Music from the Disc

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 26, 30 July 1927, Page 24

Music from the Disc

(A, Fascinating Masterpiece. .;_ "Forellen Quintet ("The Trout.) — Schubert. Five records in art album. ,i This remarkbale work takes its name . jifrom the Fourth Movement, which is (.built up of a. set of variations of Schu-' ybert's \vell-known song, "The Trout." £I?his, to my mind, is.the best movement' the lot. The whole work, however, lis indescribably lovely. Schubert is a feornpospr of lyrics without peer 'in the pealing of music,, and the quintet is jjchiefly remarkable for a series of beautiful song-like melodies that rnu ithrongh it. This makes it at once one fi&'the' most easily-understood and refreshingly delightful of his works. It 'f,£s peculiarly ; rich in melodic themes, one may jib at the expense of . gbnytng fiye 12-Jnch records in one burst, S,the investment is a safe and a happy ;*.wte... The beauty and variety of the, . ■ jth^m'es, the classical structure of the ' |;whole, and the artistically balanced ylaying which graces this performance, must make this work an inexhaustable iource of-delight for anyone who can. ■afford it. Considering the beauty of 'the.Work and the playing, and the faultless, recording, I should class this as the test example of chamber music that can be bought in record form. I can '. J>iefc no holes in the composition any- . ."where. Every movement has its own v glories, but after tho Fourth I should plump for the Third, a' lively'bubbling Scherzo in which the main theme is ;.. giyen.to the strings, with tricky little in- . ferjections by the piano. Another notable feature of "The Trout" is the' way it illustrates Schubert;'s foiidBess for a prominent bass part, excellently undertaken by Claud Hobday. Ethel Hobday is at the piano, and we know the merit of her • playing. Altogether a set of records that every gramophono lover should .. strive to possess. Mark Hambourg in Concerto. - ■_ ■ Mark Hambourg and the Royal Albert Hall Orchestra conducted by Sir Landon Ronald have recorded on four ' -fliscs Tscliaikovsky 's first piano concerto, in B flat minor. This very popular work is not one of those that can bear a close examination. From the structural point of view it has little of interest to show. It is undeniably effective, and wnilo we have pianists to "go for j&* in the proper masterful manner/- 1 ixz& conductors to give a glowing account ef the score and set flowing those broad spontaneous tunes out of ■which it is built, it will always hold a Ulaee in the public favour (remarks a . critic). Hambourg and Sir Landon arc able to do these things, and the-result is..a fine iccoxding. The piano is not yet fully conquered by tho gramophone, and .some of Hambourg s work reproduces very percussively. • I think he might havfl tried more to coax the tone from -hi/;, instrument in the melody of theslow Instead, of being polite and saying, Vlf you please," he : says f'Gi've .me,", and the piano bristles, as we would in like circumstances, and answers with hard tones which make a poor show immediately after the charming performance by the flute. "When the same theme comes late from the 'cellos, Hambourg covers it up too much with his figuration. ■ He also uses pe-lal rather freely in some of the big octave work; Having said these things, I have mentioned all that may treasonably bo complained"of.' Tho"pia"no cadenza in tho first movement is a very successful bit of recording, and the orchestra is always good. .The most thrilling parts of this record are the Introduction, which is splendidly done, and the close of the last movement, which is equally exciting. A special album containing an analysis of the" music goes with the complete set of discs. ' Superb Baritone. ' • "Elegie" (Massenet) and "Ideale" (Tosti). Sung by Kiccardo Stracciari, baritone. These two serenely graceful songs call for a dignity of utterance . -which I would put beyond tho powers of any living baritone save Stracciari. To-day ho stands alone in his class. It would be .hard to match him in any single department of his art; where elso is the--range, the volume, the ease, tho velvety richness that he exhibits in "every one of his recordings'? But here .is something more. Like a true artist, ■he impresses moro witli his imaginative ■qualities than he does through sheer technique, and he makes these two grand songs into sheer masterpieces of ; the ..singer's art. Very fine records. .-.Slight-Music. Records made by light orchestras.arc - increasing in number, and are beginning to show a wider view of their mv- ' sical responsibilities. We still have ' .the earlier style of things, as represented to-dny in. an Old Spanish Song play-ed-by Do G'root and his Piccadilly Or- " ehestra," or by a Salon Orchestra which ' has recorded "Out i»f tho Dusk, to You" and "Eleanor*' (not ColeridgeTaylor's "Eleauore," but a young lady of the clinging kind who, I am certain, • ... would make a poor show in domestic '. science). On the expensive side, with their heavenward-floating trivialities, •■ these- sentimentally sentimental num- - bei's arc like over-ripe fruit. Eepre- ... senting the better style are a Salon , String Orchestra's records of "O . Star of Eve," honestly expressed, and the "Poupee Valsante" of Poldini, a bright little trifle well played. The - New Light Symphony Orchestra have ..recorded the "Barcarolle" and the .;''lnterniezzo. ". Back to back thoy v~lie, as tho songs says, both on one disc and both well done. Pryor's Baud as- • ; sisted by Margaret M'Kce arid Billy ;'- Murray, expert whistlers, have recorded . "'The Whistler and His Dog" (in which :';" the dumb friend of man is only remem- ■ .bored at tho last bar, when lie barks gratefully) and "The Warbler's Sercn- • ade" (in which the "bird interpolations" promised arc pretty tame). The , .Band of the Second Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders offer "The Great .. Little Army" on one side; on the other pipes join in a rather slow per■"■■d?*rmance of "Thou Hast Left Me Ever, Jamie,?? and a properly brisk one of :. "The Road to the Isles'.'"' ] Harold Williams. ... , •'Like to the Damask Hose" (El- . gar) and "The Two Grenadiers" (Schumann). Sung . by- Harold Williams, . baritone. We arc all pleased to hear of this excellent Australian baritone's . successes in the' opera, season at Covent • . Garden. . He deserves it; we can 'say • that, if we had no more evidence than •: • this record before us. Blgar's music 'is a test for any singer. It relies more .'upon intellectual force than upon melodic felicities, and though "Like to ■: the Damask Rose" shows him in gentler • and more tuneful vein than usual, it still requires all the depth • of . feeling, all the painstaking thoughtful- . ness that Harold Williams has given it, ■to make' it so completely successful. ' "The Two Grenadiers" is a simpler matter, and it is a joy to hear Harold -■Williams unbend and touch its spirited : tune with the fire of enthusiasm. ■"Tannhauser" Overture. The "■■Taimhauser" overture, as re- • corded under Contcs in three parts, . runs its normal course, except that ho : Tushes things in tho section leading from, the second song to Venus to the return of the Pilgrims' Chorus. The effect is quite good, but less wild than' nne expected from Coatcs. The recording is splendid. The vacant side of tho second disc, contains the Dance of the Apprentices from. "TUu Master-

singers," in which the glockenspiel ia not quite clear. The recording machine has liked the quality so much it holds on to a note here and there jiist a little longer than the law allows. Violin Technique. "Polonaise" (Vauxtompsi, • "La Ronde dcs Lutins" (Bazzini), violin solos by Mayer Gordon; Most people, I fancy,- will prefer these, records not so much for their musical merits, which are slight, as for. the be-, wildering brilliance of Mr. Gordon'stechnique. He makes his violin 'do amazing things with the utmost ease. The speed alone would baffle many a. great player, but to the incredible speed he adds a firm sense of rhythm, and never sacrifices the beauty of tone that we expect from a violinist of such class. Anyone interested in the craftsmanship of violin playing will surely hold this as the most intriguing record ia their collection;: even the novice cannot fail to miss the daring virtuosity. The recording has come out well, in spite of the strain upon it. Children who still believe in fairies are catered for by Charles Penrose and 'Sydney Coltham on three discs which relate various adventures experienced by Jack and Molly with the Rainbow Fairy, Tippity Witche.t, the Fairy Dragon Fly, the Dream PedUVr, Indians, and Pirates. There are many magic journeys, and a visit to, among other places, the Well-I-Never Land. Some of our modern children-are too clever to bol'eve in fairies, but, I-think, oven they will enjoy these records. "Cavalleria Busticana" (Maseagni), "Easter Kyinn," in 2 parts, sung by the Columbia Opera Chorus. To the average man "Cavalleria- Rusticana" is the most gaudy of the operas, and chiefly because it has been so often murdered oh barrel organs. But the "Easter Hymn" has always remained a haven of retsfulness. It moves like the pealing of a great Cathedral organ, and out of its lofty phrases the Columbia Opera Chorus have made a record that will be treasured by all lovers of good music. Recording is never particularly generous to chorus work, but even if the words are not too clear, nothing is lost of the stateliness and grandeur of this great excerpt. Using for Schubert's "Unfinished Symphony" (Covent Garden Orchestra's recording), my usual needle for orchestral records, writes a keen gramophonist, I could not get the proper subtlety, not even at the opening, where tho 'cellos and double basses sounded too reedy and the tone was much too healthy for pianissimo. The pizzicato notes for tbe basses at the opening of tho second movement were similarly out, being ponderous and disillusioning. I found I could not got what I wanted till I used the "soft" needle, a needle which is generally much too refined "for my taste. Evidently these "Unfinished" records are more loudly voiced than usual. With this soft needle the reproduction is well in scale and .altogether very good, except for! some vibration in the violin tone when these instruments play- that leaping figure in the second "tutti" of the second movement. The performance has many nice touches. "I Care for Him" and "Ukulele Lullaby."" Sung by the Trix Sisters. A brilliant example.of how personality can "get across" on a record. Seeing tho Trix Sisters, one would imagine that most of their triumph came from their lively presence and their winning gestures and smiles. But without any of these aids they sing two very familiar song-hits in a way that sets us all joining in the chorus. Thoy must carry their liveliness in their voices. - Sydney Coltham sings well but too sentimentally in ..Tosti's "Mattinata" and • Toselli's '^Serenade,' and the numbers are too much in the same style. He is better in the set of children's Christmas records. Walter Glyiinc is another tenor who is too tearfully tender. His songs arc'"Smiling Through" •and "Just Because the Violets," the latter being' accompanied by piano, violin, and vibraphone. The last-nam-od must be the special attachment with which some singers we know arc fitted. Finally, "Tho Silver Masked Tenor 1'J (not otherwise identified for us) has recorded "Mother Machroe" and "A Little Bit of Heaven," singing in what to me is quite a normal niiinner. He niiikcs throe syllables of "Ireland." Is this another injustice? Tlie whispering bnritono I know. The silver masked tenor I iiavc just met. 1 await wilh eager anticipation the confidential 'contralto and the softly-sighing soprano. There must be a big public for (ho intimate art of chamber music' One of tho latest exampics'of recording is that: of the Budapest String Quartette hi Dvorak's Quartette in F Major, known as the "Nigger" Quartette. Dvorak's visit to America was responsible for the mu'tteivof the composition, and although he took negro melodies and syncopation for his material he passed it through the mould of his mind and created a charming quartette which combines the old and the new in styles. The Budapest String Quartette, naturally, play it with wonderful skill, and the recording of tho three . discs is worthy of the work and the performance. The familiarity with the quartette, which is possible through the medium of the record, explains why this charming composition became popular.