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

222 The Phonograph Monthly Review April, 1930. But the music of Franck has a peculiar individ- uality and hypnotic force that is entirely its own and which has found for him a wider audience than those of the other men, with the possible exception of Debussy. The phonograph has la- bored earnestly and well in his behalf and the ever-growing concert popularity of his works is echoed in the frequency with which they appear in record catalogues. We have a choice between two versions of the symphony: Gaubert’s for Columbia and Stokowski’s for Victor. The sym- phonic variations for piano and orchestra are played by Cortot with the London Symphony (Victor), but the companion work, Les Djinns, has never been recorded. The only other orches- tral electrical recording is an excerpt from Psyche (Psyche et Eros) issued by French Columbia. The acoustical version of Le Chausseur Maudit (by Sir Henry Wood for English Columbia) has never been re-made. The three major chamber works are all recorded, the quintet by Cortot and the International Quartet (Victor) and by Ciampi and the Capet Quartet (French Columbia) ; the quartet by the London String Quartet (Colum- bia) ; and the sonata for violin and piano by Thi- baud and Cortot (H. M. V.), Suzuki and Gurlitt (Polydor), Cantrelle and Descaves (French H. M. V.), and possibly others. (As yet the Ameri- can catalogues contain only the acoustical ver- sions by Thibaud and Cortot, and Sammons and Murdoch.) Recordings of Franck’s larger choral works are confined to France: Domine Deus sung by La Matrisse de la Primatiale de Lyon (French Col- umbia), and Psalm 150 by La Cantoria (French H. M. V.), and probably others. Of the Songs I think only the Panis Angelicus is available in this country, but in France all the best known ones are recorded in several versions: La Pro- cession, La Vierge et la Creche, Le Marriage des Roses, the fourth Beatitude, La Nocturne, etc., as sung by Panziera, Fuguere, and others. One of Franck's two major piano works is recorded, the Prelude Choral and Fugue, by Marian Ro- berts for the Chicago Gramophone Society, and more recently by Cortot for H. M. V. One looks hopefully to Harold Bauer for a phonographic version of the Prelude Aria and Finale. The only large organ work recorded is the chorale in A minor (played by Guy Weitz for Victor), but there is a considerable number of smaller pieces, among which the Piece Heroique (Dupre 'Vic- tor) and the Pastorale (Commette—Columbia) are issued in this country. Lalo (1823-1892) is unaccountably neglected. It is particularly surprising that the fine Sym- phonie Espagnole for violin and orchestra has never been electrically recorded. The two or- chestral Aubades recorded accoustically by bir Henry Wood for Columbia have not yet been re- made. The only electrical recordings of Lalo s orchestral works are the blazing performance of the Rhapsodie Norvegienne conducted by Chagnon for French Columbia, and the overture to Le Roi d’Ys conducted by Albert Wolff for Polydor, There are a number of vocal excerpts from the opera, but most of them are issued abroad only. A happy exception is the Aubade sung by Joseph Rogatchewsky of the Paris Opera for Columbia. Saint-Saens (1835-1921) is represented exten- sively rather than well. The phonograph em- phasizes the inherent iciness of his music and for the most part the Saint-Saens disks are either of slight significance or slight effectiveness. Per- haps the best are the Septet (French and English Columbia and the G minor piano concerto re- cently re-recorded by de Greef for H. M V. The other recorded major works are the Carnival of the Animals (Columbia) and the third violin con- certo (French Columbia). Among the smaller orchestral works there are many versions of the Danse Macabre (Stokowski’s is generally; the best liked), the Rouet d’Omphale (best by Men- gelberg or Gaubert), the Marche Heroique and excerpts from L’Algerienne suite (Victor), and the Bacchanale from Samson et Dalila (conduct- ed by Stokowski). Saint-Saens’ variations on a theme by Beethoven (French Odeon) are among the very few recorded larger works for two pianos. Samson et Dalila and Le Deluge are of course represented by divers recorded excerpts, to be found in every record catalogue. The com- poser himself was acoustically recorded in piano versions of excerpts from his Suite Algcrienne, and in the piano accompaniments of violin solos— Le Deluge prelude and the Elegie, Op. 143 (H. M. V. Historical catalogue). Delibes (1836-1891) is one of the many French composers who wrote for the ballet with such marked skill. Typical examples are the Sylvia ballet completely recorded under the direction of Sargent by H. M. V., and in excerpts by Bour- don and Hertz for Victor, and many others; the Coppelia ballet, in various excerpts by Sokoloff and Verbrugghen for Brunswick, Weissmann for Odeon, Hertz for Victor, etc., the Lakme ballet, complete in the French Odeon version conducted by Cloez; the Naila ballet music, in excerpts con- ducted by Weissmann for Parlophone, Michailow for Odeon, and the Coldstream Guards Band for H. M. V. Bachaus plays Dohnanyi’s arrange- ment of the Naila waltz for Victor. Lakme. is further represented by numerous arias appearing in all the major companies’ catalogues. There are at least two recorded songs: Les Filles de Cadiz, sung by Mary Lewis for Victor (acousti- cally recorded by Galli-Curci), and the Arioso sung by Mme. Marilliet for French Columbia. Guilmant (1837-1911) is one of the leading names in the important French school of organ- ists and composers for the organ, that includes (besides Franck) Widor, Boellmann, etc., and which is represented today but such men as Dupre Commette, Vierne, etc. The latter are primarily executants rather than composers, but they do compose more or less prolifically, and they include some of their own works among their phonographic recordings. Very few of Guilmant’s, Widor’s, or Boellmann’s compositions are available in the American catalogues (two movements from Widor organ symphonies are played by Gross-Custard and Weitz for Victor,