The record changer (Mar-Dec 1947)

FARRAGO 7 By EDWARD HILL The big political news of the record year thus far is the deal swung among the two biggest disc companies and the Metropolitan Opera Association, object: "complete" opera performances on records. Confusions attendant to reports of the venture are complex, aggravating and frequent. First press releases stated that Columbia had signed the Met chorus and orchestra for five years — that the repertoire would not necessarily comprise only sure-fire box-office attractions — that Victor, having the majority of top-flight soloists under exclusive contract, would operate independently, using the NBC orchestra and Robert bhaw's choristers ensconced in newly constructed studios of miraculous acoustic sympathy, while Columbia'd have to make do with the facilities of the Metropolitan Opera House. The press services reported in some detail on the claims and counter-claims of the rival factions. These reports add up to a perplexing picture and suggest that the sources of information were agency creepies with but a tenuous grasp on anything at all. What comprehensible reports are to hand at this writing emanate from the efficiently controlled RCA offices, to wit: Toscanini has agreed to turn out Traviata and Boheme. (The Gigli Boheme is, to our way of thinking, very much of all right and the Beecham Act IV should remain always available.) Parts of Trovatore have been waxed and sessions will be resumed when the singers now on tour become once more available. The modns-operandi will be along the lines so successfully employed for the Glyndebourne Mozart sets of a decade ago; that is, "unessential" recitative will be trimmed. Then so will the public, for opera insists upon eloquent recitative and circumcision can result only in a cross between "highlights" and completeness of performance, without satisfactorily being either. Not all or nearly all of the actively repertoired operas stand in need of complete recording but those which do should have it, while the ones in lesser need might be tabloided a la Boris Godonnoff . In formulating their plans the companies would do well to questionnaire leading retailers and to study their returned reports most assiduously, rather than to brain gnats within cloistered institutional halls and agency bailiwicks. The most nearly ideal solution to the most immediately compelling problem consists in the pooling of principal singers, the honest acknowledgment that the Met chorus and orchestra are far from first-rate and that, even if only just this once, business practices must be tempered with an elastic modicum of Romance ; for, let there be no smug scoffing at the verity, — the record buyer is in business only at the actual moment of transaction, his desire for ownership beforehand and pride 'of possession afterward being the unquenchable controlling factors which make any and all sales possible. Complete opera sets are expensive to produce and the purchase cost calls for considerable investigation of the product's long-term worth as an investment. Caveat emptor applies from the word "go" and to cushion it there must be the most conscientious determination to market the very ultimate in artistic and technical fulfilment of the customer's aesthetic requirement. — o — When Harry Scherman finds time to leave off counting his earnings as Mr. Big at the Book-of-the-Month Club, he either (a) writes another popularization of Economics or more likely (b) discovers something calculated to render The Good Life a more economical proposition to those of moderate means who have the good sense and excellent fortune to be on his vast mailing list. The book club's most recent beneficences to music lovers have included "A Treasury of Grand Opera" and "A Treasury of Stephen Foster" both of which tomes were reviewed briefly in Farrago II. Comes now an all but philanthropic treat for heart and eye in the shape of three portfolios, each containing a dozen expertly wrought reproductions of great paintings by major and minor masters, past and present ; a veritable parlor panoply of Art. Here are Rembrandt and Rivera, — Bellows, Innes and Homer — Brueghel and De Hooch, Holbein, El Greco — Picasso, Gauguin and Degas — Van Gogh, Cezanne, Watteau (what, no Matisse?) . . . and some others more or less celebrated. The sets may be purchased separately . . . to your eventual grief for, having one you'll want them all and wish that there were more. The price of the lot is $8.51, delivered. A steal at thrice that. "Is there," writes a reader to ask, "any such appreciable disparity in the cost of production between 10" and 12" records as to warrant the higher price for the disc that is but negligibly larger in circumference?" Answer: Hush, son. The grooves have ears and you can depend on't that any price adjustment would be UPward. If you must holler about something, let it be that so many compositions of 10" playing duration are finding their way onto 12" platters. A youngish neighbor of evidently genuine musicological aspiration asks, "What is the difference between today's radio programs and those of twenty-five years ago?" Well, more stuff is given away now and the pandemonium extends across the footlights to the participating studio audience. But as far as the average day and evening's output is concerned the most perceptible improvement lies in the development of technically advanced transmission and reception devices. Most of our house-guests, however, still must be invited with the foreknowledge that they likely may soil the carpet, so to speak. To be sure, certain altruists and other tax-dodgers have provided some measure of relief through broadcasts of respectable music, but these are more often than not scheduled by the networks at times inopportune to the building of the widest, most appreciative audience. What to do? It has been done — is being done by a few stations through the use of RECORDS. Boston and Philadelphia listeners are receiving programs of good music throughout much of the day and evening and, in New York, WNYC (the city's own station) and WQXR (and its FM affiliate, WQXQ) have long been havens of refuge for eschewers of raucous hyperbole. WNYC's festival series are planned and presented most tastefully. In the case of WQXR-Q the policy of building splendid schedules has been developed along high artistic lines and the stations command not only the most adult audience anywhere but also produce for the sponsors the ' most doggedly loyal group of buyers in the history of radio advertising. Your psychiatrist may be able to tell you why the New York Yankees elected to underwrite The Symphonic Matinee over this outlet — if so, he can write his own ticket with certain purveyois of razor blades, breakfast slops and headache remedies. The Yankees' official explanation is that they hope, via the classics, to attract more 'women to the ballpark. Oh yeah? WQXR-Q hasn't far to go in achieving the perfect programming set-up. The elimination of double-spotting and of a few loudmouthed transcriptions will just about take care of it. A fair smattering of information on what goes on behind the scenes before your favorite "live" program of good music hits the air is provided by "Music in Radio Broadcasting," a text-book edited by Gilbert Chase and used by him as part of the Columbia University course in Music For Radio. Many questions are answered and a good many more are raised which you hadn't thought of. All is treated in a persuasive, readable manner. The book (McGrawHill, $1.75) needs one more chapter — on what to do on account of The Union won't allow the engineer to move the mike a bit further from the piano unless he is paid double-time-and-a-half because it's Memorial Day. John L. Hallstrom, RCA-Victor's energetic merchandise manager, has never had' an enemy but he's going to have many new friends when his "Relax and Listen" gets around. It's the sort of discussion which, without becoming unctuously cute, punctures toplofty misconceptions and talks good music to Uncle Jim. Uncle is worth $2.50 any day, so buy him a copy. — o — If your town has a reasonably large Italian population, you'll likely come upon a movie marquee bearing the legend, "Voglidj Vivere Cosi." Go on in : you'll see and hear Ferrucio Tagliavini who, in this well made; film, performs creditably as actor and melts; the heart with his singing of Amor ti vieta\ and Spirto gentil. It is seriously to be resented that Tagliavini cannot make records in this countr\ for the time being; his contract with Cetra; contains restrictive provisions which prevent it. The tenor has expressed his discomfort with this situation (as well he might!) ancx states further that the Cetra records are noi, representative of his best work today. These discs, at $3.25 per coupling, are going very well at the New York shop which has th< exclusive agency for their sale. But that's < \ lot of money to pay for a record and Cetn; owes it to their chief breadwinner to contract with an American company for the do \ mestic pressing and distribution of Tagli | avini's catalog.. o ; RECENT RELEASES t We are able to announce that arrange ments have been made with the Master works Division of the Columbia Recording Corporation whereby this magazine will re I ceive complete Reviewers Service, enabling us to enhance our opportunities for servic to the library builder. Beginning with ou next issue, detailed reports on Columbia re leases will be featured along with our cov erage of RCA-Victor and such other com panies as desire our publicity. An imposing variety constitutes the Vic tor general release for April and we be: lieve that your opportunities for new an1 worth-while acquisitions are limited only b your tastes and purse. BACH: Cantata No. 4 (Christ Lag i Todesbanden) RCA-Victor Chorale & OrcP Shaw. M/DM 1096. $3.75. . The lofty inspiration to catalog much oJohann Sebastian Bach's great church musi has for some years been the prime consic eration with someone in a high place ; RCA-Victor. Additions to the literatui have been made with quite reasonable fn quency and it has grown to a rich stor> Much remains to be accomplished but fc what presently is available we must t grateful. ' 36 THE RECORD CHANGEi