Sometime while writing these little pieces, I discover something new. Like now. Don Carlos was written in French, by an Italian composer, premiered in London and was thereafter mainly known in its Italian version. Right. This one is also in Italian, like most recording I could find.
The recording was made in the Walthamstow town hall, now renamed Waltham Forest Town Hall in North London. I mention that specifically, because I have many recordings that were made here, and I think the acoustics of this place are quite impressive.
The hall was built in 1938 and designed by the British architect Philip Dalton Hepworth. It is in a stripped down version of classicism, where many ornaments were removed. However, lots of beautiful Art Deco features found its way into the building.
The wiki page doesn’t mention any recordings made here, but a quick search on Discogs yields a staggering 1240 items, ranging from 1960 onwards. Most of them from EMI. So my guess is they have a regular deal here. The hall is well chosen I think.
