Phonograph Monthly Review, Vol. 4, No. 3 (1929-12)

74 The Phonograph Monthly Review December, 1929 for Clarinet and String! Quartet played by Charles Draper and the Lener Quartet, and a Haydn Quartet (D major, Op. 76, No. 5) by the Leners. The release of these works coincides very appropriately with the Leners’ current American concert tour. Everyone who has heard their Beethoven Quartet records and the set of Brahms’ Clarinet Quintet will want these new works also. For orchestrals Columbia offers Glazounow’s Stenka Razin—Symphonic Poem in an energetic, colorful performance by Defauw and the Royal Conservatory Orchestra of Brus- sels, and Brahm’s Fifth and Sixth Hungarian Dances in vivid gypsy-like readings by Sir Hamil- ton Harty and the Halle Orchestra. The vocal disks include lieder by Richard Strauss sung by Frazer Gange, lieder by Brahms sung by Kipnis, Old Folks at Home and Samson and Dulilie sung by Edna Thomas, Two Eyes of Grey and Hands and Lips sung by Louis Graveure, and the Tannhauser Pilgrims’ Chorus and Grand March by the B. B. C< Choir and Orchestra under Percy Pitt. Also there are salon pieces by the Squire Celeste Octet, sturdy but somewhat methodical band performances by H. M. Grenadier Guards Band, and Christmas carols played on the organ by W. G. Webber. From the Brunswick Company we have a new disk by the excellent pianist, Edward Goll, who was heard a few months ago in a Beethoven Sonata. This month he plays a group of short pieces by Bach in equally capable fashion. Albert Spaulding is heard in a violin transcription of the Delibes Passepied and de Sarasate’s Za- pateado; Marie Tiffany gives beautiful perfor- mances two Norwegian songs: Marie Morrisey is heard in two light salon songs; and the Brunswick International Orchestra plays La Marseillaise and the Internationale. There are two twelve-inch popular concert records, one Gems from Rio Rita played by the Colonial Club Orchestra, and the other concert-jazz perfor- mances of Some of These Days and I’ll See You in My Dreams, played by Red Nichols and his Orchestra. The Odeon release is topped by the first of the new series of electrical album sets to the place of the celebrated symphonic library that made “Odeon” so important a name in the acoustical era. This is a new version of Brahms’ First Sym- phony, conducted by Otto Klemperer. Klemper- er’s reading has won considerable praise abroad and unquestionably it has many features of great interest, but on the whole it did not impress me very strongly on first hearing. Further hearings of course may alter this opinion. Odeon also issues the first electrical recording of Schumann’s Manfred Overture and the Manfred Entr’acte music, including the beautiful Ranz des Vaches for solo English horn, conducted in masterly fashion by the always dependable Dr. Max von Schillings from whom we have had so many fine Wagnerian records in the past. Dr. Weissmann conducts a brilliant Lehar medley and a little- known overture by Fucik; Dajos Bela’s Orches- tra plays Robrecht’s brilliant Medley of Famous Waltzes; and the Grand Odeon Orchestra is heard in Siegfried Ochs’ transcription of ’S kommt ein Vogel geflogen. Popular vocal and instrumental disks and jazz records are of course available in profusion from all four companies. For listings and comment reference should be made to the reviews else- where in this issue. The “foreign” supplements of the domestic companies are rich in “finds” this month. Victor releases a new Zenatello record, a Blech disk of the Cosi fan tutte and Masked Ball Overtures, a re-listing of Shilkret’s sensational performance of the Parade of the Wooden Soldiers (an ideal record for demonstration and light concert pro- grams), a vivacious Bouquet of the Season’s Hits by Marek Weber’s Orchestra, the same organiza- tion in the celebrated Petersburg Sleigh Ride, pleasing songs by Ursula van Diemen, Auber’s Maurer und Schlosser Overture conducted by Viebig, and a Cavalleria Rusticana Potpourri played by the Royal Italian Marine Band. Odeon features special Christmas releases this month, by the St. Johannes Blaser-Chor, the Doppelquar- tett des Berliner Leher-Gesangvereins, Dajos Bela’s Orchestra, etc.; also light orchestral pieces by the Ferruzzi Orchestra, and guitar solos by Federico Galimberti. Columbia has an unusually good Irish release this month, and lengthy Italian and Instrumental lists for special fea- tures, including many records of particular sea- sonal interest. The Brunswick Italian and Span- ish-Mexican lists failed to arrive for review in this issue, but undoubtedly they maintain their customary good standard. Our importations from abroad include the rather inadequate records of Delius’ Sea Drift (Decca), the complete Manon (French Colum- bia), a delightful Nursery Suite by Inghelbrecht conducted by the composer for Pathe-Art, Honegger’s Rugby—successor to Pacific 231 (French H. M. V.), Svendsen’s Carnival in Paris (three sides) and the Wedding March from Coq d’Or (Decca), and a coupling of the Entry of the Bojars and Grieg’s Bridal Procession (Regal). The new works are added to the list of re- corded symphonies in the British release lists for November: Mozart’s “Prague” Symphony, D major (without minuet), played by Kleiber and the Vienna Philharmonic for H. M. V., and Mendelssohn’s “Scotch” Symphony, played by Weingartner and the Royal Philharmonic Or- chestra for Columbia. The English Columbia Company pays further tribute to Delius in the release of his second Violin Sonata transcribed for viola by: Tertis and played by Tertis and George Reeves, three songs sung by Dora Labette to piano accompaniments played by Sir Thomas Beecham, and a disk of short piano pieces played by Evlyn Howard-Jones. Sir Hamilton Harty conducts the scherzo from his own Irish Sym- phony and an original orchestration of the Lon-