Leopold Stokowski – Rhapsodies (Ultra Tape)

Stokowski, three rhapsodies, one famous recording session

Leopold Stokowski conducts rhapsodies by Liszt, Enescu and Smetana — the programme that gives this release its title. Bob Simpson recorded the sessions on a three-track Ampex machine.

The result is known for its scale: a wide orchestra, strong low end and the kind of dynamic range that asks something of an amplifier and loudspeakers.

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