These stereo recordings date from sessions on 16 and 17 September 1959 for Pye, apart from the Tannhäuser Overture which was recorded at an earlier session, in April 1959.

Whatever qualms Wagner himself might have had about performing extracts from his operas in the concert hall, he was, as a professional musician, able to suppress them. They brought in revenue, of course, but this was not the main consideration; more important was that his work should be known and understood. He therefore sanctioned, even encouraged, the performance of excerpts from his operas, either with vocalists or, as in the present recording, in purely orchestral form.

Free Trade Hall, Manchester, 16-17 September 1959 and April 1959 (Stereo)