RECORDS Stravinsky Ballets With Voices

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30172, 2 July 1963, Page 16

RECORDS Stravinsky Ballets With Voices

l STRAVINSKY: The W«4SIM. Mlkfred Allen (aoprano), Regina Salarty (metao-aoprarm). Loren DrlaooU (tenor), Robert OUver (MM). Sunuel Barber. Aaron Copland. Lukae Foss, Roger Sessions (pianists*, the American Concert Choir and the Columbia Percussion Ensemble. Renard. George Shirley. Loren Driscoll (tenon), William Murphy baritone), Donald Gramm (baas). Toni Koves (cimbalom) and the Columbia Chamber Ensemble. Ragtime far 11 instruments. Toni Koves (cimbalom) and the Columbia Chamber Ensemble. All conducted by Igor Stravinsky. C.B.S. Coronet stereo or mono KLC.2830 (Ilin. 42s Bd*.

Philips's splendid Stravinsky series on Coronet continues to grow and the latest addition presents some highly entertaining examples of the old master’s music between 1914 and 1923, when “The Wedding” ("Les Noces") was written tar the Diaghilev ballet. A series of tableaux depicting a Russian peasant wedding, it is an intensely Russian work. The toss of the Russian speech rhythms on which is it founded is a drawback. The English text substituted here fits the music awkwardly and gives the singers such problems of diction that there is little gain in intelligibility. However, Stravinsky and the distinguished American composers who play the piano parts keep the rhythm splendidly tight and vital and the performance as a whole is immensely exhilarating. Like “The Wedding,” “Renard” (“The Fox”) ,was a ballet with song based on Russian folk song and the substitution of English for the original Russian text results in a slight dilution of musical values, but here it is possible to get the gist of the story, which concerns those fine old Russian folk characters, the fox, the cock, the cat, and the goat. "Renard" dates from 1915, three years before the Ragtime, which was inspired by a collection of sheet music brought to Stravinsky from America by Ernest Ansermet. The jazzy music anticipates the style of “The Soldier’s Tale” and the Hungarian cimbalom provides a delightfully exotic sound. For sampling the opening of “Renard” is recommended. The stereo sound is firstclass.

J. S. BACH: Toccata, Adagio and Fugue in C, BWV.SM; Toccata and Fugue in D minor, 8WV.565; Toccata and Fugue in F, 8WV540; Fantaria and Fugue in G minor, BWV.S42, Fernando German* (organ). World Record Club mono TZ.707 (12in, 26s 6d).

After the magnificent Record Society series of Bach organ works played by German! comes this opportunity for members of the parent 1 club. German! again plays ,the superb organ of St. Laurens Church at Alkmaar, Holland, and the instrument lis beautifully recorded. Ger- , mani’s choice of tonal colours is consistently satisfying and he shapes the music with strong, clean Lines and sure , rhythms.

BEETHOVEN: Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58. Emil Gilels (piano) with Leopold Ludwig conducting the Philharmoma Orchestra. World Record Club stereo STZ.7O9 or mono TZ.700 (12in, 26s 6d*.

I Gilels, a splendid pianist 1 who has been somewhat overshadowed in the public eye by his compatriot, Richter, gives a leisurely and lyrical account of this wonderful concerto. He brings great clarity (except for some surprising scrambled passages in the finale) and poetry to the solo part and he has a splendid collaboration with the orchestra. In the club’s supplementary repertoire it replaces the great performance of Claudio Arrau, presumably because the latter was not available in stereo. The new disc is well recorded in stereo, with plenty of space and depth and an occasional sense of a bare, empty hall that in the mono becomes hollowness. Arrau was better recorded than Gilels in mono. BRITTEN: A Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra. DOHNANYI: Variations on a Nursery Tune. Felix Slatkin conducting the Concerts Arts Orchestra, with Victor Ater (piano). World Record Club, stereo STZ.I92 or mono TZ.162 (Ilin. 26s «d) Britten’s magndflcenrt demometnation of the orchestra almost demands stereo and the two-channel version here is extremely vivid. The mono, too. has great clarity and a wide frequency range, with even greater richness of bass. SLaitkin gives a very lively, even flashy, performance, tending to emphasise the instruments being demonstrated at the expense of the accompanying ones. The Dohnanyi, however, does not really come to Ufe. MAHLER: Ich ring mit Lust; Hans und Grete; Fruhlingsmorgen; Wo die sehoene Trompeten blasen; Der schildwaehe NachtUde; Um schlinyne Kinder; Ich atmet* elnen Linden dnft; Liebhat du um Sehoonheit; Um Mitternacht; Daa irdisehe Leben; Wer hat dies Lledlein erdacht; Lab des hohen Verstandes. Christa Ludwig (meno-ooprano) and Gerald Moore (piano). Record Society stereo SRZ 6063 or mono RZ .0063 (12in. 30a).

AH but four of these songs were written with orchestral accompaniments and to sub-

statute piano reductions is often a considerable disadvantage with a composer possessed at so strong a sense of orchestaal colour as Mahler -—as the note on the handsome sleeve commendably observes. But so fine are Ludwig's sitting and Moore’s piano playing that nearly all the songs are highly enjoyable ait face value in these performances. Even when the toss of the orchesH* is ddstinctJy felrt there is something to enjoy in these splendid songs. Perhaps the military sengs from "Youth’s Magic Horn” suffer most. Ludwig's voice has seldom sounded so fine on records as it does here and she sings with greet intelligence and subtelety of inflexion. In the humorous songs, such as the satirical “Lob des hohen Verstendes.” her indexions are irresistible The recording is excellent in both forms, with no significant difference between the two. RAVEL: Plano Concerto for the Left Hank In D major. DEBUSSY: Fnntaiy for Piano and Orchestra.

Jacques Fevrier piano) with Georges Tziptne conducting the French National Radio Orchestra. Record Society mono RZ.SOSO (IRin, 30e).

Fevrier was chosen by Raved to give the Parisian premiere of the Left-Hand Concerto and here he exhibits a sure grasp of the style and fine technique in an alert and sophisticated performance The Debussy is an early work, written in 1889. Af’er the premiere Debussy forbade further performances.

and. in spite of the performers’ skilled advocacy and a few pleasant moments, there seems no reason seriously to question his judgment. The recorded sound is excellent