Phonograph Monthly Review, Vol. 1, No. 5 (1927-02)

The Phonograph Monthly Review 229 “Concert” box. This of course means renewed tests and comparisons and we must ask again our readers who have signified in their letters their anxiety to read the results of our experi- ments to have patience a little longer. Under no circumstances can we publish premature or has- tily considered findings on a subject of such vital importance. As an illustration of the fairness and broad- mindedness of manufacturers today, we wish to quote from the Jewell Company's letter: “We hope you will give our reproducers a thorough trial and let us have your ‘honest-to-goodness’ opinion as to their merits.” From Doctor Walter Damrosch we received a most cordial letter of thanks for the article on the New York Symphony Orchestra in last month's issue. In his own inimitable manner the Doctor said that he was still young enough to like to have nice things said about his work. We were grateful for the opportunity of saying a few of the nice things his long years of service so richly warrant. We hope to hear more recordings made under his direction soon, for with him, we con- sider his recent resignation from the conductor- ship of the New York Symphony not a tomb- stone, but a milestone! May he have many more years for his splendid work! Studying the number of foreign 1927 cata- logues that have arrived at the Studio, I am more than ever convinced that the manufacturing com- panies abroad list fully as much, if not more, so-called “Popular Music” in their catalogues than the American companies do today. Look- ing over these 1927 lists, even the most discrim- inative record buyer cannot fail to note that al- most every one of their notable recordings is now available also in American catalogues, either in different versions or as re-pressings obtained through the exchange agreements existing be- tween affiliated companies. In most cases of dif- ferent versions, the superiority is easily ours. The additions to the Studio Library of nearly every important recording released bear a most vivid and unanswerable testimony to the claim that the American manufacturing companies can more than “hold their own” witJi any of the others. Axel B. Johnson. COLUMBIA 67221-2 Wagner: Overture to Tannhauser 2 D12s. Price, $1.50 each. Played by the Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam, conducted by Willem Mengelberg. Here at last we have a Tannhauser Overture which is not sheer bombast on one hand or unbridled passion on the other. The greatest interpretations are those which have been carefully thought out in advance, when all details are studied and made to fit into their proper places in the picture. What we have had before this have been broad strokes of the brush. Mengelberg has the imagination and the con- ception for these broad strokes, but he also has the musician- ship and intellect and painstaking care that amounts to genius to etch in the smaller details so that the work pre- serves its proper balance. The proof of this statement lies in the tempo chosen for the opening section. In spite of the marvellous mystery in these opening chords, one becomes irked with the dragging tempo. The first feeling of the hearer familiar with the work is one of rebellion. But as the playing continues, the irksomeness disappears and in its place there succeeds a feeling of the fitness of things. Here is the real “Tannhauser,” the very Wagnerian music drama itself in miniature. Mengelberg does not only feel every phrase, every rhyth- mic and melodic figure, himself,—he succeeds in communi- cating every shade of his feeling to the listener. On hearing the recording for the third or fourth time, after having also listened to other versions, one becomes fully conscious of the debt that is owed to Mengelberg. The Tannhauser music, so hackneyed by the indiscriminate “pawing over” of second- rate musical minds in so-called popular concert-hall programs,, here takes on a new and beautiful familiarity. As some one wisely said on hearing this interpretation, “One doesn’t know the Tannhauser Overture until he has heard Mengelberg!” The recording itself of this work may be a little uneven in places, but one’s attention immediately returns to the enchanting tonal beauties of the orchestra and to the exquisite shading and phrasing of the conductor and one forgets the mechanical side entirely. The many admirers of Wagner’s great overture can hardly afford to be without this interpretation, no matter what recorded version they may already possess. I can safely advise them that this recording throws an entirely new light on their favorite work and reveals many beauties unnoticed before, as well as being, of course, a worthy addition to any record library. A. B. J. VICTOR 6615-7 Tchaikowsky: Nutcracker Suite, Red Seal 3—D12s. Price, $2.00 each. Played by the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Leopold Stokowski. Part 1, Overture Miniature; Marche. Part 2, Danse de la Fee Dragee; Trepak. Part 3, Danse Arabe. Part 4, Danse Chinoise; Danse des Mirlitons. Parts 5 and 6, Valse des Fleurs. Tchaikowsky’s familiar ballet-music, the “Casse-Noisette”' suite, long a favorite work from which to select recorded extracts, has at last been recorded entire in a most brilliant fashion by Dr. Stokowski and the Philadel- phians. As a feat of recording it is far from incon- siderable; the overture, Danse de la Fee Dragee, Trepak, and Valse des Fleurs, in particular, reproduce the orchestra with remarkable color and power. One notes with unusual delight that the kettle drums, so often neglected in Stokowski’s re- cordings, here get at least a chance to reveal themselves. The music of course is ballet-music and it is of a type that is attractive to large numbers of people, while at the same time it is characterized by no small value of musical work- manship. The use of these records today for demonstration purposes will have the most beneficial effect in building up larger and larger groups of non-musical people who are interested in orchestral music. The educational work that Dr. Stokowski is doing with such works as the Nutcracker Suite, the New World Symphony, etc., is having a splendid influence. It is in large part due to his recordings that orchestral music is having the widespread appeal to American record buyers it is coming to have today. Of course, it is hardly necessary to add that this version of the Nutcracker easily surpasses all previous ones. For those unable to buy the whole set, I might suggest that the first record be chosen if but one is desired. It contains the de- lightful little Overture Miniature, the Marche, the ever- popular Dance of the Sugar Fairy with its felicitous use of the celesta, and the pounding Trepak. A real bargain in orchestral music even at the Red Seal price, and a record whose effectiveness and brilliance enable it to hold its own anywhere. VICTOR Tchaikowsky: 1812 Overture and Waltz from Eugen Onegin. 2 D12s. Price, $1.50 each. Played by the Royal Convent Garden Opera Orchestra, conducted by Eugene Goossens. On the very heels of Sir Henry Wood’s Columbia complete version of the 1812 with its almost infernal din of bells, comes this three-part version by Mr. Goossens with the Eugen Onegin Waltz on the odd side. One begins to listen to these records with a feeling of, “What, another 1812!” but curiously enough Mr. Goossens is soon discovered to