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

April, 1938 The Phonograph Monthly Review 271 Victor (March 16th List) 1301 (DIO, $1.50) I Know a Lovely Garden, and The Cuckoo, sung by Maria Jeritza. Jeritza seems quite unable to repeat her astonishing feat with A Little Nest of Heavenly Blue, in which slue dis- closed astonishing talents of quite another order from that to which one is accustomed from her. The Victorian songs here are somewhat enough in substance, and Jeritza’s cold and somewhat brazen way with them emphasizes their slightness. Victor (March 16th List) 6785 (D12, $2.00) Louise—Ber- ceuse, and Jongleur de Notre Dame—Legende de la Sauge, sung by Marcel Journet. Journet is in no less fine voice than in his excellent current releases, and the recording shows no lessened merit, yet this particular record, particularly the Berceuse, fails to be very convincing. Perhaps the secret is that Journet is lacking in the authority one naturally expects from him. Victor (March 16th List) Don Giovanni—Dalla sua pace, and II mio tesoro, sung by Tito Schipa. Don Giovanni has received due attention of late by the recording companies, but there can not be too many of its arias made available. This is a noteworthy coupling, with Schipa at his best. Recorded music owes much to him, and one is forcibly reminded of that fact in listening to this latest of his many fine releases. Last month his two re- cords marked a slight lapse from his usual standards of in- terest and excellence, so it is a double pleasure to find him again the admirable artist we know him to be. Victor (March 16th List) 1300 (D10, $1.50) Pirate Dreams, and At Parting, sung by Ernestine Schumann-Heink. From the standpoints of voice and recording this is easily the best of the recent Schumann-Heink releases. She sings the two popular classics with sympathy and without forced or exaggerated efforts, and those who like the pieces will like this record very much indeed. Victor (March 16th List) 8085 (D12, $2.00) Forza del Destino—Invano Alvaro ! and Le Minaccie, i fieri accenti, sung by Giovanni Martinelli and Giuseppe de Luca. A continuation of a splendid series of operatic duets. Singing accompaniment, and recording show no falling off in merit or power from the earlier releases. Victor (March 16th List) 1305, 1306, and 1307 (3 DIOs, $1.50 each) Annie Laurie and The Auld Scotch Sangs; None but a Lonely Heart and Who is Sylvia?; A Fairy Story by the Fire and Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal; sung by John McCormack. Three McCormack disks in one group demonstrate that he is not slackening his arduous duties of pleasing his pub- lic. Who is Sylvia? is done better than any of the others, but all are in his characteristic later (and hardly best) manner. 1307 will be of special appeal to children. Victor (March 16th List) 6789 (D12, $2.00) Wagner: Die Meistersinger—Sachs’ Monologue from Act II (“Was duftet doch de Flieder”), sung by Friedrich Schorr, accompanied by Leo Blech and the Berlin State Opera House Orchestra. While we wait expectantly for a complete recorded ver- sion of Die Meistersinger, the Victor Company continues to issue excerpts of an excellence which promise much for the inevitable album set. The unforgettable soliloquy of Sachs, musing over Walther and his song, is of a tender- ness and graciousness no less moving than the breadth and splendors of his later and more famous monologue, the sturdy apostrophe of German art. It is sung here with a quiet expansiveness that gives an actual and vivid reality to the scented Nuremburg air; one breaths deeply—both physically and spiritually—on hearing it. The Orchestra under Dr. Blech never threatens for a moment the serenity of the mood; the tonal qualities of both orchestra and soloist are as beautiful as they are perfectly balanced. I do not think any American or English conductor could have achieved a similar effect of unhastened “flow ,, ; there is a philosophic calm and gentleness here for which Wagner (and Blech) might well have gone to the Chinese poets. Different as it is in mood, this piece may stand worthily beside the recent record of choral excerpts, conducted also by Blech; the two disks serve well tp indicate a part of the range of genius which makes Die Meistersinger perhaps the greatest single musical work of all time. Victor (March 16th List) 6788 (D12, $2.00) Das Rhein- gold—Abendlichstrahlt der sonne auge, sung by Friedrich Schorr, accompanied by Leo Blech and the British State Opera House Orchestra and Rhinedaughters. A fine Rheingold finale on many counts, but by no means a masterpiece. Schorr, as is his wont, gets away to a rather weak start, but before the middle of the first side he is doing some magnificent singing. And at that he is surpassed by the orchestra, which achieves a velvety richness of tone that none of its previous records (for any company) has ever approached. The second side is less convincing, although the vocal parts are sung. I prefer the Columbia Bayreuth Rhinedaughters, and both Coates and von Hoesslin capture more of the dignity and grandeur of the Walhalla and Bridge music. An excellent work, nevertheless, and one to be welcomed. Schorr made several acoustical records for the Brunswick company, and a large number for Polydor; I believe that this is his first electrical release to come to the Studio. (One of his older works is of special interest in connection with the current Casals-Cortot records of Beethoven’s Variations on a Theme from “The Magic Flute.” On Polydor 65646 Schorr and Emmy Bettendorf sing the duet, La dove prende amor ricetto, which Beethoven takes as the subject of his Variations.) Victor (Italian List) 6770 (D12, $2.00) Un Ballo in Maschera—Ma dall’ arido stelo divulsa, and II Trovatore— Tacea la notte placida, sung by Hina Spani. Spani is a South American who has recently appeared very successfully with La Scala Opera House in Milan. This is her first American solo record; her duet with Zenatello from Otello was reviewed last month. Spani’s voice is light but of pure quality, and she uses it effectively, although not always with great assurance. The recording is good, but the orchestra (is it that of La Scala?) plays little better than competently. Columbia 2058-M (D10, $1.00) Tchaikowsky: Nur Wer die Sehnsucht kennt, and Wiegenlied, sung by Maria Kurenko. Two of Tchaikow r sky’s best songs sung in Russian by an artist who receives far greater justice here than in any of her recent records. Her voice profits well by the op- portunity and there need be no hesitation in recommending the disk. This version of Nur Wer die Sehnsucht kennt is emphatically preferable to the one above by McCormack Brunswick 50117 (D12, $1.00) Pagliacci—Prologue, and Masked Ball—Is It Thou?, sung by Heinrich Schlusnus. The great German baritone in his third American release. A record not to be overlooked. Schlusnus displays a ten- dency here to shout a little more than is necessary, but one can hardly blame him for wanting to let his magnificent voice out to the full. The orchestral accompaniments and recording deserve special praise. Columbia 2064-M (D10, $1.00) Faust—Serenade Mephis- topheles, and Veau d’Or, sung by Alexander Kipnis. Schlusnus, however, is not the only German who boasts a voice of overwhelming power. In fact, his current disk (fine as it is) is merely a warming up exercise to this one, at least as far as volume and energy are concerned. But this is something more than the loudest vocal record per- haps ever made: there is tremendous vigor in the Veau d’Or, and in the Serenade Kipnis’ arrogance and glee are diabolical with a vengeance. Could any one save possibly Chaliapin equal the fiendish laughter here? Surely this is a long step from the sanctified mood of his recent Good Friday Spell! This is the first solo disk from Kipnis for Columbia and it whets one’s appetite for more. Columbia 2062-M (D10, $1.00) Massenet: Elegie, and Verdi: Traviata—Addio del passato, sung by Maria Kurenko. With her other release this month, this marks the final achievement of successfully recording Kurenko’s voice, long an enigma for the recording directors. The Traviata air is a lovely one and it is fittingly sung. The ubiquitous Elegie is less satisfactory on all counts, but it should not deter one from hearing Kurenko at her best on the other side. Brunswick 10295 (D10, 75c) Dawn, and Just for Today, sung by Marie Morrisey. The composers’ names are not given on the label—an unimportant omission as both pieces are musical trifles. The recording is good; the singing well adapted to the nature of the songs.