These private recording sessions (which were not public performances) took place on December 25, 30, and 31, 1947, and the product was a full recording of Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons". Since a recording ban called by the musicians' union was set to take effect on January 1, 1948, the sessions were held at midnight, the only times available in the Hall's fully-booked schedule. It is possible that the sessions were actually 12/26, 12/31, and 1/1/1948 at 12:00 AM, although this seems unlikely, as the final session would have violated the onset of the recording ban. According to the New York Times, the Concert Hall Chamber Orchestra was a pick-up ensemble assembled for these recording sessions (also 12/30, 12/31/1947); the players mostly came from the New York Philharmonic. Eichler, Jeremy. “The Masterpiece That Took 200 Years to Become Timeless.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 27 Feb. 2005, www.nytimes.com/2005/02/27/arts/music/the-masterpiece-that-took-200-years-to-become-timeless.html.
Recording Session: Louis Kaufman, Violin, with Chamber Orchestra