RECORDS Menuhin Conducts And Plays Bach Concertos

Press, Volume C, Issue 29682, 28 November 1961, Page 22

RECORDS Menuhin Conducts And Plays Bach Concertos

J. S BACH: Violin Concerto in A minor, BWV.IMI; Violin Concerto In E major, BWV.IM3. Yehudi Mennhin (violin) with the Robert Mailer* Chamber Orcheatta. Double Concerto tn I) minor. 8WV.1043. Yehudi Menuhin (violin! and Christian Ferras (violin) with the Festival Chamber Orchestra. Conducted by Yehndl Menuhin. H.M.V. mono MALP.I7M (IZin, 42s •d) A perfect answer is provided here for the problem of anyone setting out to collect records of Bach’s concertos for the violin, for they are all on this disc in performances that are wholly admirable. Menuhin returns to the procedure of Bach’s own time by conducting the orchestra as well as playing the solo and there is similar historical authenticity in his interpretation. The fast movements are always alert and vital, never mechanical and the slow movements in the solo concertos are full of feeling—in other hands the slow movement of the A minor concerto, especially, is nearly always dry and bor-

C ing. In the Double Concerto, ' Menuhin's style is well ' matched by Ferras and their ? tones intertwine gloriously in the beautiful slow movement. 1 Cellos and basses sound a • little distant in the A minor * concerto, but otherwise the recorded sound is very good. MAHLER: Lied er elnes tahrenden GeseUcn; KlndertotenUeder. Chrlita Ludwig (merro- soprano) with the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Sir Adrian Boult and Andre Vandernoot. Record Society stereo 1 SRZ6OII and mono RZ.6011 f (12in,3»s>. a Christa Ludwig is one of r the most interesting German 1 singers to appear in recent 1 years. She is gifted with a c voice that is richly coloured c and well managed (save for c a tendency to become un- r steady in loud passages) and s in these two orchestral song- s cycles she shows herself to c have considerable interprets- s tive powers, especially feeling for words. The varying moods of the “Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen" (Songs of a Wayfarer) are vividly realised, the thrilling outbursts in the third song and the rapturous ending being especially moving. Boult’s rhythm is a little loose in places, but the orchestral sounds are superb. ‘Kindertotenleider” (Songs on the death of children) can easily become sentimental Kathleen Ferrier did not avoid this trap—but Ludwig’s sombreness never degenerates into mawkishness and there is ’ marvellous bite in her enun- f elation of the bitter opening ‘ words of “In diesem Wetter.” r Vandernoot accompanies ! worthily. Both cycles are . sumptuously recorded in 1 stereo and the mono version ® is also very good, although • it has not quite the same de- 1 gree of presence. ' VILLA-LOBOS: String t Quartet No. 6 in E major. I WALTON: String Quartet In c E minor. The Hollywood String Quartet. Record So- I ciety mono RZ.6010 (12in, t 30s). 1 Although they have a de- f cade behind them, these re- 1 cordings still sound perfectly f acceptable and anyone look- I ing for a couple of quartets r outside the standard reper- i toire may be well suited by I these. A particularly engaging 1 work is the quartet by Villa- 1 Lobos, the extraordinarily f prolific Brazilian composer— I he left some 1500 composi- s tions behind him when he t died at 72 a couple of years t ago. It is coloured by many ' strongly Brazilian touches I and is a lively work, full 1 of originality and freshness, s

The Hollywood players seem to find thus too, for they give an immensely zestful and dashing performance. The Walton Quartet, which was written in IM7, is also splendidly performed. It is less immediately attractive than the Villa-Lobos, but it should appeal to admirers -of Walton’s sinewy style. TCHAIKOVSKY: “The Sleeping Beauly” Ballet, Op. 66—execrate. Efrem Knrtee conducting the PhUharmonte Orchestra with Yehudi Menuhin (violin). H.M.V. mono MALP.UM (Itln. 42. 6d). Menuhin’s contribution nere is limited to one solo (beautifully played), but those who are enticed into buying the record by the appearance on the sleeve of his name in letters as large as the conductor's are unlikely to be disappointed. Both Kurtz’s conducting and the Philharmonia’s playing are up to the same high standard and the sound is full-bodied and clear. Also available in stereo • PETER PEARS (tenor) with Benjamin Britten (piano) and Julian Bream (lute): Gesang des Harfners, No. 1: Der Museiwohn; Du hist die Ruh’ (Schuhert); Is my team ploughing (Butterworth): Go not, happy day (Bridge); Let the Florid music praise (“On This island” Britten); Before Life and After (“Winter Words” Britten); Fine knacks for ladies (Dewland): What then is love: Whether men do laugh or weep (Rosseter); It was a lover and his lass (Morley). Ilecca mono 8RM.306S (loin, 255). Pears and Britten are magnificent interpreters of Schubert (H.M.V. should issue their version of “Die Schone Mullerin’') but the singer is not at his best in the Schubert songs on this disc. He is over-recorded, his tone spreads unpleasantly and his tremelo manifests itself, so that the considerable interpretative values of the performances are overshadowed by aural discomfort. The English songs are also uncomfortably recorded, with a pitch waver spoiling a masterly performance of Britten’s Thomas Hardy setting, “Before Life and After.” The lute songs apparently come from the splendid PearsBream 12in stereo LP issued recently, although the Morley item was not on that disc. Unless the Morley is particularly wanted, however, the larger disc should be preferred. The present record, in Decca’s “Artists’ Portraits" series, does not'really do justice to Pears’ gifts in lieder and modem English song, while no-one who has not heard his performances in Britten’s operas can fully appreciate his powers.