Phonograph Monthly Review, Vol. 2, No. 6 (1928-03)

March, 1928 The Phonograph Monthly Review 207 Nor are the Mozart and Handel works less worthy of recording or less certain of finding a warm welcome from record buyers. For the benefit of those who had the pleasure of hearing Beecham in person or by radio during his present tour, and who are unfamiliar with his existing recordings, I append a list of his works. These are all issued by Columbia; the disks in the “L” series are available in the Eng- lish Columbia pressings only. Except for The Messiah set, Beecham conducts the London Sym- phony in his electrical records and the Beecham Symphony in his old process releases. I. ELECTRICAL Beethoven: Symphony No. 2 (8) Columbia Masterworks Set 45. Borodin : Prince Igor—Dance No. 17—Polovstian Dances (3) Columbia 7138-9-M. Mozart: Magic Flute—Overture (2) Columbia 7123-M (replacing an acoustical version). Handel: The Messiah (36) English Columbia L-2018-35 (in two volumes). Mendelssohn: Midsummer Night’s Dream—Scherzo (1) English Columbia L-1812 (on the fourth side of the English disks of the Prince Igor Dances). II. ACOUSTICAL Mozart: Marriage of Figaro—Overture (1) Columbia 7093-M (on the sixth side of the Coates records of Scriabin’s Poem of Ecstacy). Tchaikowsky: Symphonie Pathetique—Second Movement (1), and Third Movement (1) Columbia 7095-M. Borodin: Prince Igor—March (1) English Columbia L-1011. Rimsky-Korsakow: Antar—Third Movement (1) English Columbia L-1011. Massenet: Manon—Minuet (1) English Columbia L-1020. Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier—Waltz (1) English Columbia L-1020. Strawinski: The Firebird Suite (2) English Columbia L-1040. Berlioz: Roman Carnival Overture (1), and Hungarian March (1) English Columbia L-1105. Mozart: Figaro—Sarabande, and Lulli: Minuet (1) English Columbia L-1227. Bizet: The Fair Maid of Perth—Minuet (1) English Columbia L-1227. Debussy: Petite Suite—En Bateau and Ballet (1) English Columbia L-1248. It can hardly be claimed that the nervous en- ergy, close to ecstacy, of Beecham’s concert per- formances is captured in his records, a fault which may more justly be laid at his own door than at that of the recording directors. Beecham professes a disdain of the phonograph and ap- parently has made no effort to study its problems in the way that leading recording conductors have done in working out the transference of their distinctive qualities onto the wax disks. But in spite of himself, something of the real Beecham creeps into his releases, and particular- ly the lusty performance of Beethoven’s Second Symphony . It is to be especially recommended, although the other electrical works are all good; no doubt the new Messiah set—probably avail- able here before long—is unusually fine. One will watch for his future releases with anticipation, hoping for recorded versions of the works he has played in such brilliant or moving fashion at his American concerts. Another virtuoso from abroad has been titil- lating the jaded appreciatory senses of American concert goers, Andres Segovia, who has done the seemingly impossible in establishing the guitar as a musical medium of the highest aesthetic rank. I note two records issued by him, one that came out last spring in England from H. M. V., and another released this month in the Victor Foreign list. All four pieces recorded appear on his concert program given in New York, Bos- ton and other Eastern centers. Bach: Courante *Victor (Spanish list) 1298 (1); Bach: Gavotte *H.M.V. D-1225 (1); Sor: Theme Varie *H.M.V. D-1225 (1) ; and Torroba: Sonatina in A Major * Victor 1298 (1). (The Torroba Sonatina , dedicated to Segovia, is listed on his programs as being in three movements. Of what does the recorded portion consist?) Continuing the custom of mentioning each month one singer who has appeared as soloist at a symphony concert in a work he has previously recorded, we have Tito Schipa providing a par- ticularly fine example. Appearing with the St. Louis Symphony (under Molinari, Guest Conduc- tor) on February 3, Schipa sang u Una furtiva lagrina” from Donizetti’s E’Elisir d y Amove, and “Le Reve" from Massenet’s Manon, both of which he has recorded electrically for Victor, the former on 6570, and the latter on 1183. There are al- most innumerable records by other artists of these popular arias, but a recent one by Hackett (Columbia 9034-M) deserves note for coupling the two on sides of the single release. The American re-pressings of some of the rec- ords of Heinrich Schlusnus, prophesied in con- nection with his current concert tour, material- ize in the release of two Brunswick twelve-inch disks (70000 and 70004) Tannhduser —Evening Star, and Wolfram's Eulogy of Love; Faust — Valentine's Prayer, and Manon — Berceuse; all of which are re-makes of acoustical works in the old Polydor catalogue. At a recent concert of the London Symphony Orchestra under Albert Coates, Gota Ljunberg and Walter Widdop sang the Sieglinde-Siegmund duet from Act II of Die Walkiire, which they have recorded under the same conductor in the new H. M. V. Die Walkiire album set (perhaps sooh available from Victor in this country.) They al- so sang the Love Duet from the Second Act of Tristan, recorded acoustically (H.M.V. D-736-7) by Florence Austral and Tudor Davies, under the direction of Coates. Before getting back to current orchestral works, I should list three works omitted in ear- lier issues. Berlioz’ Cellini was mentioned as recorded last month, but the details were not given. Reger’s Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Mozart and Strauss’ Burlesque have been in- cluded in the “unrecorded” classification; incor- rectly, as a chance glance through several cata- logues revealed. Berlioz: Overture—Benvenuto Cellini. Recording: Polydor 66074-5 (3) Bruno Walter and the Berlin S. O. H. (This has not been heard at the Studio. It was one of the later acoustical releases from Polydor,* a-good guaran- tee of its mechanical excellence—old standards.) Reger: Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Mozart. Played by: Busch: N. Y. Symphony, December 29; Schneevoigt—Los Angeles, February 16.