Fritz Reiner, Chicago Symphony Orchestra – Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto (Jascha Heifetz) (Ultra Tape)

One concerto, three movements

Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto fills two sides of tape: the first movement on its own, then the Canzonetta and the finale. Jascha Heifetz plays the solo part; Fritz Reiner conducts the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

This edition: Ultra Tape, and what you need to play it

Analogue Productions issues this recording in its Ultra Tape series: a ¼-inch analogue tape running at 15 ips with IEC equalisation, in two-track (half-track) stereo. Each copy is made in real time from a copy of the original analogue master tape, transferred on an ATR-modified Ampex machine with flux magnetic heads, and it arrives in a custom slipcase.

Playing it needs a reel-to-reel machine that runs at 15 ips and reads two tracks. The format leaves out the steps a record takes between master tape and groove, which is the reason collectors reach for it.

Customer question: Buying Analogue Productions records in Europe