With the world in its present state it may not seem appropriate to refer to this as a disaster­area‚ and yet within its own scope and scale of reference that is how the series is beginning to appear. Its makers have inherited or been given access to a presumably complete and valuable collection of the great artist’s records in their original form. A complete edition is planned‚ and it is certainly needed. The presentation is attractive‚ with interesting and plentiful photographs‚ informative notes and clearly printed texts with English translations. But the sound at best is barely adequate and at worst distinctly poor by today’s standards. That was the impression gained from Volume 1‚ but‚ reviewing that‚ it seemed reasonable (5/01) to allow the benefit of a doubt. Now with Vol 3‚ where comparisons with other transfers are more readily available‚ the impression is confirmed. The sound quality on the voice (which is what matters) becomes all too frequently rough and edgy‚ and it fails to bring out the rich sonority which in those years it undoubtedly possessed. Moreover‚ the speeds and pitches are unreliable: for instance‚ Galitsky’s song in Prince Igor (the very first item) plays a semitone high‚ as do the arias from Lucrezia Borgia and Ernani. Some of the finest gems of Chaliapin’s art are here – the arias from The Demon‚ Pimen’s narration from Boris Godunov‚ and the song by Glazunov for instance. Some rarities from the first London session are included (more to follow). Small points: an obvious correction is the matrix number of ‘Do not weep‚ child’ (2495c)‚ and the unnamed soprano in ‘On the ocean of the air’ is Maria Kovalenko‚ described by Levik as an ‘excellent’ singer at the Maryinsky.