Records The Other 'Erl-King’

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29722, 16 January 1962, Page 9

Records The Other 'Erl-King’

BANS HOTTER (baritone) and Gerald Moore (piano): Schubert—lm FruhUng, D. 892; Der Llndenbaum (WinterreUe, DJ11); Sei mlr gecrUMt, D. 741; Wanderer* NachUed U, D.7«S; Gebeimes, D. 719. Richard Strausa—Ach, wch mir ungulckhaftem Mann, Op. 21, No. 4; Ich trage meine Minne, Op. 32, No. 1. Schumann—Die belden Grenadiere, Op. 49, No. 1; Mondnacht (Leiderkreis, Op. 39). Wolf—Nimmeraatte Liebe; Anakreona Grab. Loewe—Der Erlkong, Op: 1, No. 3; Edward, Op. 1, No. 1. Record Society mono RZ.6614 (12in, 3(H). Not the least valuable items in this fine programme are the two songs by Cart: Loewe (1796—1869). His set-1 ting of Goethe's “The Erl-1 King” is arguably finer than Schubert’s famous one—certainly in the Loewe version the Erl-King’s blandishments have a sinister undertone that is unforgettable. Loewe wrote his song in 1818, three years after Schubert’s version which had not then been 1 published. “Edward” is a magnificently suspenseful setting of a German translation of the old Scottish ballad. In these as in the more familiar items, the veteran Hotter reveals himself as a fine lieder singer, with the easy authority of a seasoned artist. He rarely descends to the selfconscious point-making that is the hallmark of so many of today’s lieder singers. One or two of the songs—“ Der Lindenbaum,'’ for instance—do not suit his voice very well and a tremolo mars loud passages such as the “Marseillaise’’ climax of “Die beiden Grenadiere,” but otherwise the recital is highly enjoyable, with Gerald Moore in his finest form. Apart from some over-close microphone placement, the sound is good. The sleeve is all that could be asked; it bears notes on the songs, the original texts and literal translations. PROKOFIEV: Piano Concerto No. 1 in D-flat major, Op. 10; Plano Concerto No. 3 in C major, Op. 26. Moura Lympany (piano) with Walter Susskind conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra. Record Society stereo 5RZ.6013 and mono RZ.6013 (121 n 30s). Moura Lympany is usually associated with music of the romantic era, but here she shows great affinity for the wry brilliance as well as the subsidiary lyrical aspects of Prokofiev's Third Concerto, which she plays with brilliant tone and greait rhythmic verve. She plays splendidly too in the enjoyable first concerto. It caused a minor scandal when it was first performed as Prokofiev's graduation work at the St Petersburg Conservatoire, but on the whole it only hints at the later Prokofiev. The soloist is splendidly accompanied and the sound is excellent in both its forms.

MOZART: “Die Zauberflote”—Overture; Der Vogelfanger bln Ich Ja; Dies Blldnls; O zlttre nicht; Bel Mannern; O Isis und Osiris; Der Hoile Rathe; In diesen heil’gen Hallen; Ach, Ich fuhls; O Isis und Osiris; Ein Madchen Oder Weibchen; Papagena, Papagena. Wilma Lipp, Irmgard Seefried; Emmy Loose (sopranos), Anton Dermota (tenor), Erich Kunz (baritone) and Ludwig Weber (bass), with Herbert von Karajan conducting the Vienna Gesellschaft der Muslkfreunde and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. Columbia mono 33MCX.1572 (121 n. 42s 6d).

The complete recording from which these excerpts come was made about 10 years ago, and although the present disc was cut much more recently, its age is apparent, chiefly in the excessive prominence of the voices—a fault which disfigured many early LP vocal recordings. The male voices especially are affected by this, regrettably, for they are a good trio. Kunz is a charming and stylish Papageno, Dermota a lyrical Tamino, and Weber is as noble a Sarastro as any in complete recordings of the opera. Seefried is not very well recorded and she sings Pamina's sorrowful “Ach, ich fuhls” a little jerkily, but Lipp gives an excellent performance as the Queen of the Night, tossing off the coloratura accurately, even at the fast and furious pace at which Karajan takes her vengeance aria. Karajan’s tempi, in fact, are on the fast side throughout, but they only become uncomfortably brisk in the Pamina-Papa-geno duet, “Bei Mannern,” which is decidedly inelegant. The priests’ chorus, ‘O Isis und Osiris,” is sung and conducted with great fervour. No other substantial collection of excerpts from this gyeat opera is available, so this one—which includes all the arias but one, two duets and a chorus—will be found useful in spite of its sonic shortcomings.

BEETHOVEN; String Quartets—No. 5 in A major, Op. IS, No. 5; No. « in Bflat major. Op. 19, No. 6. The Hungarian String Quartet. Record Society mono RZ.6015 (121 n 30s). The Hungarian Quartet’s complete series Of Beethoven’s string quartets reaches the end of the early Op.lB set with two characteristically polished performances. The Hungarians play with great elegance and technical finish and they have been well recorded, with more apace around the instruments than in some of their earlier recordings in this series.