Bruckner Archive acquires the Ludwig K. Mayer wartime recordings of the Overture and Four Orchestral Pieces

Bruckner Archive acquires the Ludwig K. Mayer wartime recordings of the Overture and Four Orchestral Pieces
The Bruckner Archive was able to use funds provided by purchases through this website to acquire the very rare Polydor recordings of Bruckner's Overture in G Minor (WAB 98) and the Four Orchestral Pieces (WAB 96 and 97). The recordings were purchased from an antique record dealer in France.

This is a three disc 78 rpm set (Polydor # 57213, 57214 and 57215). They were manufactured in Germany in 1943.

By supplying the matrix numbers to a colleague at the Deutsche Rundfunk Archive in Frankfurt, we were able to find the following information:

Label for the Overture.

The label for the Overture


Recording sheet for the Overture.

Data sheet for the recording (courtesy of the DRA)



The Overture was recorded twice on December 2, 1942. The second take was used for publication.

Label for the Orchestral.

The label for the Orchestral Pieces


Recording sheet for the Four Pieces.

Data sheet for the recording (courtesy of the DRA)



The Four Orchestral Pieces were recorded twice on February 16, 1943. The second take was used for publication.

Both recording sessions took place in Polydor's "Room 9" which was the Zentral-Theater (located at Alte Jakobstrasse 32) in Berlin. Since 1938, it was one of their primary recording studios. It is possible that the recordings were originally made for the "Zentralstelle für Deutsche Kulturfunksendungen im Ausland" (Central Office for German Cultural Broadcasting Abroad). Polydor was a sub label of Deutsche Grammophon and was used for the export market.

After the war, the recordings were re-issued on the main Deutsche Grammophon label (three 78 rpm discs) as shown below. For this release, the March in D Minor (WAB 96) was listed as a separate work and the title, "Drei Kleine Orchesterstuecke" (Three Small Orchestral Pieces) was shown on the label instead of the "Vier Kleine Orchesterstuecke" (Four Small Orchestral Pieces) as shown on the original Polydor release.

Label for the DGG release

Label for the 1948 DGG release



An audio file of the recording has been given to the Deutsche Rundfunk Archive. It is now registered at the DRA under the following catalog numbers:
K006854827: Overture
K006854835: Three Orchestral Pieces
K006854868: March in D Minor

Dr. Ludwig Karl Mayer was born in Munich on May 9, 1896 and died in Linz on May 12, 1963. He was the author of two books, "Musikgeschichte" (Music History) and "Die Musik des 20 Jahrhundertspublished" (Music in the Twentieth Century) both written around 1960. He was, at the time of these recordings, working for the RMVP (The Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda).