This is a comprehensive list of all of the commercially released recordings made by Orson Welles. Welles is heard on many recordings that were not intended for commercial release and for which he was not compensated.[1]: 339
While every attempt has been made to provide a complete listing of Welles's commercial recordings in the order of their release, it would be folly to assume that such a list could ever be compiled with certainty.
Slightly abridged version of Welles's 1937 Mercury Theatre production with narration by Marc Blitzstein First original cast recording ever made[2]: 342 [3]: 251
Highlights from the Mercury Theatre stage production featuring original cast members Incidental music by Marc Blitzstein Cast: Orson Welles (Brutus), Joseph Holland (Caesar), George Coulouris (Marcus Antonius), Martin Gabel (Cassius), Hiram Sherman (Casca), John Hoystradt (Decius Brutus), John A. Willard (Trebonius,[1]: 340 Volumnius)[5] Released with Twelfth Night on Pearl CD in 1998[5]
1939
July 27, 28 & 29, August 23 & 25, September 7 & 14, 1938
First of four releases in the Mercury Text Records series, phonographic recordings of William Shakespeare plays as adapted by Welles and Roger Hill in The Mercury Shakespeare Music by Elliott Carter, singing by Adelyn Colla-Negri, guitar by Julius Wexler Cast: Orson Welles (Narrator, Shylock, Prince of Morocco), Joseph Holland (Antonio), Eric Mansfield (Salarino), Norman Lloyd (Salanio, Launcelot Gobbo), Edgar Barrier (Bassanio, Prince of Arragon), Guy Kingsley (Lorenzo), Sidney Smith (Gratiano), Brenda Forbes (Portia), Sarah Burton (Nerissa), Erskine Sanford (Old Gobbo, The Duke), Virginia Welles (Jessica), George Duthie (Tubal), Richard Wilson (Salerio, Stephano), William Alland (Balthazar)[7]
Mercury Text Records Music by Marc Blitzstein Cast: Orson Welles (Narrator, Malvolio), LeRoi Operti (Feste), George Coulouris (Orsino), William Alland (Curio), Richard Wilson (Calentine), Jane Gordon (Viola), John A. Willard (Sea Captain), Eustace Wyatt (Sir Toby Belch), Elizabeth Farrar (Maria), Will Geer (Sir Andrew Aguecheek), Phyllis Joyce (Olivia), Guy Kingsley (Sebastian), Erskine Sanford (Antonio), John Straub (Fabian), Edgerton Paul (Priest)[7]
Mercury Text Records Music by Bernard Herrmann Cast: Orson Welles (Narrator, Marcus Antonius, Caius Cassius), Edgar Barrier (Julius Caesar, Octavius Caesar), Walter Ash (M. AEmil Lepidus), John Berry, (Publius, Popilius Lena, Volumnius), George Coulouris (Marcus Brutus), Everett Sloane (Casca, Artemidorus), Guy Kingsley (Cinna the Conspirator, Lucius), Arthur Kennedy (Trebonius, Flavius, Titinius, Clitus), Erskine Sanford (Ligarius, Pindarus), Richard Baer (Decius Brutus, Cinna the Poet), Seymour Milbert (Metellus Cimber), William Alland (Marullus, Young Cato), Virginia Welles (Calpurnia), Margaret Curtis (Portia), Stephen Roberts (Lucilius, Messala)[8]
Mercury Text Records Music by Bernard Herrmann Cast: William Alland (Narrator, Donalbain), Orson Welles (Macbeth), Fay Bainter (Lady Macbeth), Robert Warrick (Banquo), Erskine Sanford (Duncan, The Porter, Siward, Seyton), George Coulouris (Macduff, Angus, The Doctor), Edith Barrett (Lady Macduff, Gentlewoman), Edgar Barrier (Malcolm), Sam Edwards (Fleance, Macduff's son), Richard Wilson (Lennox), Richard Baer (Ross, Young Siward),[9][10]
Welles reads Thomas Jefferson's first inaugural address (March 4, 1801), Abraham Lincoln's second inaugural address (March 4, 1865), Woodrow Wilson's address to the Peace Conference in Paris (January 25, 1919), Franklin Delano Roosevelt's first war address before Congress (January 6, 1942)[12]
Welles's adaptation of the story by Oscar Wilde[13] Music by Bernard Herrmann, conducted by Victor Young Cast: Orson Welles, Bing Crosby, Lurene Tuttle[1]: 341 "It wasn't released for a year because neither of us would take first billing. In the end, they had to toss a coin just to get the thing out." (Orson Welles)[2]: 188
1946 (April)
August 30 & 31, September 8, 9, 11 & 13, 1944, September 19, 1945[1]: 341
Reissue of material from Decca Records DL 8515 Includes The Lonesome Train, a drama in folk music form with Burl Ives, narrated by Earl Robinson[1]: 342 [17]
1964 (December)
April 1938
The Cradle Will Rock
LP record
American Legacy Records (T1001)
Limited-edition reissue of Musicraft Records 18[2]: 342 [3]: 251
1967
June 1939
Julius Caesar
Two LP records
Lexington (LE 7570/7575)
Reissue of Columbia Masterworks Records C-10[1]: 342
Commissioned in 1943 by the United States Army, officially dedicated to the Eighth Air Force A history of human flight narrated by Welles, who performed the same role at the work's acclaimed premiere April 1, 1946[22] Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic[1]: 343 [23][24] William Jonson conducting the Choral Art Society Andrea Velis, tenor Recorded at Philharmonic Hall, Lincoln Center[21]
Welles narrates the track "Defender" by Manowar. The song is a remake of the single version that was released in 1983 and where the narration was used originally.[32]
Welles narrates two tracks on the 1987 remixed version of The Alan Parsons Project album: specifically on "A Dream Within a Dream", and on the extended prelude of "The Fall of the House of Usher".[33]
Reissue of The Cradle Will Rock (Musicraft Records 18) Includes No for an Answer (1941), Dusty Sun (1946), The Airborne Symphony (1946, narrated by Robert Shaw)[35]
Reissue of Columbia Masterworks Records C-10 Includes Maurice Evans performing four scenes from Richard II (1937) and the "England" speeches from Richard II and Henry V (1941)[8]
2000
October 18, 1966
American Masters 2: Bernstein Century
CD
Sony Classics (SMK 61849)
Includes remastered reissue of The Airborne Symphony from Columbia Masterworks M34136[21]
2001
1944–45
Dramatic Readings
CD
Pearl (GEM 0109)
Reissue of In the American Tradition (Decca Records A-394), No Man Is an Island (Decca Records A-439) and The Song of Songs (Decca Records 29157)[37]
Montage of historic recordings related to the World War II liberation of Paris in August 1944, with narration by Welles and Emlen Etting[39][40][41]: 140 [42]
Recordings of United Nations highlights, from the founding conference in San Francisco to the Korean debate, including remarks by Welles and many others[1]: 341 [43][45]
Includes recording of one unspecified episode of The Shadow starring Welles Produced as a promotional disc for the Anaheim Savings and Loan Association[53][54]
Recording of The Mercury Theatre on the Air radio broadcast[1]: 343
1976
March 27, April 24, May 1, 8, 29, June 12, 1938
The Shadow
Three LP records
Murray Hill Records (894599)
Recording of six 1938 radio broadcasts starring Welles: "The White God", "Murder on Approval", "Aboard the Steamship Amazon", "The Creeper" "The Power of the Mind", "The Hypnotized Audience"[1]: 343 [62]
1977
June 5 & 19, 1938
The Shadow
LP record
Golden Age Records (GA 5001) Everest 5001
Recording of two 1938 radio broadcasts starring Welles: "The Tenor with the Broken Voice", "The Tomb of Terror"[1]: 343 [63]
1978
April 3 & 10, 1938
The Shadow
LP record
Golden Age Records (GA 5029) Everest 5029
Recording of two 1938 radio broadcasts starring Welles: "Death From the Deep", "The Firebug"[1]: 343 [64][65]
Recording of The Mercury Theatre on the Air radio broadcast[66]
1978
January 23 & 30, 1938
The Shadow: Volume Four
LP record
Mark 56 Records (771)
Recording of two radio episodes starring Welles: "The Society of the Living Dead", "The Poison Death" Customer gift from J. W. Harris Co., Inc.[67]
1978
June 21, 1946
Sorry, Wrong Number and The Hitch Hiker
LP record
Mark 56 Records (787)
Includes Welles's Suspense radio broadcast[68][69]
1979
October 24, 31, 1937; January 9, 16, 23, 30, February 6, March 6 & 13, 1938
More of The Shadow
Three LP records
Murray Hill Records (M 51212)
Recording of nine 1937–38 radio broadcasts starring Welles: "The Temple Bells of Neban", "The Three Ghosts", "The League of Terror", "Sabotage", "The Poison Death", "The Society of the Living Dead", "The Phantom Voice", "Bride of Death", "The Silent Avenger"[1]: 343 [70]
1979
June 2, 1939; April 17, 1945
Orson Welles and Helen Hayes at Their Best
Two LP records
Mark 56 Records (829)
Includes recording of "Victoria Regina" (The Campbell Playhouse) and "I Will Not Go Back" (This Is My Best)[1]: 343
1980
April 17, May 15, 22, August 21 & 28, 1938
The Shadow Anthology
Seventeen LP records
Murray Hill Records (S 55111)
Includes recordings of five 1938 radio episodes starring Welles: "The Blind Beggar Dies", "Murder in Wax", "The Message from the Hills", "Caverns of Death", "Death Under the Chapel"[1]: 343 Numbered limited edition collectors set[71]
The Orson Welles Show: "The Song of Solomon", "There's a Full Moon Tonight", "Noah Webster's Library" and poetry by Dorothy Parker, "Wilbur Brown, Habitat: Brooklyn","The Apple Tree", "My Little Boy"
Reading Out Loud: Welles reads and remarks on John Donne's "The Sun Rising" and "No Man Is an Island"
Theatre of the Imagination: The Mercury Company Remembers (1988), audio documentary written and produced by Frank Beacham and narrated by Leonard Maltin; participants include William Alland, Richard Barr, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Arlene Francis, John Houseman, Cliff Thorsness, Peggy Webber and Richard Wilson; also includes previously recorded interviews with Welles and Bernard Herrmann[77]
Complete motion picture soundtrack[1]: 343 [87] Winner, Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Recording[88] "This is not a new recording, but it includes the entire soundtrack — dialogue, sound effects, and music — just as it appears in the film. Though any soundtrack of a film is dependent on the visuals for narrative, the soundtrack of Citizen Kane succeeds by itself, no doubt because of Welles's and Herrmann's extensive background in producing radio dramas. … Garabadian's release of Citizen Kane's entire soundtrack (47 years after its premiere) is indicative of a changing trend in the release of music soundtracks. After record producers noticed that consumers would accept a compilation of excerpts as they appear in the film, there was less of a desire to record suites and other concert arrangements. Though suites are suitable for the concert hall, their contents reflect a necessary alteration of the original film score." (Robert Kosovsky)[89]: 224
Concert suite arrangements of film music cues written by Bernard Herrmann, who conducts the London Philharmonic Orchestra Includes "Welles Raises Kane" (1943), subtitled "A Divertissement of the Gay Nineties"[89]: 223 [94]
Conducted by LeRoy Holmes; orchestration by Paul Swain,[104] who transcribed much of the News on the March montage of various pieces of film music and re-orchestrated Herrmann's work to bring about an "easy-listening" recording of questionable merit[89]: 224
1978
1941
Citizen Kane
Two LP records
Mark 56 Records (810)
Complete motion picture soundtrack, including score, dialogue and sound effects; see detail in Film section[1]: 343
1991
1991
Citizen Kane: Original 1941 Motion Picture Score
CD
Preamble (PRCD 1788)
Performed by the Australian Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Tony Bremner, with Rosamund Illing, soprano[105][106]
1993
December 1–2, 1992
Bernard Herrmann Film Scores: From Citizen Kane to Taxi Driver
CD
Milan Entertainment (Milan 7313835643–2)
Performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Elmer Bernstein Includes "Citizen Kane Suite" — Prelude; The Inquirer (Polka); Finale; End Cast ("Oh Mr. Kane", arranged by Conrad Salinger)[107]
1994
June 1967
Welles Raises Kane / The Devil and Daniel Webster / Obsession
Includes CBS Music Library recording of the score (7:14) for the original radio play "The Hitch-Hiker" by Lucille Fletcher, first broadcast November 17, 1941, on The Orson Welles Show Hermann's score was subsequently used for Welles's presentations of the original radio play on Suspense (September 2, 1942), The Philip Morris Playhouse (October 16, 1942) and The Mercury Summer Theatre of the Air (June 21, 1946) The score has also been used on television programs including the 1960 adaptation "The Hitch-Hiker" for The Twilight Zone[116][117][118]
The Magnificent Ambersons
Release date
Original recording date
Title
Format
Label
Notes
1967
June 1967
Welles Raises Kane and The Devil and Daniel Webster
Concert suite arrangements of film music cues written by Bernard Herrmann, who conducts the London Philharmonic Orchestra Includes "Welles Raises Kane" (1943), subtitled "A Divertissement of the Gay Nineties"[94]
"Antimacassar" ("First Letter Scene" from The Magnificent Ambersons)
"Finale — Pursuit and Happiness" (from Citizen Kane)[89]: 223
1970
February 1970
Music from Great Film Classics
LP record
London Records (SP 44144) Decca Records (PFS 4213)
Includes the "Welles Raises Kane" suite, performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Bernard Herrmann Omits the fourth section, "Antimacassar", and misidentifies the work as simply "music from Citizen Kane[89]: 223 [97][98]
1973
June 1967
Welles Raises Kane and The Devil and Daniel Webster
The Magnificent Ambersons: Original 1942 Motion Picture Score
CD
Preamble (PRCD 1783)
Performed by the Australian Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Tony Bremner[119][120] Recording based on composer Bernard Herrmann's original full score, more than half of which was removed from the soundtrack when The Magnificent Ambersons was heavily edited by RKO; Herrmann threatened legal action and refused to be credited[121]
2006
July 3, 1949
Music from the Films of Orson Welles, Vol. 1
CD
él Records (ACMEM68CD)
Includes the complete "Welles Raises Kane" suite,[111] performed by the CBS Symphony Orchestra conducted by Herrmann and broadcast on CBS Radio[112][113]
Music from the soundtrack of Touch of Evil, composed by Henry Mancini, performed by the Universal-International Orchestra conducted by Joseph Gershenson[130]
^The Merchant of Venice. E. Sussex, England: Pearl (GEMS 0029), Pavilion Records Ltd. 1998. ISBN1899644229. OCLC44617179.
^Dramatic Readings. E. Sussex, England: Pearl (GEM 0109), Pavilion Records Ltd. 2001. ISBN1899644474. OCLC47963048.
^"Film Disc". Broadcasting, February 12, 1945, page 38. "Universal Pictures Co., New York has prepared a full half-hour transcribed dramatization of The Suspect, for placement on stations in conjunction with local openings of the film. Orson Welles takes the lead part played by Charles Laughton in the film. Disc was sponsored commercially on six New York stations Jan. 29 and Jan. 30—WEAF WJZ WMCA WNEW WOR WQXR. Records were cut by WOR Recording, New York. Agency is J. Walter Thompson Co., New York."
^"Citizen Kane". GRAMMY Search Database. Retrieved 2015-01-05.
^ abcdeKosovsky, Robert (Summer 1994). "Review: Citizen Kane by Bernard Herrmann; The Magnificent Ambersons by Bernard Herrmann". American Music. 12 (2). University of Illinois Press: 221–227. doi:10.2307/3052533. JSTOR3052533.