# Solti's Die Walküre (1965 recording) - CD Rot!



## phoenixshade

Greetings, fellow music listeners.

I am hoping I can find someone who can help me with a little problem. About 16 years ago, I bought Sir Georg Solti's 1965 rendition of Wagner's _Der Ring des Nibelungen_ cycle. However, disc three of _Die Walküre_ (Decca 414 108-2) developed a very bad case of CD rot within the first five years (see image). None of the other discs have, nor has this disc seen more use than the others, which leads me to place the blame on a manufacturing defect.









_CD-rot on disc 3 of _Die Walküre_. The bright spot above "Zweiter Aufzug" is a hole approx. 1.5 mm across. There are also many smaller holes which do not resolve in this photo._

I have attempted to resolve this issue by contacting London/Decca in the US. I even told them I'd be willing to pay for a replacement disc. However, no one could help me, nor could they even direct me to someone who could. So I now turn to the classical music community.

If anyone has this recording, I'd much appreciate it if someone could rip this disc in a lossless format (APE or FLAC preferred) with a CUE sheet so that I can burn a replacement. Probably the easiest way would be to upload it to www.megaupload.com, and I'd inform you when I retrieve it so that it can be deleted.

If you can help, please drop me a PM. Thanks in advance.

- Wil


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## Chi_townPhilly

Oh, bloody Hel... (feverishly checks relevant disc from own _Ring_ collection)- 
O.K.: still good. Unfortunately, since the performance is less than 50 years old (I guess that time-limit may differ depending on jurisdiction), I have no reason to believe that it isn't still protected by copyright, and a request to "share" the rendition may be on the wrong side of legality. If this event happened to me, I think I'd have to break down and buy another _Walküre_ (last time I checked, they're still available separately).

I'd rationalize it this way... have I received (fill in dollar value of Solti _Walküre_ here) worth of enjoyment from the performance already? Then, I won't necessarily be _happy_ about "eating" the expense of a probable manufacturing miscue... but the music, ultimately, is STILL worth it.


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## phoenixshade

Chi, thanks for the prompt response.



Chi_town/Philly said:


> I have no reason to believe that it isn't still protected by copyright, and a request to "share" the rendition may be on the wrong side of legality.


Look, I'm not one to steal my music; I can proudly say that I've purchased every CD I own legitimately, but in this case, I say: Bah! Legality be damned! All of the principals except Christa Ludwig are now dead, and I really doubt that Decca/London/PolyGram Records is sending her much in the way of residuals. (Georg Solti, 5 Sep 1997; Birgit Nilsson, 25 Dec 2005; Hans Hotter, 6 Dec 2003; James King, 20 Nov 2005; Régine Crespin, 5 Jul 2005; Gottlob Frick, 18 Aug 1994; etc.) So the money is basically going to maintain huge salaries for executives who had nothing whatsoever to do with this recording and whose artistic output consists of what they leave in the toilet bowl each day.

The way I see it, buying another copy is in principle actually _rewarding_ these people for dodgy quality control and shoddier customer service. The question isn't whether it's _worth_ it for me to spend another $60 on a recording I already own - just to get the TWO tracks that are unrecoverable out of a 4-disc set - but rather does Decca _deserve_ that money again. Keep in mind that I only got five years out of it, and the _Ring_ cycle is pretty heavy listening, so during that time I probably only listened to it about half-a-dozen times, if even that many.

Or to put it another way: I will have bought it TWICE, that is, spent $120. For that same money, I could enjoy the much more transient and ephemeral experience - and therefore all the more powerful - of a prime orchestra seat to the Washington Opera under the direction Placido Domingo at the Kennedy Center.

But thanks anyway, and sorry about the rant. I shall continue to look elsewhere, but I have no intention of rewarding poor workmanship and executives who couldn't care less about their customers once they leave the record store.


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## Krummhorn

I totally agree with your frustrations, but like it or not, the copyright laws are in place for a reason. The penalties, if caught, are going to be a lot higher than $20 ... the risk isn't worth it, considering the capabilities of todays technology in finding bootleg copiers of copyrighted CD's.

The residuals do not stop just because the musician dies - the heirs, a family trust, and even possibly memorial funds for scholarships, continue to receive royalties. I would like to think most of those residuals are passed back into the community at large for the promotion and preservation of music as an art. 

Just my thoughts on the subject.


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## phoenixshade

*Copyright blah blah blah*



Krummhorn said:


> I totally agree with your frustrations, but like it or not, the copyright laws are in place for a reason.


If we extend this line of reasoning, than we should make all replacement automobile parts illegal under the umbrella of "copyright laws." If your car breaks down because of a leaky radiator hose, your only recourse should be to buy a whole new car.

I respect that warranties can only cover a limited time period (and on CDs that would probably be less than 5 years), but I can see absolutely no good reason why Decca can't _sell_ me a new copy of the single CD that is damaged.



> The penalties, if caught, are going to be a lot higher than $20 ... the risk isn't worth it, considering the capabilities of todays technology in finding bootleg copiers of copyrighted CD's.


You should do some research before speaking on subjects of which you have limited knowledge. It is incredibly difficult for any copyright holder to obtain personally identifying information of _users_ even from such well-known p2p trackers as thepiratebay.org (or their ISPs)... and I'm not asking anyone to take that kind of risk; I'm merely asking that they upload it to a _private_ file hosting service, protected by password, until ONE person downloads it, and then promptly remove it from that service.

Indiscriminate file sharing, I agree, should be punished, because from there a whole network of unpurchased copies quickly spreads. But helping a fellow music-lover replace a single disc with a one-time download is not the same species. It's not even the same kingdom.



> I would like to think most of those residuals are passed back into the community at large for the promotion and preservation of music as an art.


I would "like to think" that, too. I'd also "like to think" that record labels have more of an interest in promoting the arts rather than fattening their wallets. But we don't live in a world of "like-to-thinks," which is why I directly support local organizations such as the Washington Opera, the Washington Ballet, the National Symphony Orchestra, and the Washington Performing Arts Society through memberships and donations, rather than counting on a meager few cents out of each music purchase eventually finding their way to such organizations. Whatever we may "like-to-think," the reality is that this is all they end up with, and the lion's share goes to non-artists and stockholders. Don't delude yourself into believing that major labels actually care about the arts.

In any case, I have found what I was looking for with the help of a much more sympathetic and friendly forum. Feel free to close this thread before I say what I _really_ think.


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## DavidA

You can actually find a very cheap download on Amazon


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## moody

You have been somewhat unfair,a moderator is bound to pass on the law to you it's part of his job.
Somebody might well have fixed you up and apparently someone has but it can't be flaunted in broad daylight.
Incidentally,this rot has been a problem and the record company is bound to replace your goods,that's the law in the UK at least.


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