Records: Souzay’s Schubert

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30107, 16 April 1963, Page 15

Records: Souzay’s Schubert

SCHUBERT: Songs—Der Wanderer; Auf der Brack; Nacht und Traume; An Sylvia; Die Forelle: Der zwerg; Erlkonig; Heidenroslein; Ditbyrambe; Die Liebe hat gelogen: Der Doppelganger; Frnhllngs traume; Der Schiffer; Wanderers Mach tiled 11. Gerard Souzay (baritone) and Dalton Baldwin (piano).

Philips mono A.00461.L (12in, 42s 6d).

Souzay and Baldwin here present some of the greatest Schubert Heder performances ever recorded. Souzay made fine recordings of most of these songs for Decca some years ago. His interpretations have changed little, but he now sings this music with perceptibly greater spontaneity and assurance. Baldwin now seems pre-eminent among lieder accompanists, for he has an intensity—as shown in “Der Erik on ig”—which Gerald Moore does not command. Also. Moore is so busy nowadays that his recent performances are apt to sound somewhat characterless and machine-made by comparison with his playing a few years ago. Souzay’s vocalism is masterly, from top to bottom of his big range. The firm dark, low notes are specially fine, although he does not sustain the final low note of “Der Wanderer”—he just touches it, then leaps up an octave to the high alternative. The standard of performance is so uniformly high that it is impossible to pick out any songs. The special atmosphere of each song is realised. For each song he adopts a basic tone Colour which he shades subtly. Fischer-Dieskau, with his restless changes of tone colour, sounds mannered by comparison. Souzay was for so long handicapped by overdose recording that it is a great pleasure to note that, as in his recent Schumann collection, Philips have kept a true perspective. Now they should give us his Faure disc.

VICTORIA DE LOS ANGELES (soprano) and Gerald Moore (piano): Proserpina—E • dove t'aggiri (Sacrati); Le Violette (A. Scarlatti); Josbua—Oh. had I Jubal’s lyre (Handel): Der Tod und das Madchen; Wohln; An die Musik (Schubert); Dein blaues Augen; VergebUches Standchen (Brahma); Chanson d’amour; Clair de lune (Faure); Callejo; El tra la la (Granadoa); No qulero tus avellanas; Como quieres que adivlne (Guridi); Grana-

dlna; El vito; Pano murciano (arr. Nin); Tu pupila es azul (Turina); Clavelito (Valverde); Adios Granada (Barrera and Calleja). HMV stereo ASDM.4IS (12in, 42a 6d) Mono alao available.

One of the abiding mysteries of the concert world is the reason why singers choose to warm up at the start of their programmes by singing a group of arias from the seventeenth or eighteenth centuries—music which more than most demands bel canto singing by a Singer who is well warmed up. The three arias with which Victoria de los Angeles begins this recital may in fact have been the last items recorded, but they are the least successful things in the collection. The arsa by Francesca Sacrati is an exceedingly dull affair; the Alessandro Scarlatti is not given much character and the Handel is not only taken at a cautious pace, but the singer breaths in the middle of the runs, which are roughly sung anyway. The Schubert group, on the other hand, is so good that one wonders why she has not recorded more lieder Gerald Moore's playing is a

bit too discreet and in the second Brahms song distinctly pedestrian. The two Faure songs are sung in odd French but with wonderful freshness. Then comes the big Spanish group, with los Angeles announcing the title and composer of each song. Apart from a very sugary “Clavelitos,” these are superb and. as in her concerts, los Angeles plays her own guitar accompaniment to die last song. Whatever occasional reservations one may have, the beauty of the singing and the quality of the material combine to make this one of the most enjoyable song recitals available. HANDEL: Messiah—Pastoral Symphony; There were shepherds; And to, the angel ot the Lord; And the angel said; And suddenly; Glory to God: Rejoice greatly; Then shall the eyes of the blind: He shall feed His flock; Thy rebuke; Behold and see; How beautiful are the feet: I know that my Redeemer; If God be for us; Worthy is the Lamb. Joan Sutherland (soprano) and Grace Bumbry (contralto) with Sir Adrian Boult conducting the London Symphony Chorus and Orchestra. Decca mono LXTM.6OIO (12in, 42s 6d). The of this collection, which presents all the soprano music in “Messiah,” -is Sir Adrian Boult’s second complete recording of the Julian Herbage edition from Handel’s original scores. In Handel’s day singers were expected to fill out the written music with trills, cadenzas and other decorations. Joan Sutherland does all this and does it so well that the rightness of the practice Is obvious. It comes as a shock when Grace Bumbry, who has a good voice but seems a rather stolid artist. sings heavily through "He shall feed His flock” in the bad old way without even a single trill. Sutherland’s vocalism is superb and the recording is perhaps the best her voice has yet had Her concern for stylistic authenticity, however. does not always extend beyond the embellishments, and there is a decidedly nineteenth century air about her slurs and swoops in the string of recitatives following the Pastoral Symphony. Similarly, she moons over “I know that my Redeemer liveth” like some romantic heroine, whereas she should sound confident and affirmative. There is great virtuosity in her singing of “Rejoice Greatly,” but she loses the rhythm in the runs. Otherwise, her singing is very beautiful and all the interpolations are handled with great sensitivity. Her exceedingly sorrowful singing of “Thy Rebuke” —Handel gave this recitative and its following aria as soprano options—is entirely appropriate. The two choruses are splendidly sung and the record is strongly recommended to all who have an interest in “Messiah.” Even those who already have the earlier Boult set should have this disc as an appendix to it.

VERDI: H Trovatore —excerpts. Elizabeth Fretwell (soprano), Patricia Johnson (mezzo-soprano), Charles Craig (tenor) Peter Glossop (baritone) with Michael Moores conducting the Sadler’s Wells Chorus and Orchestra. HMV stereo CSDM.I44O (12in. 39s «d). Mono also available.

The new translation used in this Sadler’s Wells performance is as full of absurd operatic English as any older one and there is Httle concern for relating the sounds of the words to the shape of the music, but those who favour opera translated into the vernacular do not usually worry about such points anyway Apart from the fact that the music is not sung to the sounds which were partly responsible for the form it takes, there is some good singing here Charles Craig is slpendidly heroic as the Troubador; Peter Glossop has a voice of thrilling power, although he does not always use it with much subtlety: and Patricia Johnson is a light-voiced but highly musical Azucena Elizabeth Fretwell. however, is a routine, raw-toned Leonora. The conductor handles detail well but lacks feeling for the sweep of the score. The sleeve lists the Auckland bass, Donald Mclntyre, in the part of Fernando. but he is only beard here in a few lines with the excellent chorus.

BIZET: Les Pecheurs de Perles. Janine Micheau (soprano), Nicolai Gedda (tenor). Ernest Blanc (kart-

tone) and Jacques Mars (bass) with Pierre Dervaux conducting the Chorus and Orchestra of I’OperaComique, Paris. Columbia stereo 5AXM.2442/3 (two 12in. Sss). Mono also available.

“The Pearl Fishers,” Bizet’s first big opera, is mainly known nowadays as the source of a famous tenorbaritone duet and one or two arias. It contains a good deal of enjoyable music, but this performance does not form very compelling advocacy of the work’s merits. Ernest Blanc, with his big, rich voice, is the best of the principals. The übiquitous Nicolai Gedda is, as always, conscientious and competent without providing either vocal or musical thrills, and Janine Micheau, although she sings with style than the others, simply no longer has the voice. This music needs sensuously beautiful singing and her voice now sound frayed. Dervaux handles the score firmly but he allows the chorus to sing very untidily. Apart from a few spots of pre-echo, the recording is good.

ORFF: Carolina Burana. Eugene Ormandy conducting the Rutgers University Choir and the Philadelphia Orchestra, with Janice Harsanyi (soprano), Rudolph Petrak (tenor) and Harve Presnell (baritone). Coronet stereo KLCS.2BO2 (121 n 42s Cd). Mono also available.

Admirers of Orff's music should not mass this one. The Rutgers choir sings with a brilliance and richness of sound that makes it a worthy collabarator of the great Philadelphia Orchestra, and Ormandy directs a performance of great vitality. Presnell is an exceptional baritone soloist, and tenor and soprano are both good, although she cannot float her voice in her aria as well as some others on records. The stereo sound is magnificent