Phonograph Monthly Review, Vol. 3, No. 3 (1928-12)

104 The Phonograph Monthly Review December, 1928 This is the last of the Columbia Company’s extensive list of Schubert chamber music releases. The work is short, unpretentibus, and for the composer remarkably terse. I. Allegro moderato (part 1 and a portion of part 2) II. Scherzo (part 2 b) III. Adagio (part 3) IV. Finale—Allegro (parts 4 and 5) Hark, Hark, the Lark! (part 6.) The Musical Art Quartet plays much as it did in the A minor Quartet: with seriousness, sincerity, and evident care. Here the care is perhaps a little less evident, but one still does not sense the perfect ease inseparable from the performance that can be called great. The string tone tends at times to thinness. It is a delightful quartet, how- ever, and played with understanding if not remarkable subtlety of insight. These records should give pleasure. Hark. Hark, the Lark! bears the arrangement for string quartet very gracefully. The label gives no credit to the arranger, but he deserves praise for his careful avoidance of elaboration. French Columbia D-13049-52 (4 DIOs) Honegger: Quartet for Two Violins, Viola, and Violoncello, played by the Krettly String Quartet. (Imported through The Gramo- phone Shop, New York City.) With the Polydor recording of Bartok’s Quartet, Op. 17, and the N. G. S. set of Malipiero’s Stornelli e Ballate, this work ranks among the most important contributions to recorded modern chamber music. It is far less significant than either of the other two, however. Honegger’s writes with great facility and nervous dynamic force, but in the end one feels that he has really said very little. This particular work has many of the characteristics of a motion picture film: there is a plethoria of furious action, leavened at the appropriate moments by tender passages, and a final “fade-out” of genial sentimental glow. It is all very neat, but one is left with very little solid nourishment. The recording is good, and the performance spirited. French Odeon 165243-5 (3 DIOs) Debussy: Sonata for Flute, Harp and Viola, played by Moise, Laskine, and Ginot. (Imported through The Gramophone Shop, New York City. Price, including special album, $4.50.) These three little disks constitute a notable addition to Debussy recordings. The Sonata is little known, and it deserves popularity, for it easily ranks with Debussy’s best chamber works. The performance is an able one on the part of all three artists, each of whom is obviously a skilled musician. The recording is likewise excellent, and deserves particular praise for its illuminating repro- duction of the flute tone, so often obscured or lost in transferrence to the recording wax. H. M. V. C-1388-90 (3 D12s) Grieg: Sonata in C minor for Violin and Piano, played by Marjorie Hayward and Una Bourne. (Imported through The Gramophone Shop, New York City. Price, including special album, $6.00.) This is a work of emphatically more interest than the ’cello sonata recorded some time ago by Columbia. And yet it is pleasing rather than impressive. There are several nice tunes, and one in the slow movement than is rather more than nice, but the actual content of the work is slight, sparkle though it may. The performance is lively but hardly remarkable. The recording is fairly good. One does not begrudge Grieg the recording attention given his works, but are there not works of other composers more deserving of the precedence? Light Orchestral Brunswick 4062 (D10, 75c) Herbert: Punchinello and Yes- terthoughts, played by the Miniature Concert Orchestra. Two little salon divertissements, one mildly gay, the other mildly pensive, played in competent fashion by an orchestra which makes a, specialty of this type of music. Columbia 50098-D (D12, $1.00) Silent Night, Holy Night, and Christmas Melodies—Noel; Adeste Fideles, played by Paul Whiteman and his orchestra. Hasty reassurance should be given that Whiteman does not attempt to jazz up these traditional Christmas favorites. However, one hardly imagines that lovers of these songs will prefer them in versions by Whiteman, or that admirers of Whiteman will prefer to hear him in these selections. The instrumental tone coloring gives the disk its only interest. Victor (International list) 81600 (D10, 75c) Bolzoni: Min- uet, and Toselli: Serenade, played by Marek Weber and his orchestra. Neat performances, calling for no special comment. Victor (International list) 59073 (D12, $1.25) Waltz Potpourri, played by Marek Webe r and his orchstra. This disk, however, does call for special comment and commendation. The potpourri makes use of most of the familiar waltz themes and is constructed and played with notable effectiveness. One of the best light orchestral waltz records available, and one that can be enjoyed by any record buyer whether he may lean to the classics or to jazz. Columbia 50096-D (D12, $1.00) Traviata—Selections, played by Dajos Bela and his orchestra. A Columbia pressing of Odeon 3220, reviewed in the April, 1928 issue. One of Dajos Bela’s more brilliant achievements. Odeon 2501 (D10, 75c) Dollar Princess, and Gypsy Love Waltzes, played by Dajos Bela and his orchestra. A good light orchestral coupling, but hardly in the same class as the Traviata selection. Columbia 1567-D (D10, 75c) Cavalleria Rusticana—Inter- mezzo, and Tales of Hoffmann—Barcarolle, played by Robert Hood Bowers and the Columbia Symphony Olr- Good straightforward performances. For a more mellow and colorful recording of the Intemezzo, the Fonotipia ver- sion is vastly to be preferred. However, this is a com- petent enough disk in its class. Instrumental PIANO Columbia 50091-D (D12, $1.00) Schubert-Friedman: Alt Wien, played by Ignaz Friedman. This is one of Friedman’s most successful releases and a delightful arrangement of some of Schubert dances played in direct and spirited fashion. A notable addition to pianistic Schubert literature. Victor 6857 (D12, $2.00) Rachmaninoff: Polka de W. R., and Tchaikowsky: Troika en traineaux, played by Sergei Rachmaninoff. Rachmaninoff re-plays one of his most popular records (Victor 6280) in a spirit of geniality and serenity that is rare for him. Is time mellowing the “Puritan of the Piano?” No one will regret the change I am sure. This is easily one of Rachmaninoff’s finest releases ,and one that will give a great deal of pleasure. VIOLIN Columbia 167-M (D10, 75c) Hubay: The Zephyr, and Scott: Tallahassee (After Sundown), played by Efrem Zimbalist, with piano accompaniment by Emanuel Bey. Zimbalists’ second Columbia release couples Hubay’s virtuosic Zephyr with a little tone picture of Scott’s (Cyril, I presume). The recording is extremely clear and the performances supple and spirited. An excellent “buy” at 75c. Victor 6844 (D12, $2.00) Kreisler: Tambourin Chinois, and Massenet: Thais- Meditation, played by Fritz Kreisler, with piano accompaniment by Carl Lamson. What really is there to say about Kreisler in twb such familiar pieces as these? The recording is excellent and Kreisler is Kreisler! I particularly like the broad even tone with which he plays the Meditation. VIOLONCELLO Columbia 169-M (D10, 75c) Faure: Berceuse, and Chopin: Largo (from the Sonata, Op. 65), played by Felix Salmond, with piano accompaniment. The arrangers are unspecified, as is the accompanist, but they perform their respective tasks commendably. The recording is extremely clear and effective, and Salmond’s performances are strong, full, and to the point. A felicitous choice of selections topped off by such manly, musicianlike playing, make this a splendid little disk, worth anyone’s hearing and purchase. Victor 1349 (D10, $1.50) Bach-Pollain: Musette, and Popper: Mazurka, Op. 11, No. 3, played by Pablo Casals, with piano accompaniment by Nicolai Mednikoff.