Pittsburgh Symphony restores and digitizes hundreds of concert recordings
Nearly 300 audio recordings of Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO) concerts from 1976 to 1984 that have not been heard in decades and were in danger of permanent loss have been digitized and are available to the public.
They can be heard through the Pittsburgh Symphony Archives’ Audio-Visual Performance Recording Collection. The recordings are all from the era in which Andre Previn was the PSO’s music director. The digitization of the Previn-era recordings is part of an ongoing effort to preserve Pittsburgh Symphony recordings captured on obsolete formats. A majority of the recordings were captured on Scotch and Ampex tapes, and the formula used in manufacturing these tapes has been documented as being particularly susceptible to “sticky-shed syndrome,” which causes tapes to deteriorate.
The recordings are available to hear by appointment at the PSO Archives. A collection of 15 short clips and samples is available to stream online at www.pittsburghsymphony.org.