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

4 The Phonograph Monthly Review October, 1928 tet, and a remarkable work by Malipiero, Storn- elli e Ballate, played by the Poltronieri String Quartet of Milan, both of which will be of the greatest interest to chamber music connoisseurs. From the H. Royer Smith Company of Phila- delphia we have received the following imported records: Dr. Karl Muck’s performance of Die Meistersinger Overture; Coppola’s records of Massenet’s Scenes Pittoresques; Schubert’s Wan- derer Fantasie for piano, played by Walter Reh- berg; Liszt’s Rhapsodie Espagnol and Sonetto del Petrarco No. 104, by the same pianist; and Beethoven’s Piano Sonata in E minor, played by Wilhelm Kempff. From the Gramophone Shop, New York City, we have received: Chopin’s Etudes, Op. 10, played by Bachaus; Franck’s Organ Chorale in A minor, played by Guy Weitz; Delius’ Brigg Fair by Toye and Walk to the Paradise Gardens by Beecham; Korngold’s Das Wunder der Heli- ane Prelude by Weissmann; excerpts from Krenek’s Jazz Opera, Jonny spielt auf; Dr. Muck’s Trauermarsch from Siegfried, and a Beecham disk coupling the third movement of Rimsky-Korsakow’s Antar with Borodin’s Prince Igor March. Further proof has come to hand in regard to my comments in the August issue on the impor- tation of records by American enthusiasts. Our British cousin, “The Gramophone,” devotes con- siderable space in its “Trade Winds” department to quoting the essence of my remarks. Our friend, the London Editor, willingly admits that there can be no doubt about the correctness of my views and he comments on the fact that to his personal knowledge one of the leading British exporters has clients in every country in the world but seven. However, he forget to mention that up to now when our present American move- ment has encouraged the three live firms, H. Royer Smith, The Gramophone Shop, and the New York Band Instrument Company to enter the importing field, America has undoubtedly ab- sorbed a large percentage of the large British export trade. However, the London Editor speaks of some “reservations,” to my views. I should be most grateful if these reservations were actu- ally specified, for I am anxious to look further into this interesting matter. I am confident I can prove that the present day phonograph move- ment in America is making its influence strong- ly felt over the entire world. Coming to the “Foreign” release lists of the various manufacturers we find the Victor sup- plement almost as rich in “finds” this month as last, although this time the emphasis is more on vocal works than orchestral. In the latter class there is the Gluck-Mottl Ballet Suite played by Dr. Blech, and Dukas’ Ariane and Blue Beard Preludes played by Coppola, with lighter works by the Hungarian Rhapsody and Marek Weber's Orchestras. There are many superlatively fine vocal disks, led by a record containing four of Schubert’s finest songs beautifully sung by Elisa- beth Schumann. (An Elena Gerhardt record of two Winterreise songs is also announced, but has not yet reached us for review.) Nina Koshetz repeats her excellent work of last month with an unusual aria from Borodin’s Prince Igor, and the Berceuse from Rimsky-Korsakow’s Sadko. There are two great La Scala records, one by Franci in two Ernani excerpts (conducted by Sabajno) and the other by Pertile in selections from Manon and Verdi’s little known Luisa Miller. Four Japanese releases by Yosie Fujiwara, the noted Japanese tenor deserve special comment, as does Elisabeth Rethberg’s first Victor release, Elsa’s Traum and Dich Teure Halle, sung with the Ber- lin State Opera Orchestra under Fritz Zweig. Fritz Gabsch sings Loew’s Tom der Reimer; the Republican Guard Band gives an impressive per- formance of La Marseillaise and Marche Lor- raine; Manuel Quiroga, a splendid Mexican violinist, plays two of his own compositions; and the Orquesta Tipica Fronteriza makes us ac- quainted with a very pleasant light overture, Campanone, by E. Mazza. There are also many novelties which lack of space forbids mentioning; of them, Schnitzelbank, a typically German comic song performance by the Benisch Eisenschiml Group, is perhaps the most interesting. In the Columbia Foreigns I should mention particularly two interesting orchestral disks by Peter Mullers Kapelle, playing Der lustige Kup- ferschmied, Die Tiroler Holzhacker Buab’n, Die Schmiede im Walde, and Die Muhle im Schwartz- wald. Also, Lullaby Waltz and In the Golden Autumn Time by the Columbia Band. Brunswick issues the International Concert Orchestra’s Caucasian Sketches disk in the for- eign as well as the domestic list. The Brunswick International Orchestra plays very pleasant ver- sions of Play Gypsies, Dance Gypsies and Amoureuse Waltz, and Aisha and Gypsy Love Waltz; Isa Kremer is represented as usual by some Jewish folksongs; and there is a character- istic example of Italian band playing in excerpts from L’Africana played by Salvatore Minichini and his Italian Royal Marine Band. I call my readers’ special attention to Mr. Har- rolds’ letter (in the Correspondence Column in this issue) giving a very interesting discussion of a new angle to today’s favorite subject of record price cuts. His letter presents a side of the case many readers have probably not consid- ered before. His emphasis is particularly valu- able on the fact that prices here and abroad should not be compared. Production both mechan- ically and artistically here is far more costly and I can testify to one element in this increased expense. One of our friends, a valued member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and a star play- er on his instrument, who was in England last year recording for one of the large British manu- facturers told me that he received only about one third of the American recording tariff. If Mr. Harrolds is correct, and later on we are going to miss the larger works that we have been favored with during the past two years, on ac- count of the companies not being able to produce such recordings at the lower sales price, then I am sure that at least 90% of our readers would be willing to pay any fair price the companies may find necessary to ask. Time alone will tell how this matter is going to turn out; it is too early to express an opinion yet.