Phonograph Monthly Review, Vol. 5, No. 8 (1931-05)

249 May 1931, Vol. V. No. 8 OPERATIC Gluck: Alceste—Bannis la crainte et les alarms (Banish all fear and alarms!) and Massenet: Sapho — Ah! qu’il est loin, mon pays! (Ah, distant in my country!), sung in French by Georges Thill, with orchestral accompaniments. Colum- bia 50287-D (D12, SI.25). Two more widely contrasted numbers would be difficult to imagine! The homesickness of Jean Gaussin and the classic strains from Gluck’s great opera are the opposite poles of operatic music and students of the subject will welcome the op- portunity to hear them both. Sappho, the opera, has never had a happy fate. A semi-suc- cess when first produced it owes its revival in recent years to the extremely vivid portrayal of Fanny LeGrand by Maty Garden (who would know much about Massenet in this coun- try if it hadn’t been for her?). Memories of the plot, itself, comes to light every so often, lately in the Garbo drama “In- spiration” and vestiges of it in Puccini’s enchanting operetta “La Rondine.” And who forgets the classic furore when Hamilton Revelle took Olga Nethersole in his arms up the staircase? The chastely classic lines of the Gluck aria are sung with an adequate sense of style by the French tenor whose debut this year, while not unequivocally successful, bears brilliant augury for the future. The other aria, is more his metier and he sings it with warmth and passion. The orchestral ac- companiment is unusually fine. Wagner: Lohengrin — Merce, merce, (Swan Song), and Mas- cagni: Amico Fritz —0 amore, o bella luce (Oh, love, bright guiding light), sung in Italian by Dino Borgioli with orches- tral accompaniments. Columbia 2424-D (DIO, 75c). Signor Borgioli’s latest records are much better than his first. The voice is not so much amplified and consequently gains in sweetness and quality. The Lohengrin excerpt, sung in Italian by exception, is beautifully done, with admirable restraint while the entirely unfamiliar number from one of Mascagni^ semi-forgotten operas is another valuable contribu- tion to the rapidly increasing list of recordings from the veris- mo Italians and their school. It would be a pleasure to have more of them, and conducted by the composer himself. His performance of the dances from Iris and the Overture to I Rantzau have a sweep and power about them that all other interpretations of his music lack. I am still unable to under- stand the entire apathy of the world to the opera, Iris. Rare- ly has a performance been received critically with such con- tempt as the^ current Metropolitan revival. I am, however, perfectly willing to believe that the superb performance and setting that the Chicagoans gave it had a great deal to do with its effect. May I mention again that the Cicaleccio from I Rantzau and the Duette del Ciliege from Friend Fritz should also make interesting discs, being the outstanding parts of their respective operas. Rigoletto — Caro nome and Tutte le jeste sung in Italian by Lily Pons with orchestral accompaniments. Victor 7383 (D12, $2.00). The coloratura sensation sings two numbers from the r61e which critics judge to be the finest of her American career. The childlike quality of the hunchback’s daughter is em- phasized in these selections rather than an unauthorized dis- play of vocal pyrotechnics. The exacting high notes at the end are handled with consummate skill and it was interesting to compare it with the singer’s performance on the air a few nights ago. The voice is smaller than the records show and the infinite pains taken in the recording laboratory have un- questioned superiority over the radio performance. The more dramatic Tutte le feste, nominally a duet be- tween Gilda and Rigoletto, also contains this dramatic em- phasis and the result is again an extremely effective delivery of the music. The skill of Mis Pons’ singing aside, she will do well to cultivate this quality in all her singing because concert ap- pearances have proved that she is most effective in numbers where the music in hand was more dependent on it than upon more florid effects. Miss Hempel had it and she was the greatest song interpreter among the coloraturas. The “repeat” quality of a singer’s public today depends upon her ability to grow continually, in this manner, Mary Garden jokingly told me lately that she would love to see herself singing Gilda, standing in the middle of the stage, both feet firmly on the ground (or on the stair-case), grinding out Caro nome. However, if she had ever done it, that sense of communica- tion, of the fitness of things which was the key to her genius would have manifested itself indubitably- That’s why I like this record so much and every one of Lily Pons’ listeners will enjoy her and call her back for the encores she delights to sing. Columbia Export Lists (Continued from last issue) To mention the more usual releases first, we have a good work-a-day version of the arias Zaza, piccola zingara and Buona Zaza sung by Carl Morelli (4129-X) and a coupling of the Herodiade Vision Fugitive and Cassio’s Dream from Otello by the same artist (4131-X). Hipolito Lazaro has made a really splendid record of the Salve dimora from Faust (4074-X), a coupling of E lucevan le stelle from Tosca and All’armi from William Tell (4116- X); and another exceptional record in a coupling of the familiar 0 paradiso and an unfamiliar excerpt from Vives’ opera, Dona Francisquita-Mujer Fatal, which is typical South- ern music sung with a native Spaniard’s zest, (52075-X). Carmelo Maugeri, baritone, sings two melodious arias from La Forza del Destino, Urna fatale and Son pereda (4149- X) in fine style, as well as Resta immobile from William Tell and an aria from La Fanciulla del West—Minnie dell casa, in which the gambling sheriff explains his love at first sight for Minnie, (4150-X). From the same opera, Aroldo Lindi (an American, Har- old Lindau, who has Italianized his name for professional purposes) sings two arias, one the familiar Ch’ell mi creda in which Johnson begs his accusers not to let Minnie know how he died and the second a brief tempestuous bit from Act two, Or son sei mesi, when he tells Minnie how his life of crime began, (4108-X). These two excerpts are splendidly sung. One of the finest records in the group is by Paolo Civil, tenor, from Manon Lescaut. The aria Manon mi tradisce, is where Des Grieux reproaches Manon for driving him to dis- grace for her and the other, Ah! non v’avvivicinate, where Des Griex despairing order to the guards not to touch Manon and in the next breath breaks down sobbing and begs to be allowed to accompany her, (4018-X). The two other records in this group are historically val- uable and well worth the acquisition from this point alone. The first comprises two arais from Mascagni’s opera Isabeau, a variation of the Lady Godiva legend, which the Chicagoans gave one season with Rosa Raisa in the title role. Judging from these arias it is good sturdy stuff, and not as imitative of Cavalleria as Rantzau and Amico Fritz. They are the Canzone del falso and Or solo intorno (5152-X) and are sung by Carmelo Alabiso, who also makes a coupling of Loris’ Narrative from Fedora and the Ah, si ne mio from Trovatore (4106-X). The other record is from Boito’s posthumous opera, Nerone, which was produced a short time ago at La Scala with so much ceremony and lavish mise en scerue. The two arias are Vivete in pace and Ecco il magico speechio, and are sung by our old friend, Enrico Molinari, the Scarpia of the current Tosca (or at least he seems like an old friend after to listening to all of Tosca) (4113-X). These last record- ings are a valuable addition to a library which aims to trace the last remnants of the later Italian school of opera. Richardson Brown The Bach Mass Bach : Mass in B Minor, sung by the Philharminic Chorus with the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Al- bert Coates. Soloists: Elisabeth Schuman, Margaret Bal- four Widdop, Friedrich Schorr. Victor Masterpiece Set M- 104 (17 D12s, 2 Albums, $25.50). Available only as a spec- ial Metropolitan release. While the general release of the American re-pressings of the Mass may not be expected for several months, the set has been issued as a special release in a few leading musical centers. The work was reviewed in considerable detail from the H. M. V. pressings by Robert H. S. Phillips in the August, 1930 issue of the P. M. R.