100-year-old Met recordings found under a recliner may soon be heard for the first time in a century
6:26
At the turn of the 20th century, Lionel Mapleson was a visionary who worked to record and save performances by New York’s Metropolitan Opera. The Mapleson wax cylinders are legendary. And last year, more were found under a relative’s recliner – some of the audio has never been heard. The cylinders were donated to the New York Public Library, where with new technology they’re digitizing and giving new life to the recordings. NYPL assistant curator Jessica Wood tells us the story and explains why the audio is so important.