Phonograph Monthly Review, Vol. 2, No. 4 (1928-01)

January, 1928 The Phonograph Monthly Review 125 Just as we go to press with this issue, a large part of the annual New Year’s special Victor re- lease has arrived at the Studio. A special ad- vance holiday was declared in the Studio at once when the box revealed such surprises as Res- pighi’s Fountains of Rome by Coates and the Lon- don Symphony Orchestra (two records), the Am- erican re-pressings of Franck’s Symphonic Vari- ations and the Love of the Three Oranges ex- cerpts reviewed from the H.M.V. disks elsewhere in this issue, Mozart’s violin concerto in E flat by Thibaud and a symphony orchestra under Mal- colm Sargent (three records), Coates’ Oberon Overture formerly available in sets for the “Auto- matic” Victor instruments, and his French H. M. V. version of Ravel’s La Valse; another record by the Philadelphia String Sinfonietta (Grieg’s Herzwunden and Bossi’s Burleska), a Messiah record by the Royal Albert Hall Chorus, Ferdie Grofe’s Mississippi Suite by Whiteman’s Concert Orchestra, and a Bach Prelude and Fugue in C major by Harold Samuels. Among the vocal rec- ords are releases by Dame Nellie Melba (Szulc’s Clair de Lune and Burleigh’s Swing Low Sweet Chariot) , Marcel Journet (Don Giovanni—Lepor- ello’s Aria), Dusolina Giannini, Louise Homer, John McCormack, Reinald de Gogorza, Clarence Whitehill, Sir Harry Lauder, and Homer Rhode- heaver. There is also a piano record by Rach- maninoff (Paderewski’s Minuet and the popular E flat Nocturne of Chopin), an organ record by Charles R. Cronham (Berceuse from Jocelyn and Meditation from “Thais”), and the Victor Salon Orchestra under Shilkret playing Japanese Sun- set and Mystery of the Night. There was no time for the works to be re- viewed in this issue, but the complete details will be given next month. Meanwhile, first impres- sions of the records heard are extremely favor- able. The Fountains of Rome is a notable ad- dition to recorded music, especially in a perform- ance every bit worthy of Coates, and should win as many converts on records as it has done in the concert hall where its popularity has been eclipsed only by the same composer’s more sen- sational, but less poetic, Pines of Rome. The Thibaud Mozart concerto adds another great con- certo to the large recorded literature and the Grofe-Whiteman work—played and recorded in superlatively fine fashion—swells the lists of re- corded American music. Perhaps most deserving of praise, however, is the remarkable promptness of the Victor Company in making such English works as those by Franck and Prokofieff avail- able in this country in the following month, and in bringing out those by Respighi and Mozart even before they have been released abroad. In- deed it is hard to find sufficient words of praise for the Victor Company in bringing out these remarkable recordings (and there are several more in this New Year’s release still to reach us!). I am glad to be able to express my hearti- est appreciation of the kind and helpful co-opera- tion of the Victor officials in this instance as in so many previous ones. The records were sent to us in advance in time for mention here and at the same time notification was received from the Educational Department that the List No. 4 was on its way to us, the three major orchestral works having been sent some time before. Such co-operation (and of course it is matched by that of the other recording companies) more than atones for many of the less pleasant features of magazine publication! The publication date of this issue has been ad- vanced in order that most of its readers may have it by Christmas time. With it goes the best holiday wishes of the entire Staff and a renewed expression of appreciation for the interest and co-operation of all our subscribers, contributors, manufacturing company officials, and friends. For all of them The Phonograph Monthly Re- view wishes a merry, happy, and phonographic Christmas and New Year! Stokowski versus Weimgartner By DR. K. E. BRITZIUS A splendid performance! A poor performance! He conducted too fast! He played it too slow! To attempt to reconcile most after-concert remarks would be difficult work for the reason that the correct reading, the “right” interpretation, is usually a personal thing and at best a nebulous and changing ideal. There are as many readings as there are good conductors. Furthermore each listener accepts or rejects these many perform- ances according to his own knowledge or his emo- tional response. Yet some common working basis as to what is right must be found if two conduc- tors are to be successfully compared and con- trasted. When a composition by a little known com- poser is heard for the first time, that first per- formance is likely to be accepted as the correct one. Further hearings of this reading merely confirm its “rightness” and a different interpreta- tion will then annoy and be called distorted. Of course this first reading may eventually become commonplace, then a new reading—by polishing