An odd aspect of preservation work is the lapse of time between completing a client’s project and then seeing it shared with the world. Some gaps are due to crafting portals for public access, or researching an item’s historical context. In the case of one audio reel, it was waiting for a quadrennial event.

In 2019, a reel-to-reel recording labeled “Cliburn” was discovered at the radio station Classical WRR 101.1. Located less than 35 miles from the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition headquarters, the tape immediately held intrigue. Archivists John H. Slate and Kristi Nedderman of the Dallas Municipal Archives (where the reel now resides) discovered that it was a recording of the famed pianist Van Cliburn performing Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in 1967.

The reel was sent to George Blood LP in early 2020 where it was transferred by our audio engineers with great success. But while the 35-minute program was ready to make its appearance, it was decided to wait for the 2022 installment of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition to promote this unique find.

On June 25, 2022, just days after the contest concluded, WRR shared the digital transfer as well as the story of the reel’s discovery on a special program which can be heard here.

While it took over two years for us to hear the buzz around this important find, it took 45 years for this performance to be enjoyed by the public again. But what a welcome rediscovery!