Phonograph Monthly Review, Vol. 2, No. 7 (1928-04)

The Phonograph Monthly Review 267 April, 1928 * 3 (1 - - — fully worthy of the cast’s separate and collective fame, and the conducting of the authority guaranteed by the names of Coates and Blech, I shall not waste space on emphasiz- ing such general merits, particularly as a brief but detailed analysis of the individual records will be of greater in- terest to most collectors. (Page references are made to the Schirmer vocal score in the Klindworth arrangement.) Part 1 begins with the Prelude and goes through the entrance of Siegmund, stopping just at the appearance of Sieglinde. Note the ferocity of the drum rolls on page 4 and the admirable slackening of the storm to the weari- ness of the music accompanying Siegmund’s entrance and collapse. The following scenes with Sieglinde and Hunding are omitted, but Part 2 resumes with the beginning of the Third Scene, page 37, and continues uninterruptedly until the end of the act. Siegmund’s soliloquy is fine, but Coates takes first honors, particularly with the orchestral depic- tion of the shadows drawing in as Siegmund composes himself for sleep. With Part 3 Sieglinde enters; Siegmund’s up-rising passion is effective, as is Ljunberg’s restraint, to set off more vividly her gradually worked up excitement in the following disks. Towards the end of this part there is less praiseworthy balance and clarity; Ljunberg’s low notes have a tendency throughout to drop out of hearing and the orchestra here might have been kinder to her if slightly more subdued. Part 4 brings the magnificent passage as the door springs open and the spring night enters the hut. The recording here, with the prominent harp part to deal with, is splen- did. Widdop begins the Spring Song very cautiously; there is considerable clarity in the performance (although distinct attention is required to separate the clarinet obli- gato from the rest of the accompaniment), but not much beauty of tone. As he lets himself go a bit he becomes bet- ter and the Love Duet (Parts 5 and 6) is extremely good. Ljunberg is slightly dwarfed by Widdop vocally, but her act- ing puts, even his merits to shame; it is rather a pity this whole section was not proportioned to her voice instead of to Widdop’s (the only criticism which can be made of Lawrence Collingwood, the conductor of this section only.) The action works up steadily to the climax of the lovers’ flight (Part 7) and the act ends with a furious rush that admittedly blurs the orchestral performance, but which is so intensely dramatic as to be literally breath-taking. These last parts are unsurpased throughout the opera for the vividness and reality with which they are projected. Ljun- berg in particular has a miraculous gift of making herself almost visible! Some of her best singing is done later, but neither she nor any of the others succeeds any place so effectively in infusing a breath of dramatic and dynamic life into a part comparable with the passion which in- flames Sieglinde here. The purely gratuitous shriek ac- companying Widdop’s high A on the words “Walsungen Blut” is perhaps going a little to excess, however. This peculiar “hoot” has been attributed variously to a defect in the recording, an acoustical freak, and what not, but judg- ing from one’s ears and from Ljunberg’s gusto in shrieking where the score demands it, she surely must be held re- sponsible here. Part 8 begins the Second Act and immediately in the Prelude Dr. Blech’s more leisurely reading contrasts with Coates’ dynamic intensity. Throughout, the Berlin or- chestra is perhaps a shade more mellow, but its intonation and steadiness, notably in the quieter brass passages, are by no means as impeccable. The part ends with Briinn- hilde’s disappearance andthe following scene between Wotan and Fricka is cut. Part 9 resumes with the Immer belebter on page 109 and contains an “edited” version of the Wotan-Brunnhilde scene, in which a number of excisions are made, ending with the stormy orchestral passage follow- ing Wotan’s departure in rage superbly depicted by Schorr, whose acting at that is hardly up to his voice! Leider does less well. As far as natural gifts go, she outshines Austral (who takes the role in the latter scenes of his act), but her tendency to slipshod singing contrasts unfortunately with Austraf’s sincerity and carefully finished performance. Part II begins with the Third Scene (after a cut of a page between this and the previous side) and Part 12 fin- ishes the scene all but a few bars, an omission which hardly seemed necessary and which is the only flaw on one of the high points of the work. Ljunberg is at her very best and Widdop quite surpasses himself in playing up to her. The orchestra too is at its best; Coates’ versatility and flexibility were never better shown than in his reading of this scene, whose mingled fatigue, passion, and despair are outlined in the instrumental commentary on the action no less sharply and surely than by the singers themselves. Part 13 begins the Fourth Scene with Austral for Briinn- hilde, and an excellent one. The timpani are again re- markably realistic, but everything is taken far too loudly; Austral suffers the least, even her low notes escape the overwhelming tide of the orchestra. In Part 14 several cuts are made, but from Part 15 to the end of the act the score is strictly adhered to. The orchestral interlude ac- companying Brimnhilde’s departure is excellent and Parts 16 (beginning with the Fifth Scene) and 17 (beginning with a repetition of a few measures of the storm music preceed- ing Hunding’s challenge to combat) are fine throughout. The earlier pages achieve unusual emotional beauty and the latter ones give the struggle and its abrupt conclusion a dramatic realism that is seldom equalled by actual per- formances. Coates deserves the major credit for making these pages in actuality (as they are in conception) of greater artistic stature than any others in the entire opera. Less obvious in their appeal than many of the other peaks in the Ring, the pages preceding the departure of Si’egmund to meet his inevitable death are fraught with a twisted tenderness that touches home to the hearer when even the opulence and passion of other scenes command only the admiration of the mind. Part 18 and 19 contain the Ride of the Valkyries, ending with the appearance of Briinnhilde. After a cut of some thirteen pages, Part 20 resumes with Sieglinde’s plea for rescue. Dr. Blech takes the Ride at a lively clip indeed, but it is hardly as exciting as von Hoesslin’s Columbia version in last month’s Bayreuth album, although perhaps if one had not heard that performance, one would be fully satisfied with this. The Valkyries have good voices and do their solo passages pleasantly enough, but in ensemble throughout these and Parts 21 and 22 they are not impres- sive. There are some slight cuts in Part 21, and another between Part 22 (which ends with the departure of the Valkyries) and Part 23 (which begins with the third scene). With the music of Briinnhilde’s pleading, Dr. Blech and his orchestra begin to show what they really can do; Schorr is splendid—as always—and Leider now puts her heart and real genius into her singing. These pages come very close to equalling the best moments of the earlier records. There is another slight cut between Parts 23 and 24, but from the beginning of the later (page 281, second line, second bar) the music is quite complete to the end of the opera. The fire music is introduced with remarkable effectiveness. Parts 25 to 28 comprise the Farewell and Fire Music with Schorr carrying off the honors of the day, for Blech and the orchestra hardly show to as good advantage; the finale itself, despite the clarity with which the various parts come out, is by no means as fine as the Coates orchestral ver- sion issued on a single disk over a year ago. Kipnis has done a version of the Farewell which is of the highest rank, but comparisons between him and Schorr are un- necessary, even although neither singer needs to fear them. It is but natural that a recorded set of this extent would have both high and low spots; the noteworthy thing is that there are so many of the first and so few of the latter. And even in estimating these, personal prejudices come into the matter again : I notice that in England many writers have hailed the Ride and the Fire Music, which seem to me less wholly convincing than other parts, as the sensational fea- tures of the work. But there can be no question that the set as a whole is both a representative and adequate Walkure, and in addition, a recorded work of immense pro- portions and a multitude of merits, worthy the purchase of every record collector. A special word of praise should be given to the record- ing directors who “took” the disks for their adroitness in capturing a maximum of realism without crossing the border line which separated them from untra-brilliance, They hover on its edge several times, and occasionally one wishes that the volume of the orchestra were modulated to that of the soloists, instead of the singers’ being forced to make themselves heard above the accompaniment. But the general effect is both impressive and well proportioned; few opera house performances fare as well.