Phonograph Monthly Review, Vol. 3, No. 5 (1929-02)

February, 1929 The Phonograph Monthly Review ' and Noel and La Creche on 52030. Alfred Normandin sings Pourquoi Me Faire Pleurer and Jardinier D’Amour on Columbia 34185-F. German. M. Van Geldern sings Vater Mutter Schwester Bruder and Bilderbuch aus Biedermeiertagen on Brunswick 53044; Karina and Pielke sing familiar duets on 53046 and 53047. The leading Columbia release is 55147-F, popular German songs by the Manhattan Quartet. From Okeh there are popular song hits by the Odeon Tanzorchester on 10508, waltzes by the Kappele Almenrausc on 10509, and two brilliant marches, Die Bosniaken kommehn and Hoch— und Deutschmeister, by the Grosses Odeon Streichorchester on 85195. Victor releases a new work from the Wiener Maennergesangverein, Strauss Wein Weib und Gesang waltz (V-56004) but it is hardly as effective as the highly praised Blue Danube Waltz. Marek Weber has a good Schubert “Dreimaedlerhaus” potpourri (V-56003), and the Grosses Militaer orchestra plays Der Koburger and Bayrischer Defilier marchs on V-6003. Greek. Odeon 82517 by the I. Skiza Chorus: Columbia 56133-F, violin solos by Alexis Zoumbas; and Victor 9294 (twelve-inch Red Seal, $1.50) duets by Mme. Thalia Sabanieva of the Metropolitan Opera House and her sister Mme. Anna Criona, are the leading releases. Hebrew-Jewish. For Brunswick Pinchus Lavenda leads with a two-part Schwartze Natasha by Olshanetsky (67135) and folksongs by Berta Schulman (67137). Columbia 57032-F, hymns by Cantor G. Sirota; and Victor V-9002 and V-59000 by the “Blind Cantor” and “Boy Cantor” respec- tively, are also to be mentioned. Irish. Columbia holds the field alone with a long and well-balanced list. Reference should also be made to the Irish songs by Wm. A. Kennedy released in the domestic list and reviewed under “Popular Vocal.” Italian. The feature disk is Odeon 3238, Scena Della Borsa from La Traviata, sung with remarkable intensity by Ciniselli, Bardone. Mammarini, Nessi, Baracchi, and Menni, and very powerfully recorded. Note also the Royal Marine Band record reviewed under “Band.” Brunswick’s leading work is 58138, a waltz and polka by the Banda Tafarella; Columbia’s 14423-F, by I Buon Compagni Orchestra di Saxonfoni; and Victor’s, V-12007, songs by Daniele Serra. Lithuanian. Mention goes to Columbia 16118-F, folksongs by Jonas Butenas and Odeon 26080, songs by Vanagaitis and Kraucunas. Polish. Brunswick 60092, instrumentals by Wesolki Jerzy; Columbia 18304-F, folksongs by Stanislaw Mermel; Odeon 11396, songs by Wladyslaw Ochrymowicz; and Victor V-66000, waltzes by the Polska Narodowa Orkiestra. Russian-Ukrainian. Brunswick 59076, waltzes by the Brunswick Ukrainska Orchestra; Columbia 20164, Stenka Razin sung by the Russkyj Chor “Volga” with bass solo by Vladimir Dyloff; Odeon 15094, instrumentals by the Russian Balalaika Orchestra; Victor 81768, folksongs by Fidlon’s String Orchestra, and 81775, dances by a Russian Brass Band. Scandinavian. Odeon 19255, by the Saxophon Orkester Dobbri, and Victor V-15001, violin solos by Gunleik Smedal, a prize winner in the northwest, playing on the Hardanger violin. Scotch. Columbia couples a ’cello solo of the Tales of Hoffman Barcarolle by A. Pini with Wreaths of the Sea by the Grenadier Guards Band on 37028-F; there are also some good marches and reels on 37029-F by the Caledonian Band. Spanish-Mexican. The Brunswick leaders are: 40400, a two-part medley of national airs by the Police Band of Mexico, 40554, Sonny Boy in Spanish by Jose Moriche, and 40547, guitar solos by Ottilio Moruz;zo, accompanied by violin and piano. Odeon features 16329, songs by Alberto Infantas, and 16330-1, songs by the Trovadores Tamaulipecos, vocal quartet. Victor lists three records by the Orquesta International (81851, 81921-2), and a disk by La Argentina (81819) who appears to be another artist than the La Argentina now touring the country. Welsh. Victor issues two commendable records by Wil- liam J. Jones baritone (21784), and John T. Jones, tenor (21785). 179 T^KSy Too Late for Review Columbia Masterworks Set 101 (5 D12s, Alb., $7.50) Schu- mann: Etudes Symphoniques, Op. 13, and Sonata in G minor, Op. 22, played by Percy Grainger. The etudes are contained on three records, 67506-D to 67508-D, and are divided into five parts. On the sixth side Grainger plays Schumann’s Romance in F sharp minor. The sonata is contained on two records, 67509-D and 67510-D. Percy Grainger and the Columbia Company already have won phonographic immortality by their pioneer work in the recording of large piano works. It would be impossible to estimate the influence of their Chopin sonata in B minor and the Brahms sonata in F minor. The Chopin work was the first large scale piano recording truly to demonstrate the potentialities of the phonograph in revealing the full stature of piano masterpieces. It is fortunate that Grainger has not rested on his laurels, but has gone on to give us these two great works of Schumann (hitherto unrecorded), the superb Etudes Symphoniques, and the sonata in G minor—probably the most effective, certainly the most firm- ly constructed of Schumann’s three essays in this form. The etudes are ever-popular in the concert hall, but their difficulties of execution are not slight and even in these days of bravura pianists one does not often hear them played well. There are pianists whose performance is superior to Grainger’s, but his is a sound, sturdy one, somewhat percussive, but full of fire and authentic brilliance. The G minor sonata is perhaps less well-known than those in F minor and F sharp minor, but it displays a somewhat more adequate feeling for the form than the earlier works. And yet, the second movement was written in June 1830, the first and third in June 1833, the fourth in its original form in 1835, and in its ultimate form in 1838, the whole being published in 1839.” (Grove’s Dictionary). Small won- der that Schumann had difficulty in obtaining a sense of unity of the work as a whole! The rhythmical complexities of the work are uncommonly interesting: those in the scherzo are not a very far cry from those of present day jazz. Two beautiful works, played and recorded with distinc- tion. They are gratefully to be welcomed to recorded litera- ture. Columbia 50113-D (D12, $1.00) Tchaikowskiana (arr. by Herman Hand), played by Paul Whiteman and his or- chestra. This is one of Whiteman’s best bets to date, a clever concert fantasy on familiar Tchaikowsky themes, including —it is almost needless to say—several from the fourth symphony and the Nut-Cracker suite. Hand’s arrange- ment is cleverly made and the performance is astonishingly capable, at least when judged by the standards of playing set by concert jazz orchestras. The whole is brilliantly re- corded. I should hasten to add that this is not a “jazz” work. The orchestration is of course altered to suit the demands of Whiteman’s band, but the playing itself is quite straight- forward and Tchaikowsky’s own rhythms are “undoctored.” R.O.B. TO BE REVIEWED IN EARLY ISSUES The Centennial Biography of Schubert by Oscar Bie. The Complete Edition of Caruso’s Caricatures. Tchaikowsky’s Fifth Symphony (Mengelberg). Gershwin’s Piano Concerto (Paul Whiteman) Brahms’ First Symphony (Weingartner) —S. F.