Strauss, Die Fledermaus--Overture, Bruno Walter

[Lah Ca]

Here is an interesting one, a Nipponophone/Columbia disk--a recording that seems to have started life as a HMV/Victor session but somehow did not end up as a JVC/JVTMC release.

Given the context of the collection this disk was found in, I would guess that the Japanese disk dates to the late 1930s.

Nipponophone/Columbia
JS 37 (2LA 2536/2LA 2537)
Die Fledermaus—Overture, J. Strauss, Op. 56,
Bruno Walter and Ochestre de la Societe des Concerts du Conservatoire

Side 1:

Matrix No.

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Details in upper run-out area

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Kelly File: 0LA
Location: Paris, France
Recording date: 1938-05-09
Other: Victor 13688 13692
Title(s): Die Fledermaus: Overture (Strauss), 1
Issued: DB3536
Size: 12-inch
Session Performer(s): ORCHESTRE DE LA SOCIÉTÉ DES CONCERTS DU CONSERVATOIRE, (BRUNO WALTER)
Recording Notes:
Session Id: 75369Session Group Id: 3192Location Id: 22

Side 2

Matrix No.

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Distinctive detail from upper run-out area

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Kelly File: 0LA
Location: Paris, France
Recording date: 1938-05-09
Other:
Title(s): Die Fledermaus: Overture (Strauss), part 2
Issued:
Size: 12-inch
Session Performer(s): ORCHESTRE DE LA SOCIÉTÉ DES CONCERTS DU CONSERVATOIRE, (BRUNO WALTER)
Recording Notes:
Session Id: 75369Session Group Id: 3192Location Id: 22

[Lah Ca]

Here is a Youtube posting of the Nipponophone/Columbia release. The poster gives a date of 1938, but whether this is for the recording and/or the Japanese release of the disk, I do not know.

https://youtu.be/p33GEO6x94U?si=Los3-frgL1i0m1AD


Here is the HMV/Gramophone Co release at Discogs.

https://www.discogs.com/release/7494127 ... ie-Flederm

Johann Strauss* - Orchestre De La Société Des Concerts Du Conservatoire Conducted By Bruno Walter – Overture "Die Fledermaus"
Johann Strauss Jr. - Overture "Die Fledermaus"
Label: His Master's Voice – D.B.3536
Format: Shellac, 12", 78 RPM
Country: UK
Released: 1938
Overture "Die Fledermaus"
A Part 1
B Conclusion
Record Company – The Gramophone Co. Ltd.
Composed By – Johann Strauss*
Conductor – Bruno Walter
Engineer [Uncredited] – Georges Cailly
Orchestra – Orchestre De La Société Des Concerts Du Conservatoire
Both tracks recorded by 9 May 1938 in Paris, France
Matrix / Runout (A side label): 2LA.2536
Matrix / Runout (B side label): 2LA.2537

2025-05-16 12.26.29 www.discogs.com 6d675e7f51e5.jpg (78.58 KiB) Viewed 1029 times

2025-05-16 12.26.05 www.discogs.com d9bfe1e42991.jpg (75.02 KiB) Viewed 1029 times

[drh]

In the United States, it was released as sides 1 and 2 of Victor set 805, a collection of Strauss waltzes and overtures, mostly conducted by Walter. The odd man out was the Blue Danube, Vienna PO under Szell.

[Lah Ca]

In the United States, it was released as sides 1 and 2 of Victor set 805, a collection of Strauss waltzes and overtures, mostly conducted by Walter. The odd man out was the Blue Danube, Vienna PO under Szell.

Thank you. It is still curious that the recording ended up being released on Nipponophone/Columbia. Perhaps JVC/JVTMC did not want the recording, and HMV/Gramophone Co. offered the recording to Nipponophone.

2025-05-17 05.30.59 classite.com f895444807de.jpg (35.65 KiB) Viewed 1000 times

[Lah Ca]

The blue Nipponophone/Columbia label is a bit of a stylistic anachronism.

The Strauss piece was recorded in 1938 and so the record could not have been released before this date, but the general label style is much older, having the most similarities with the American Columbia labels issued between 1926 and 1932.

Ref: https://www.friktech.com/labels/Columbi ... graphy.pdf

[gramophone-georg]

The blue Nipponophone/Columbia label is a bit of a stylistic anachronism.

The Strauss piece was recorded in 1938 and so the record could not have been released before this date, but the general label style is much older, having the most similarities with the American Columbia labels issued between 1926 and 1932.

Ref: https://www.friktech.com/labels/Columbi ... graphy.pdf

Walter did a rendition of this on Columbia on US 9080-M probably in the 1932-33 range. Could this be the Nipponphone version?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/127074540683?_ ... R_aV16_dZQ

[drh]

The blue Nipponophone/Columbia label is a bit of a stylistic anachronism.

The Strauss piece was recorded in 1938 and so the record could not have been released before this date, but the general label style is much older, having the most similarities with the American Columbia labels issued between 1926 and 1932.

Ref: https://www.friktech.com/labels/Columbi ... graphy.pdf

Walter did a rendition of this on Columbia on US 9080-M probably in the 1932-33 range. Could this be the Nipponphone version?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/127074540683?_ ... R_aV16_dZQ

That would explain a lot, but I don't think so. 9080-M is with the Berlin State Opera Or., whereas the Nipponophone, like the HMV and Victor records pictured earlier in the thread, is with the Paris Conservatory Or.; moreover, the 9080-M matrix numbers don't match up, whereas the HMV and Victor ones do.

[gramophone-georg]

Right. I was just pointing out that Walter made a recording of the same piece for Columbia that more fits the time frame of that Nipponphone label.

[Governor Flyball]

It is not surprising that the same record has a Victor or Gramophone Co. label as the Japanese Columbia. Because the companies were directly linked.

By 1938, UK Columbia and the Gramophone Co. had been amalgamated for about seven years. Columbia UK and US had been separate companies since around 1930. Japan Columbia was linked to EMI and US Columbia was an entirely different company.

The world was in the Great Depression. Who knows: as we enter the next depression we may see a lot more of this.

[Lah Ca]

It is not surprising that the same record has a Victor or Gramophone Co. label as the Japanese Columbia. Because the companies were directly linked.

By 1938, UK Columbia and the Gramophone Co. had been amalgamated for about seven years. Columbia UK and US had been separate companies since around 1930. Japan Columbia was linked to EMI and US Columbia was an entirely different company.

The world was in the Great Depression. Who knows: as we enter the next depression we may see a lot more of this.

Thank you. Interesting and useful information for a little back-burner project I have going on.

I wonder if Nipponophone and the Japanese Victor Talking Machine Co. were linked in Japan.