Phonograph Monthly Review, Vol. 4, No. 7 (1930-04)

218 The Phonograph Monthly Review April, 1930. .. .. - ... - . 1 — sues came in time to be comjnented on in the March number: Hungarian Lustspiel Overture and Chopin’s Polonaise in A, The Skaters Waltz and Court Dances, Echoes from Russia, etc. Columbia’s headliner is again a work by Tchai- kowsky and a performance by Mengelberg: the Fourth Symphony, played and recorded in char- acteristic fashion by the great Dutchman and his Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam. Some of the tempos that Dr. Mengelberg chooses, par- ticularly in the third and fourth movements strike one as rather exaggeratedly slow on first hearing, but the work as a whole is exceedingly brilliant, and recorded in the resonant fashion that won such great attention to his recording of Tchaikowsky’s Fifth. The other masterworks sets are string quartets by Brahms and Mozart, played by the Lener Quartet which recently con- cluded a very successful American tour. The new release in the Columbia Operatic series is La Boheme, conducted by Molajoli, to be review- ed in the next issue. Among the other outstanding works on the Columbia lists are the Miserere from II Trovatore and the Quartet from La Boheme, sung by Aran- gi-Lombardi, Merli, Pampanini, etc.; ’cello solos by Felix Salmond (Rachmaninoff’s At Night and a Sammartini Allegro) ; violin solos by Yelly D’Aranyi (Gatty’s Bagatelle in D and the push- kin transcription of Albeniz’ tango); spirited performances of the Border Ballad and Rolling Down to Rio by Fraser Gange; Japanese violin pieces played by Zirribalist; arias from Manon and Elisir D’Amore sung by Dino Borgioli; two Strauss waltzes in effective piano arrangements by Karol Szreter; two of Richard Strauss’ best known lieder (Traum durch die Dammerung and Zueignung) sung by Alexander Kipnis; a Sacred Hour Reverie by Ketelbey’s Light Con- cert Orchestra and the Columbia Light Opera Company; and light concert pieces featuring flute and piccolo by the Bournemouth Municipal Orchestra conducted by Sir Dan Godfrey. In a later release is Massenet’s Scenes Pittores- ques, conducted by Pierre Chagnon (two rec- ords), and a re-pressing of the French Columbia Polonaise and Coronation Scene from Boris God- ounow, reviewed in these pages some months ago from the imported pressings. The National Gramophonic Society in London has sent us a batch of their latest releases of rare chamber music: sonatas for the flute by Bach and Handel, a Haydn String Quartet, a Haydn Piano Sonata, a short String Quartet by Matthew Locke, and a Purcell Fantasia for Strings, all works that should appeal very strongly to the discriminating record collector who is searching for music that is well off the beaten track. The foreign supplements of the domestic manufacturers are not as rich in “finds” this month as usual. The Victor leaders are excerpts from II Trovatore and La Forza del Destino sung by Pertile, Franci, Granforte, etc. (not yet ar- rived for review); a fine band record by the Mexican Police Band, and an interesting set of Gypsy Dances played by the Gypsy Orchestra. Odeon features a four-part potpourri of German national airs and folk tunes, Der Traum des Re- servisten, conducted by Dr. Weismann; organ chorales played by Paul Mania; a Handel chorus and a German chorale sung by the Sieber Chor and Mannerchor; and a new Richard Tauber disk coupling a German version of Irving Ber- lin’s Always with Wenn der weisse Flieder wied- er bliiht. The Brunswick list concentrates in the Italian and Spanish-American fields, with a large number of noteworthy releases in the lat- ter group especially; and the Columbia list fea- tures re-pressings from the German Odeon and Parlophone Catalogue by the Parlophon Streich Orchester, Edith Lorand’s Orchestra, and Dajos Bela’s Orchestra. The Columbia Company in England has just issued a numlber of uncommonly interesting or- chestral works: Constant Lambert’s Rio Grande for chorus, orchestra, and solo piano, played by the Halle Orchestra, conducted by the composer, with Sir Hamilton Harty playing the piano parts; the first and second movements of Sche- herazade (with the promise of the rest of the work to follow), conducted by Philippe Gaubert; a ’Cello Concerto arranged from Schubert’s Ar- peggione Sonata, played by Gaspar Cassado with the Halle Orchestra under Harty; Liszt’s Second Hungarian Rhapsody in a new three-part ver- sion conducted by Sir Henry Wood, who plays his own orchestration of Bach’s Partita in E on the odd record side; the Dance of the Hours from La Gioconda conducted by Molajoli; and a com- plete recording of La Tosca made under the di- rection of Molajoli, with Bianca Scaccati, Ales- sandro Granda, Enrico Molinari and Aristide Baracchi in the cast. The new H. M. V. releases include a re-record- ed performance of Franck’s violin sonata by Thi- baud and Cortot; the Theme and Variations from Tchaikowsky’s Suite No/ 3, conducted by Sir Landon Ronald; Der Rosenkavalier Waltz con- ducted by Dr. Blech; the long-awaited first re- cording of Brahms’ Piano Concerto in B flat ma- jor, played by Arthur Rubinstein with the Lon- don Symphony Orchestra under Coates; and Mendeissohn’s Ruy Bias Overture conducted by Dr. Malcolm Sargent. The vocal records are led by speeches by the King of England (Speech at the Opening of the Five-Power Naval Con- ference, January 21st, 1930) and the Duke of York (My Camp—Its Purpose). The Royal Belgian Guards Band plays a two-part record- ing of Auber’s Masaniello Overture; the Temple Church Choir sings The Heavens Are Telling fromi Haydn’s “Creation”; and G. D. Cunning- ham plays Bach’s Fantasia and Fugue in G minor on the organ of St. Margaret’s Westminster. From Parlophone there is Beethoven’s Egmont Overture conducted by Max von Schillings; the Introduction and Dance of the Princesses from the Fire Bird conducted by Erich Kleiber; Cata- lani’s Dance of the Waves conducted by Dr. Weissmann; Bach’s Fantasy in G minor played by Louis Vierne on the organ of Notre Dame, Paris, Chopin’s Ballade No. 1 played by Leon