Preserving Rare Live Music Performances for Future Enjoyment and Education

Music Preserved rescues historic recordings so that they may be enjoyed by future generations. It is a living archive designed to secure the best from the past, from which to learn what is valuable for the years ahead. Explore the collection and selected recordings here, and discover performances by great artists and unique musical occasions.

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What's in our Collection?

Music Preserved is a collection of some 18,000 tapes of live recordings. Taken from radio broadcasts, the performances stretch from the 1930’s to the modern day and so offer a remarkable history of the evolution of musical style and recording techniques as well as a valuable record of a golden era of music. As well as recordings of operas, concerts and recitals there are also fascinating tapes of rehearsals, spoken word broadcasts and interviews with prominent artists.

The overall collection comprises 20 collections, each compiled by an enthusiast for live recordings. These include the conductor Sir Charles Mackerras, the tenor Richard Lewis, musicians Jon Tolansky and Basil Tschaikov who together co-founded what was to become Music Preserved, and Lord Harewood, who worked with most of the great operatic artists of the second half of the 20th century.