RECORDS Exciting New Mezzo In

Press, Issue 29236, 21 June 1960, Page 20

RECORDS Exciting New Mezzo In

Rossini

ROSSINI: Una voce poco fa; Contro un cor (“Baroiere dl Sivlglia’’); Crude eortel Amor tiranno: Per lui che adoro; Amici, in ogni evento (“L’ltallana in Algeri”): Bel raggio luilnghler (“Semiramlde”); Nacqul all’affano (“Cenerentola’’): Fac ut portem ("Stahat Mater”). Teresa Berganza (mezzo-soprano) with Alexander Gibson conducting the London Symphony Orchestra. Decca stereo SXLM.2I32 (121 n

Teresa Berganza is one of the most exciting singers to appear for many years. She has a voice of extreme beauty, lighter than those of Italian mezzos such as Simionato and Stignani, but more evenly produced and under much greater control. There is no other mezzo-soprano with anything like her command of colouratura. As she is Spanish as well, comparisons with Conchita Supervia’s Rossini are inevitable. The honours are about even, Supervia scoring only because of her more vivid treatment of the words and greater vivacity, although Berganza is by no means deficient in these respects. Her legato phrasing is glorious. Rossini for once receives justice. When sung so effortlessly and artistically the bravura and decorations are seen to be an integral part of his musical thought. It is a pity that the other characters were not included in “Per lui che adoro” and “Contro un cor.” The latter, by the way, is the supposedly lost lesson scene from “The Barber of Seville.” It has never actually been lost and it is preferable (and harder to sing) than the interpolations which sopranos make to show off their techniques. The recording and orchestral accompaniment are first-class. It is hoped that H.M.V. will issue her EP of Falla’s Seven Popular Spanish Songs, which has received ecstatic reviews overseas. In the meantime every lover of good singing should hear this recording, which is also available in mono. ROSSINI: "La Boutique Fantasque’’ (arr. -Respighi), Sir Eugene Goossens conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. HMV mono MBLP.IIO4 (10in.). After Rossini’s premature retirement from public musical life, he wrote only some church music and a great quantity of charming trifles bearing such facetious titles as "Valse Antidansante” and “A Hygienic Prelude for Morning Use,” some of which he published under the general title “Sins of Old Age.” Most of them, however, have remained unpublished. In 1919, the Italian composer, Ottorino Resphigi selected Some of these pieces and arranged and orchestrated with great imagination to produce a delightful score for a new Diaghilev ballet, “La Boutique Fantasque.” In this splerididsounding recording, Sir Eugene Goossens, who himself worked with the Russian Ballet a few years later, gives a most winning performance of the complete score. It is not as extrovert in character as the usual performance, but is distinguished by greats accuracy and vitality of rhythm.

BEETHOVEN: Triple Concerto in C major, op. 54. David Oistrakh (violin), Svyatoslav Knushevitsky (’cello), and Lev Oborin (piano) with Sir Malcolm Sargent conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra. Columbia sterfeo 580M.2753 (IMn).

The Triple Concerto is something of a rarity on records, perhaps because of the difficulties of balancing this unusual combination. The music is neither the heaven-storming Beethoven of the great symphonies nor has it the melodic beauty of his other concertos. It is a more formal, less emotional work in which the total ensemble is more important than the soloists. It is certainly a work which anyone with an interest in Beethoven should not ignore. The Oistrakh Trio provides a fine opportunity to get to know it They have solved their internal problems of balance, just as the engineers have successfully balanced them against the orchestra, and a more persuasive performance is unlikely to be found.

BRAHMS: Violin Cdncerto in D major, op. 77. Etodro Wolf (violin) with Anthony Coiling conducting the Sinfonia of London. World Record Club mono TZ.IM and stereo STZ.IH (121 n

Endre Wolf, professor of violin at the Royal College of Music, Manchester, is an able technician. He takes the opening movement of the Brahms violin concerto at an unusually slow pace, emphasising the rhapsodic rather than the tempestuous aspects 'of the music. There is a certain lack of accord between soloist and conductor in this movement, so that violin entries are sometimes slightly anti-climactic after a more powerful orchestral buildup. The slow movement is played beautifully and serenely. In the stereo version the recording seems to change, becoming more distant, with the third movement, the fiery, gypsyish opening of which is rather sedately played. In general the stereo recording is the more spacious but the mono version is more forward and clear. TCHIAKOVSKY: “Swan Lake,” op. 20—excerpts. Ernest Ansermet conducting L’Orchestra de la Suisse Romande. Decca stereo SXLM.2IS3 (12in). There are probably not many collectors without a record of “Swan Lake” excerpts, but should anyone want a stereo collection this one will be found most satisfactory. The orchestral playing is good and the recording suffers only from some congestion in the full passages. Some of the rhythms in the ball scene are a bit heavy-footed but the Spanish, Neapolitan (with a splendid trumpeter) and Hungarian dances which follow are most stylish.