Phonograph Monthly Review, Vol. 3, No. 2 (1928-11)

November, 1928 The Phonograph Monthly Review 69 fortunately Mr. de Greef hammers out his part so ruthless- ly as to obscure hers. The recording is not too good, but de Greef’s harsh, forced tone puts it to a severe test. How- ever, in its revelation of a rather new side of Schubert and in its exposition of the ever-graceful and ever-welcome art of Miss Menges, the work deserves a niche in the Centen- nial record Hall of Fame. H. M. V. D-1441 (D12) Borodin: Quartet in D—Nocturne, played by the Budapest String Quartet. (Imported through The Gramophone Shop, New York City.) The profound seriousness of the Budapest Four’s playing seemed sometimes rather intractable in their set of the “Death and the Maiden” Quartet. Here, in this dark, elo- quent music of Borodin’s, their intensity finds a rightful place. A somber, glowing performance, and a very moving one. The recording is impeccable. A disk that should be given a place in the Victor catalogue. Columbia Masterworks Set 94 (7 DIOs, Alb., $7.00) Schu- bert: Sonatina in D, Op. 137, No. 1, played by -Albert Sam- mons (violin) and William Murdoch (piano) (six parts); and Schubert: Moments Musicaux, Op. 94, played by Ethel Leginska (piano solo) (eight parts). The sonatina is a joy to the heart and balm to the soul from beginning to end. Its composition, performance, and phonographic release were all positively inspired! Sam- mons and Murdoch play it not only so as to escape even the suspicion of carping criticism, but with a sense of exuberance and songfulness that makes one realize that they enjoy playing the work no less than we enjoy hear- ing Jt. The recording is excellent. A characteristic Schu- bertian composition, written in his sunniest and most genial mood. I can imagine no one failing to respond to its naive loveliness. Leginska does good service in making the complete set of Moments Musicaux available. As in the Impromptus she approaches her task a little ultra-cautiously, but she does not fail to give these miniatures their proper buoy- ancy and daintiness. The emotional range is surprisingly varied throughout the set; they are all no less interesting that the ever-popular No. 3 in F minor. The arrangement is as follows : Part 1. No. 1, Moderato, C. Parts 2 and 3. No. 2, Andante, A flat. Parts 4 and 5a. No. 4. Moderato, C sharp minor. Part 5b. No. 3, Allegro moderato, F minor. Part 6. No. 5, Allegro vivace, F minor. Parts 7 and 8. No. 6, Allegretto, A flat. It may seem like cavilling, when these disks are so well worth their cost, but one has difficulty in seeing why the difference in production expense should permit their sale at three shillings (72c) apiece in England, while it is neces- sary to charge $1.00 here. Columbia 50088-D (D12, $1.00) The Londonderry Air (arr. Frank Bridge), and Debussy: Quartet in G minor—Andante, played by the London String Quartet. Bridge’s Anglo-Celtic arabesques on the Londonderry Air are written with a nice feeling for string quartet idiom. I suppose the Debussy movement is cut as it takes two sides in the recordings of the entire quartet by the Virtuoso String Quartet for H. M. V. and by the Leners for English Columbia (the latter set has just been released). The Lon- don Four play with care and feeling. The violins in their upper registers tend a little toward thinness of tone, but otherwise the disk is pleasing tonally and musically,—a good record for those not quite ready to graduate into the class of those who buy and enjoy recordings of complete quartets. Band Brunswick 4007 (D10, 75c) Official West Point March, and West Point Football Songs, played by the United States Military Academy Band. Brunswick 4003 (D10, 75c) Thunderer March, and On Wisconsin, played by the United States Military Academy Band. Two fine band records by a new organization to records. The West Point band is one of the first rank and plays with abundant spirit tempered with a fine feeling for breadth and evenness of effect. The director, unnamed on the record labels, deserves more than mere word of praise. The recording is excellent. Of the two disks, that contain- ing the West Point pieces is perhaps the more interesting, but both are examples of first rate military band perform- ances, given with a gusto that is usually missing in the performances of professional organizations. Brunswick 57014 (D10, 75c) My Treasure, and Wedding of the Winds, played by the Municipal Band. Very stodgy, conventional waltz performances. Victor (International list) 35935 (D12, $1.25) Gomez: 11 Guarany—Overture, played by Creatore’s Band. Creatore makes a welcome return to the Victor foreign lists. This is a good performance, less brilliant than some of his best works, but admirably clear and rich in the pe- culiar color that his band alone attains on records. One might ask for a little-more sonority, but hardly for greater crispness of playing. The recording possesses splendid clarity. Victor (International list) 59018 (D12, $1.25) Weber: Con- certino for Clarinet, played by the Republican Guard Band. A very striking and noteworthy record, and an example of band playing which overshadows even the brilliant work of Creatore. Weber’s Clarinet Concertino possesses real musical significance and it exploits beautifully the varied possibilities of one of the loveliest of all wood wind in- struments. The soloist is unnamed on the label,—an inex- cusable omission, for he is not only a virtuoso of the first rank, but a musician of taste and sensibilities. The re- cording is very effective and throws the solo clarinet into admirable relief without destroying the balance of the entire ensemble. The accompaniment is no less meritous, and played so smoothly that one would think it by an or- chestra rather than a band. A record well off the beaten track and a very worthy addition to any library. Anyone studying instrumentation will find it of particular interest and value for it demonstrates perfectly the tone qualities of all registers of the clarinet and the various effects which are the stock in trade of the instrument’s technique. R.O.B. Popular Vocal and Instrumental The feature disk of the month is probably Brunswick 4033, whereon A1 Jolson sings the two bigs hits from “The Singing Fool”, the Vitaphone production which has been packing them in at New York. The recording is excellent; I doubt very much if the Vitaphone does as well in that re- spect, and There’s a Rainbow ’Round My Shoulder is a fine, springy tune, with Jolson whistling as well as singing. Sonny Boy, a lachrymose ballad with “choking, sobbing emotion behind every word of the father’s farewell lullaby to his little son who lies dying in the big, lonely hospital” is a little too much for those who cannot take their sentimentality straight. But Jolson fans will glory in its super-pathos—and bathos. Other Brunswick leaders are 4031, Adelaide Hall in tense and very hot versions of Baby and I Must Have That Man; 4041, accordion jazz by Galla-Rini; 4024. Wendell Hall in a new version of Polly Wolly Doodle; 4015, Allen McQtthae waxing very sentimental with Jeannine and Lonely Little Bluebird; 4008 and 4014, Harry Richman in fine versions of hits from the current Scandals in which he is starred (Frances Williams assists him in What D’ya Say?); 3968, Nick Lucas in Marcheta and I’m Waiting for Ships that Never Come In ; and 255, the Kanawha Singers doing well with Indiana and On the Banks of the Wabash. There is the usual imposing array of southern series re- leases, with special comment going to 288, Bascom Lunsford singing the old ballard of Derby’s Ram, and 254, the cur- rently popular bum songs given here by Francis Luther. For Vocalion I might mention 15715, Mary Williams in mat- ter-of-fact versions of Ready for the River and Wonderful;