GRAMOPHONE NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 52, 2 March 1929, Page 9 (Supplement)

GRAMOPHONE NOTES.

ARTISTS AND THEIR RECORDS. (By SOUNDBOX.) In the future recorded music is going to be just as much a necessity for the world as daily bread is. —FEODOR CHALIAPINE. Delightfully melodious pieces, understandingly played, "O Sole Mio" and "Simple Aveu" enable Leslie James, a new light organist (whose christian name was wrongly announced last month as "Lewis" through confusion with a well-known singer) to make a strong bid for a place well up among cinema organists of the day. (82792, 10-inch.) Under the baton of Malcolm Sargent as guest conductor, the Covent Garden Royal Opera Orchestra play "The Sleeping Beauty" (Tschaikovsky) and Brahms' "Hungarian Dance No. 5." The former is the waltz from a ballet and has an airy-fairy lightness, while the Brahms item is universally known and liked. A line record. (Cl4is, 12-inch.) With the same touch of distinction that vitalises everything he does and makes it peculiarly his own, Marek Weber and his orchestra play "Potpourri of Waltzes," an arrangement by Robrecht of excerpts from a number of popular favourites, sufficient to fill both sides of a 12-inch record with concentrated tunefulness. (C 1544). Part singing at its best should be un-] accompanied, and the Lay Vicars of Westminster Abbey follow the right method in singing without extraneous j sounds to distract the attention of the' hearer. "The Little Sandman" and "Stars of the Sum mer Night" are vehicles for the display of male voice singing of a high order. (82781, 10-inch.) With the work of the Light Opera Company, whose very fine series of "vocal gems" proved such a welcome innovation, most gramophonists are well acquainted to their pleasure, and their latest record consists of gems from "Pagliacci" and "Cavalleria Ilusticana." As usual, the singing is in English, which will very greatly enhance the appeal of the music to most of us. (E827, 12inch.) "Old Man Sunshine" is a song in the "popular" class with quite a touch of something different about it, and is sung by Johnny Marvin, while on the other side The Happiness Boys (Jones and Hare) do a stuttering song, "Sing, Sister, Sing." It is quite good but the introduction of the "Mocking Bird" and some nonsense about yodelling is, I think, a very clever touch. (EA423, 10-inch.)

I wonder how many remember the visit to Auckland (about 20 years ago) of Miss Wish Wynne. She specialises in child impersonations and has made a very clever record of a Cockney child telling the younger children the story of "Red Robin Hood." The change of title is not the only liberty taken with the old story, and the result will prove as pleasing to grown-ups, who will appreciate many clever touches, as to the youngsters. "A Bedtime Story." (82780, 10-inch.) The waltzes of Johann Strauss certainly represent the highest achievement in this class of music, but even so many may consider even the best waltzes rather ' beneath the dignity of such bodies as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra—until they hear the record and realise what such an organisation can make of such music. Two of the best known of the Strauss compositions, "Wine, Women and Song" and "Roses of the South" have been chosen by the Chicago orchestra as material for a very fine offering. (D 1452, 12-inch.) Virtuosi do not usually visit recording studios to make only one record, and having had a record by Fritz Kreisler and his brother Hugo, the 'cellist, we naturally expected more to follow. And so we get "Sanctissima (Correlli) and the Intermezzo from Bizet's "Arlesienne" music, both arranged by Kreisler the violinist. Once again the result of the brothers' concerted efforts is a record to treasure, and the discerning will not fail to note that great artist as Fritz the violinist is, Hugo the 'cellist shines with no less a light in his sphere. (D 81166, 12-inch.) Of "tattoo" records the gramophonist has now quite a series to choose from, but the latest is announced as "impressions" of the Aldershot tattoo of last year. It commences by recording the weird racket of the crowd passing through the turnstiles and concludes with the final words of command as the troops march off the ground after the playing of the National Anthem. The sounds of aeroplanes being repulsed, the skirl of bagpipes (with splendid drumming), massed bands and massed singing are only a few of the many "impressions." (C 1552, 12-incli.) Mozart's "Quartet No. 8 in D Major" is an example of string quartet writing that makes a wide appeal, particularly the lovely third movement. It is played on three 10-inch records by the Flonzaley Quartet. The news of the impending disbandment of this finest of all quartets after working together for a quarter of a century comes as a blow but is softened by the thought that in gramophonic form their work will be always available for the delight of lovers of chamber music. Organised by a wealthy American and taking their name from his Swiss Chalet, "Flonzaley," these great artists were precluded by the terms of their contract from ever making solo appearances, as this was considered likely to adversely affect their ensemble playing. Fortunately there was no prohibition against the making of records, and so when they separate, although their host of admirers will regret the cessation of new records, they will gratefully turn for consolation to the records we already have and treasure. (DAO47-8-9).

Probably one of tlie most popular artists recording. Frank C'rnmit. in my opinion thoroughly deserves his hisrh reputation as a great singer of light nonsense. He has no voice—l remember reading years ago that the company for which he records sent him to a leading New York master in the hope of "producing" a voice. The experiment cannot be said to have succeeded, but Crumit has everything else he needs, a keen sense of humour, perfect rhythm and accent, so that his voice, such as it is, is so well used as not to matter. His latest, and quite up to standard too. is "A Gay Caballero." a very clever bit of musical nonsense. On the other side Helen Kane, an accomplished character comedienne, sings "Is there Anything y . in That?" (EA 4-53 a 10-inch.J