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

March, 1928 The Phonograph Monthly Review 209 taken at their apparent worth, this piece will soon be lifted from unrecorded ranks by the same conductor who lately recorded its companion work, Fountains of Rome , for the first time. Other works which have been called for or which might well be considered are: Scriabin's The Divine Poem (Gabrilowitsch in Philadelphia, January 6) ; Rachmaninoff's Third Piano Con- certo (played by Horowitz, latest pianistic sensa- tion, with the Philadelphia, New York, and St. Louis Symphonies) : Chabrier's Bourree Fan- tasque (Monteux—Philadelphia, February 3) ; Rimsky-Korsakow's Christmas Eve Suite (Soko- loff—Cleveland, December 22) ; Debussy's La Mer (Sokoloff — Cleveland, January 5); and Honegger's Pastorale d’ etc (Toscanini—N. Y. Philharmonic, January 26, etc.). The last two deserve priority. The path blazed by Paul Whiteman and other jazzical maestri has lured also Leo Reisman from the orthodoxy of conventional dance programs. The sacred rafters of Boston's Symphony Hall were disturbed on February 19 by his augmented orchestra of forty in a concert of “Rhythms," including Loeffler's specially-written Cloivns, Fer- dy Grofe's Mississippi Suite and Three Shades of Blue, Rube Bloom's Soliloquy (with the com- poser as soloist), in addition to the usual Blues, Fox Trots, and Tangos. Reisman's band has al- ways enjoyed a measure of fame; no less distinguished composers than Strawinski, Cas- ella, and Ravel have listened to it with pleasure. His dance records—Columbia—reveal many of Reisman's merits (he has developed one of the best string sections that can be heard today among jazz orchestras), but now that he is ven- turing on to wider fields, perhaps he may be given the opportunity to record his more am- bitious efforts. Their issue might well be of credit both to him and to. Columbia, certainly of interest to every lover of the “Lively Arts." At- tention might be drawn to the fact that Grofe's Mississippi Suite has been recorded, and effec- tively, by Whiteman, ^Victor 35859 (2), reviewed in last month's issue; also that Rube Bloom plays his Soliloquy as a piano solo on Okeh 40867. Strawinski's Ragtime was also to have been played by Reisman, but apparently was given up. It appears however on the stimulating pro- gram of Arthur Fiedler's Boston Sinfonietta in an “Evening of Modern Music" on February 29, together with Schonberg's Verkllirte Nacht, Hin- demith's Chamber Music No. 1, and Honegger's Concertino (Pauline Danforth, pianist). The Schonberg work (N. G. S.) was listed last month. I can find no release of Ragtime in its orchestral form, but Marcelle Meyer has made an excellent piano record of the piece, *H.M.V. D-1063 (1), coupled with Albeniz' Navarra. Miss Meyer is a pianist for modern music lovers to watch; this and her other H. M. V. record (*E-434, De Falla's Danse du meunier from the u Three Cornered Hat,” and Albeniz's Sous le Palmier) give prom- ise for more piano works of equal interest. The mention of Ragtime recalls the fact that Strawinski's works, outside of The Firebird and Petrouchka , are feebly represented in phono- graphic literature, especially in comparison with the concert repertory. How many record buyers know that Stokowski has made an acoustical rec- ord of his Fireworks (with Liadow's Dance of the Amazons on Victor 1112) ? Beyond this and the others noted I can find no trace of any other Strawinski records, although it seems absurd that there are not more. Le Sacre deserves first con- sideration, obviously, but many smaller works should be given attention. Harty played his Scherzo Fantastique (an early work) in Man- chester, January 19, and the two Suites for Small Orchestra (orchestrated versions of the Pieces faciles for piano four-hands) are in Stokowski's repertory. Moiseivitch plays some of the Etudes for piano in dazzling fashion; they are frequent- ly encored at his recitals, a good indication that recordings would find public favor. Several re- cording singers include his works on their con- cert programs—particularly the Japanese and u Cat” Songs, the latter with an accompaniment for three clarinets. The list could be extended: UHistoire d!un Soldat, Renard, The Song of the Nightingale, Les Noces, Octet, Symphony for Wind Instruments, Pieces for String Quartet, Piano Concerto, there is a wide variety of choice. Or if a “milder" work were desired, there is his Pulcinella, in which Strawinski's cloven hoof shows only occasionally through Pergolesi's charming tunes. Strawinski's latest work, the Opera-Oratorio Oedipus Rex, brought out last summer in Paris, was given its first American performance by Koussevitzky with the Boston Symphony and Harvard Glee Club on February 24. Miscellaneous orchestral listings follow in the usual manner. Starred works are electrically recorded; the number in parentheses following the order number denotes the number of record sides occupied by the recording. Wagner: Prelude to “Parsival.” Played by Herz—San Francisco, January 7. Recordings: *H. M. V. D-1025-6 (3) Coates and Sym- phony Orchestra; *Polydor 66478-9 (3) Schillings-Berlin, S.O.H.; ’•‘English Columbia L-1744-5 (3) Walter—Royal Philharmonic; Victor 6498-9 (3) Herz—San Francisco Sym- phony; Parlophone E-10183-4 (3) Morike—Berlin S.O.H.; H. M. V. D-171-2 (3) Herz—Berlin Philharmonic; Poly- dor 65958-9 (3) Wohllebe—Berlin Philharmonic. (The Coates version is a part of the H.M.V. Parsival album and probably will shortly be available here. The merits of Herz’s acoustical version deserve re-recording. The one-part Transformation Scene which occupied the fourth side of Bruno Walter’s electrical version was re- leased in this country in Columbia’s Wagner Album No. 1, but the Prelude itself has not yet been re-pressed here.) Wagner: Ride of the Valkyries. Played by Schneevoigt—Los Angeles, February 12; Hoffman—Boston Peoples, February 12; etc. Recordings: ’•‘Columbia 67374-D (2) von Hoesslin—Bay- reuth Festival Orchestra and Valkyries; *H. M. V. D-1088 (1) Coates—Symphony Orchestra; *Parlophone E 10528 (2) Siegfried Wagner—Berlin S. O. H.; Polydor 66123 (1) Schillings—Berlin S. O. H.; Columbia 7052-M (1) Milan Symphony. (There are many withdrawn versions some of consider- ably excellence, notably the old red Vocalion record by Papi and the Metropolitan Opera House Orchestra. The Bayreuth recording is the logical choice today; it has the vocal parts sung and is the regular operatic—not concert— (Continued on Page 212)