
Re: Italian and French Opera records
Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2023 5:55 pm
by drh
The "Heritage Series" records are late '40s vintage (or so) RCA Victor repressings in vinyl of original Victor Talking Machine Co. acoustic masters. In my experience, they are variable in results; some sound fine, obviously with much less surface noise than shellac originals, but others just don't sound as clean as they should. The HMVs are '30s vintage, I think, mostly of tenor Beniamino Gigli with one or two of tenor Jussi Bjoerling as well, all in pretty standard "opera's greatest hits" literature. Although they are a nice group of Gigli's records and attractive enough if you like the singer, unless I'm much mistaken all are pretty common, and HMVs of that era are notorious for looking beautiful and sounding like frying bacon.
As to "breaking up a set," these weren't a set to begin with--just single issues that someone collected together, the same way we all do.
Re: Italian and French Opera records
Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2023 10:51 pm
by audiophile102
drh wrote: Tue Aug 22, 2023 5:55 pm
The "Heritage Series" records are late '40s vintage (or so) RCA Victor repressings in vinyl of original Victor Talking Machine Co. acoustic masters. In my experience, they are variable in results; some sound fine, obviously with much less surface noise than shellac originals, but others just don't sound as clean as they should. The HMVs are '30s vintage, I think, mostly of tenor Beniamino Gigli with one or two of tenor Jussi Bjoerling as well, all in pretty standard "opera's greatest hits" literature. Although they are a nice group of Gigli's records and attractive enough if you like the singer, unless I'm much mistaken all are pretty common, and HMVs of that era are notorious for looking beautiful and sounding like frying bacon.
As to "breaking up a set," these weren't a set to begin with--just single issues that someone collected together, the same way we all do.
Thank you for your informative reply. I am a bit disappointed that there is so little interest in these records, but I'm not surprised due to my own ambivalence toward the genre. Still, the repressings in red vinyl look great so possibly someone will want them? Time will tell and hopefully I won't be tossing them out.
Re: Italian and French Opera records
Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2023 6:01 pm
by BillH_NJ
My ambivalence towards them has nothing to do with the genre. I have thousands of classical vocal and operatic records, but I tend to look for records up to about 1935 and these are much later. I would much rather have original pressings than these reissues, so they are a pass for me.
Re: Italian and French Opera records
Posted: Thu Aug 24, 2023 3:44 pm
by Inigo
The thing is that it's a pity to throw them away, as they're very good records. But not so attractive to seasoned collectors. The perfect present to a newbie... or for the goodwill store. Pity that the vinyl pressings are unplayable in acoustic gramophones or early electric ones, as they need later featherweight reproducers.
Personally, Gigli is my absolute-favourite tenor...
Re: Italian and French Opera records
Posted: Thu Aug 24, 2023 4:31 pm
by drh
Inigo wrote: Thu Aug 24, 2023 3:44 pm
The thing is that it's a pity to throw them away, as they're very good records. But not so attractive to seasoned collectors. The perfect present to a newbie...
That sums it up perfectly. I should add that the Heritage issues originally came in quite showy gold foil envelopes, which tended not to survive and hence may be more desirable than the records themselves these days. Incidentally, I also agree with the "the genre isn't the problem" comment; my collection, too, is overwhelmingly classical and operatic material, and some records of that sort bring quite nice money. (Operatic cylinders, for example, are definitely a rich man's game--except that the man who overindulges in them won't be rich for long!) The shellac records here, however, are the operatic equivalent of--oh, say, Paul Whiteman leading "The Japanese Sandman." Good records, but too common to command a lot of interest. Vinyl reissues generally, whether Heritage or Historic Masters or whatever, in general just don't seem to draw much resale value, either.
Re: Italian and French Opera records
Posted: Thu Aug 24, 2023 10:48 pm
by audiophile102
I would gladly give all of them away rather than toss them out. I might try giving them away on Craiglist and see if there are any takers. At least now I will have a good description of them for whoever might be interested. Again, thanks to all that responded.
Re: Italian and French Opera records
Posted: Fri Aug 25, 2023 11:57 am
by Starkton
[quote=Inigo post_id=333713 time=1692906257 user_id=24891]
The perfect present to a newbie... or for the goodwill store.
[/quote]
There are no more collectors for this genre among the younger generation and goodwill stores will reject such material. Even if it makes you feel better to pass it on, it will inevitably end up in the trash can and no one will miss it. There is just too much of it.
I specialize in opera recordings, but even decades ago as a newbie, I was looking for early pressings of historical important, acoustic sound recordings. So exactly what is still much in demand, and especially highlighted in dealer lists. Whereby dealers specialized in such material have also become rare. They aged with their clientele.
Re: Italian and French Opera records
Posted: Fri Aug 25, 2023 5:05 pm
by Wolfe
Starkton wrote: Fri Aug 25, 2023 11:57 am
Whereby dealers specialized in such material have also become rare. They aged with their clientele.
Since Lawrence Holdridge passed, I don't know of any mail-order/online-dealers in the U.S., who are specializing in opera records at this time. Best you can do is where it's a subset, like at Nauck's.
Re: Italian and French Opera records
Posted: Fri Aug 25, 2023 6:01 pm
by Starkton
[quote=Wolfe post_id=333773 time=1692997517 user_id=81]
Since Lawrence Holdridge passed, I don't know of any mail-order/online-dealers in the U.S., who are specializing in opera records at this time. Best you can do is where it's a subset, like at Nauck's.
[/quote]
Nauck has long been barely relevant in the realm of rare classical recordings. He has specialized in other genres. Those are easier to sell and more profitable.