Phonograph Monthly Review, Vol. 4, No. 5 (1930-02)

February, 1930 The Phonograph Monthly Review sic in all its forms flourished on disks as it has hardly flourished even in the concert hall, and the additions to its recorded literature were alone sufficient to mark 1929 as a year of unparalleled musical—as well as purely phonographic—ad- vance. Technical progress was likewise rapid, but that lies outside the scope of this present article—a necessarily hasty survey,, or riickblick, of the most important records issued during the period roughly extending from last year’s re-review (February 1929 issue) to the moment of present writing. The survey is principally confined to works reviewed in the magazine or added to the studio library, but cognizance is taken of a num- ber of notable European orchestral or chamber music albums that have not yet been reviewed in these pages. So many titles are listed that for convenience and appearance they are not printed in italics or bold-face type. The names of the record manu- facturers are omitted in many cases where the recording artist and his affiliation are well-known to every record buyer. The high water mark of the year was set by a few releases, or series of releases, that undis- putably may be called outstanding, and among them I think there can be no question but that the series by Stokowski and the Philadelphia Or- chestra takes first place. After the great group of symphonies issued in 1927, Stokowski was re- presented in 1928 largely by more or less sensa- tional concert pieces. But last year saw the true expression of his seemingly unbounded tal- ents in the superb Bach records, Brahms’ third symphony, Tchaikowsky’s fourth, the Rachmani- noff concerto with the composer as soloist, Rim- sky’s Russian Easter overture, Bizet’s Carmen and Arlesienne suites, Tchaikowsky’s Romeo and Juliet Fantasie-Overture, and even the same com- poser’s Capriccio Italien. The greatest single set of the year was unquestionably the Bach Mass in B minor, conducted by Albert Coates, and re- leased a month or two ago by H. M. V. in Eng- land. Next in importance was the Strawinski series conducted by the composer and including Le Sacre du Printemps (also recorded by Pierre Monteux for the French H. M. V.), a suite from Petrouchka, the Fire-Bird ballet, and excerpts from Pulcinella. Following came the Delius Fes- tival recordings, discussed in the December is- sue of the The Phonograph Monthly Review, and the extensive series of lecture records (par- ticularly those on musical subjects by George Dy- son) issued by the International Educational So- ciety through the Columbia Company in England. The set of Bach’s six Brandenburg Concertos an- nounced last spring by the British Brunswick Company would have had a place of honor in the first rank if mechanical or other difficulties had not prevented the appearance of the complete al- bum. The most ambitious efforts on the part of a small company were made by the newly estab- lished British Decca firm, which followed up its unsuccessful records of Delius’ Sea Drift with a 149 more adequate album devoted to the concerti grossi of Handel. Two changes in policy were so significant that one could not deny them mention among the out- standing events of the year: the highly attrac- tive and logical scheme of labelling adopted for the Columbia Masterworks series, and the new Victor advance information plan announced else- where in this issue. These were the peaks of the 1929 phonographic skyline. But there was no lack of works of small- er scope but permanent artistic and technical worth. In the following lists I have endeavored to include as many of them as possible. Practi- cally all major works, regardless of relative—or for that matter, absolute—merit are listed, in- cluding most of those of European origin. In the single record classes it has been practicable to list only the more significant of the multitudi- nous releases. With very few exceptions, these lists are confined to records reviewed in the maga- zine. In order that this re-review may serve as a sort of unofficial roll of honor as well as a sum- mary of the more important recordings of the year, I have ventured to star (*) certain records the reviewers have thought particularly meritous. In many cases there may be considerable question whether or not the starred rating is justified, and no claim to omnipotence is made. In a number of cases works outstanding in their particular class have been marked with the asterisk, when disks of greater absolute (and less relative) merit have been denied it. Some notable foreign works have not been starred for lack of sufficient infor- mation on their actual merits. Five symphonies were recorded for the first time: Mozart’s No. 34 in C conducted by Beech- am* and “Prague” symphony conducted by Vie- big (H. M. V.), Brahms’ third by Stokowski*, Mendelssohn’s “Scotch” symphony by Weingart- ner, and Dvorak’s fourth (“London”) by Basil Cameron. The first re-recordings were made of Hadyn’s “Surprise” by Koussevitzky* and Knap- pertsbusch (the latter for Parlophone), Schu- mann’s fourth by Bruno Walter*, and Bruckner’s seventh by Horenstein (Polydor). New versions appeared of Haydn’s “Clock” by Toscanini* and D minor (“London”) by Barbirolli; Mozart’s E flat by Weingartner (Columbia), Kleiber (Vic- tor), and Knappertsbusch (Parlophone), and the G minor by Strauss (Polydor) ; Beethoven’s first and fourth by Pfitzner (Polydor), “Eroica” by Max von Schillings (Parlophone), fifth by Rosen- stock (Parlophone), Strauss (Polydor), Szenkar (French Odeon), and Ruhlmann (Pathe-Art), “Pastorale” by Koussevitzky* and von Schillings, eighth by Schalk* (H.M.V.—2nd and 3rd move- ments also in the Victor Educational catalogue), and ninth by Fried (Polydor) ; Brahms’ first by Weingartner and Klemperer; Tchaikowsky’s fourth by Stokowski* fifth by Mengelberg* (with the Amsterdam Concertgebouw) and Sir Landon Ronald, and “Pathetique” by Fried; Franck’s by Gaubert; Dvorak’s “New World” by Kleiber (Polydor) ; Schubert’s “Unfinished” by Schalk (Columbia) and Chappie (Broadcast).