Phonograph Monthly Review, Vol. 3, No. 4 (1929-01)

January, 1929 The Phonograph Monthly Review 111 cords from both the H. Royer Smith Company of Philadelphia and The Gramophone Shop of New York City. A shipment from the New York Band Instrument Company is on its way to us as this is being written. From the Royer Smith Company we received Polydor records of Beetho- ven’s Missa Solemnis and Fourth Symphony, Brahms’ String Quartet, Op. 51 and Mozart’s Quartet No. 21 in D major (played by the Bux- baum Quartet) and a large number of Polydor and French Columbia instrumental and vocal solo disks. From The Gramophone Shop we received Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony conducted by Franz Schalk, Harty’s Rosamunde album, the Maid of the Mill cycle sung by Hans Duhan, L’Arlesienne Suite conducted by Chagnon, a sec- ond Pelleas et Melisande album, and many French Columbia and French Odeon instrumental and vocal solo disks. Some of these imported works are reviewed in this issue and some of the others will be reviewed later. One of the features of the year’s releases is al- ways the Victor special New Year’s list, which will appear this year on January 11th. This remarkable list of long-awaited re-pressings from the affiliated Victor companies is printed in full following the foreign reviews in this issue. The current British lists are unusually rich in significant and novel works. The English Columbia Company leads with many arresting releases: a complete Tristan and Isolde in three volumes, nineteen records, recorded at the Bay- reuth Festival last summer, Karl Elmendorf, con- ductor; Tchaikowsky’s Fifth Symphony played by Mengelberg and his Amsterdam Concert- gebuow Orchestra; Strawinski’s Petrouchka Suite conducted by the composer (his first ap- pearance on records) ; six Chopin Nocturnes played by Leopold Godowsky with an introduc- tory lecture disk by Ernest Newman; a ten- record album of Cavalleria Rusticana sung in English by principals and orchestra of the Bri- tish National Opera Company, conducted by Aylmer Buesst; Liszt’s First Hungarian Rhap- sody played by Ernst Donnanyi and the Budapest Philharmonic; Glazounow’s Stenka Razine played by Dufauw and the Brussels Royal Conservatory Orchestra; a Midsummer Night’s Dream album with the Overture played by Sir Henry Wood and the Scherzo by Mengelberg; the William Tell Overture played by Sir Henry Wood; and a two- part Carmen Entr’acte played by the Garde Republicaine Band. Other instrumental works are a violin record by Szigeti of Milhaud’s Tijuca (from the Saudades do Brazil), a viola record by Tertis of Beethoven’s Variations, Op. 66, and Erik Coates’ Three Bears Suite, conducted by the composer. There are vocal disks by Licette and Noble (Mozart arias in English), Borgioli and Vanelli (arias from La Boheme), Lomanto (Rigoletto arias), Dame Clara Butt (Were You There? and The Fold), and Stabile (Figaro arias.) Damrosch’s Mother Goose Suite and True’s recording of the Carnival of the Animals are given British release for the first time. The H. M. V. list has several American works, notably Stokowski’s set of Brahms’ First Sym- phony and the Flonzaley-Gabrilowitsch Schumann Quintet. But there are many new works: Beetho- ven’s Eight, played by Schalk and the Vienna Philharmonic; three Spanish Dances of Granados and Albeniz’ Triana, played by Goossens and the New Light Symphony Orchestra; the marches from Tannhauser and Berlioz’ Faust by Dr. Blech; an extract from the third suite from Rimsky-Korsakow’s Tsar Saltan, by Albert Coates and the London Symphony; Moussorgsky’s Gopak and the Pizzicato from Sylvia, played by Mark Hambourg (piano) ; and Saint-Saens’ Pre- lude in E flat and the Swan, played by Dupre (organ). Vocal disks: Leonora’s aria from Fidelio, sung by Frida Leider; Maria Olczewska in Gluck and Handel arias; and in a special re- lease, three records from Boris with Chaliapin in the title role, recorded at the actual performance in Covent Garden; there are other special re- cords from Faust (Hislop), Turandot, Boris, and Pagliacci, with the Royal Opera Chorus. Four orchestral records head the Parlophone list: Briinnhilde’s Tod conducted by Schillings; Sibelius’ Valse Triste and Finlandia conducted by Jarnefelt; the overture to Die Fledermaus conducted by Bodanzky; and the Prelude, Cortege, and Air de danse from Debussy’s L’Enfant Prodique, conducted by Cloez. Karol Szreter plays piano versions of Vienna Blood and the Fledermaus and Artist’s Life waltzes; Edith Lorand re-records her version of Granados’ Spanish Dance and de Falla’s Jota; Lotte Leh- mann sings Schumann’s Der Nussbaum and Auftrage; David Devries sings arias from La Dame Blanche and Faust; Inghilleri sings the Prologue to Pagliacci and Largo al Factotum from the Barber of Seville; Nino Ederle sings two Mignon arias; and Seinemeyer, Pillinsky Burg, and Jung join forces in the finale to Act I of Lohengrin. The only Brunswick release of special interest is Alexander Brailowsky’s disk of the Scarlatti- Taussig Pastorale and Capriccio, and Weber’s Perpetum Mobile. In France, besides the works mentioned above as received from our importers, there are also new issues of the Moldau, conducted by Kleiber for Polydor; a four-part recording of the long- awaited De Falla Nights in the Gardens of Spain, for French H. M. V., conductor not specified; Bee- thoven’s First Symphony conducted by Dr. Pfitzner; Haydn’s Quartets No. 49 and Op. 74, No. 3, played by the Buxbaum Quartet for Polydor; Saint-Saens’s Septet (French Odeon) ; Liszt’s E flat and Chopin’s E piano concertos and a number of solo records by Alexander Brailowsky (Poly- dor). Our readers will notice the change in position of the foreign and domestic release notes; the American releases from now on will be discussed at the beginning of this General Review. For- merly the foreign issues were unquestionably the most important. However, during the last two and a half years the American companies have made great strides and produced such significant works that the tables are now turned, and (as a well-known enthusiast has written us), the