Phonograph Monthly Review, Vol. 3, No. 1 (1928-10)

October, 1928 The Phonograph Monthly Review A very fine record is Bourdon's Stradella Over- ture, played by the Victor Symphony as you have never heard this work played before. Indeed a big seventy-five cents' worth! It is to be hoped that Mr. Bourdon will soon favor us with the Zampa Overture, for which we have had so many requests. The two instrumentals on the Victor list are also outstanding. Josef Lhevinne's per- formance of the Schultz-Evler Arabesques on the Blue Danube Waltz has been termed by Rach- maninoff one of the great feats of virtuoso piano playing; now it is available in a fine phono- graphic version as well as for the reproducing piano. Twelve-year-old Yehudi Menuhin's La Romanesca and Sierra Morena are even revela- tory to his powers than his first release. The boy is nothing short of a wonder. What a violin tone! The Victor vocal releases are led by Onegin’s coupling of the Arditi Bolero and Chopin's Im- promptu in A flat, followed by Crooks' smooth versions of Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life and The Song of Songs, McCormack in two of his old favorites, Love's Old Sweet Song and Kathleen Mavoureen, and Marion Talley in two sacred songs. The Metropolitan Opera series is con- tinued by a disk by Rosa Ponselle, Martinelli, and chorus in the Miserere from Trovatore, and Ponselle, Pinza, and chorus in La vergine degli angeli from La Forza del Destino. Unfortunately this record did not arrive with the rest in time for review in this issue, so mention of it will have to be deferred to next month. The Victor Opera Company continues its series of operatic gems, with a good record of excerpts from Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci, sung in English. The Columbia list is headed by two more not- able Schubert Sets, Masterworks 91 and 92, both examples of splendid music and musicianship. The former is the B flat Trio, played by Myra Hess, Yelly D'Aranyi, and Felix Salmond, who although they are handicapped by the fame of the memorable Casals-Cortot-Thibaud version issued by Victor over a year ago, make a brave attempt to equal it. It is hard to make any pref- erence, but the Columbia set is less expensive; it is easily the biggest six dollar's worth in chamber music recordings. Masterworks 92 is the G major piano sonata, Op. 78, played with superb sincerity and artistry by Leff Pouishnoff. The composition is one of Schubert's finest works for piano, and it is hard to imagine a more effective or admirable recorded version than this. The two leading orchestral disks on the Col- umbia list are uncommonly interesting. One is a complete Blue Danube Waltz by Weingartner and the Royal Philharmonic in a very artistic and beautiful performance; the other is Harty’s much heralded reading of Berlioz' Hungarian March, coupled with the Dance of the Sylphes. It, too, is to be unreservedly recommended. Both these works are twelve-inch, double-sided rec- ords, and are sold for only $1.00 apiece! The remaining orchestra work is by Dajos Bela, heard to his usual good advantage in an excerpt from The Dollar Princess. The vocal records contain some outstanding works, led by Elsa Alsen's fine performance of 3 w* Isolde's Liebestod, issued also in the new $1.00 class. Formichi is heard with Grace Holst in a Thais excerpt and with chorus in the Te Deum from Tosca, and Maria Kurenko sings familiar La Boheme and Madame Butterfly arias. The in- strumentals are all significant also, particularly Myra Hess' exquisite record of Ravel's Pavanne pour une Infante defunte, although both Blinder and Szigeti are excellent in their violin records. These three works are all ten-inch disks, issued at 75c apiece. Heading the Brunswick group is Schubert's Unfinished Symphony (not released until October 25th), another feather in the cap of Nikolai Soko- loff. He and the Cleveland Orchestra deserve un- restricted praise for producing such a wonder- ful performance of this somewhat hackneyed music. The leading vocal release is a very im- pressive coupling of duets by Chamlee and Bon- elli, heard in the Solo Profugo from Martha and Solenne in quest'ora from La Forza del Destino, a work no operatic fan will want to miss. Both this and the Cleveland Orchestra records are in the $1.00 a disk price class, of course, as are all Brunswick twelve-inch records. A word of spec- ial comment goes to Vincent Lopez for his strik- ing performance of Alexander's Ragtime Band and the Darktown Strutters’ Ball, played with a concert orchestra on a twelve-inch disk. Louis Katzman's smooth versions of “Was It a Dream?" and “Chloe" are also excellent. A fine 75c band record is that by the Official U. S. Military Acad- emy Band which indicates that the U. S. Marine Band may well look to its laurels if it wishes to retain its reputation as the finest U. S. Military Band. I don't quite like the two Caucausian Sketches played by the International Concert Or- chestra, as the orchestra is far too small to ade- quately depict those compositions. A record of Moussorgsky's Khovantchina Pre- lude and Schubert Marche Militaire played by Verbrugghen and the Minneapolis Symphony is announced by Brunswick for its October 11th re- lease. It has not yet reached the Studio, but it is being awaited with anticipation. The dance and popular releases of all three companies continue to increase in merit each month; the standard maintained this month is unusually high. Up to this writing as yet no Odeon or Okeh releases have arrived. We are assured that they are on the way, and if they come in on time they will be found mentioned under “Too Late for Classification." Several subscribers have writ- ten in complaining over the omission of Okeh re- views, but we must state again that we cannot be held responsible and that we have done every- thing within our power to get the works in time. There have been a few changes in the personnel of the Okeh Corporation which may be the cause for the delay. Surely by next month everything will be running smoothly and our readers may again enjoy the reviews of the excellent Okeh and Odeon releases. From the National Gramophonic Society we have received two more additions to their library of chamber music works, the Brahms String Sex- tet played by the augmented Spencer Dyke Quar-