RECORDED MUSIC

Evening Star, Issue 22276, 29 February 1936, Page 6

RECORDED MUSIC

[By Erato.]

Two exceptional instrumental sets take pride of place in the March issues. The first of these is Arthur Rubinstein. playing the Busoni arrangement of the great Bach toccata in C major. It is a monumental performance by one of the greatest Bach interpreters, clear and vivid in. .every cadence. One of the distinguished characteristics of this brilliant interpretation is its absolute simplicity. Rubinstein plays with remarkable facility and with an impeccable touch, and with his great technical mastery is allied scholarly musicianship. Then there is Heifetz and the London Philharmonic Orchestra playing the Vieuxtemps’ concerta (No. 4) in D major. Vieuxtemps, a Belgian, was one of the celebrated violinists of the last century, and his six concertos, which will be quite unfamiliar to most concert-goers in the Dominion, are all highly interesting works. This particular concerto could bpve had no more gifted exponent than Jascha Heifetz, who is unquestionably one of the great tonalists of the violin. Heifetz establishes a vibrant lead, and the orchestra, conducted by John Barbirolli, one the eminent young men in English music, is sensitively attuned to him. Heifetz makes the concert a series of finely etched scenes, all indivisibly linked into one charming whole. Heading the vocal list is a performance by the diminutive Lily Pons of •Una Poco Fa’ from the first act of Rossini’s ‘ Barber of Seville.’ This is, of course, a celebrated coloratura air, and Pons revels in its complexities. She gives a brilliant display of her high technical attainments, and develops the aria to an electrifying climax—on a high F. Pons has been in turn a concert pianist, a comedienne on the legitimate stage, an opera singer, a radio star, and, latest of all, a picture star. Born in Cannes, she graduated from the Paris Conservatoire of Music with high honours. After a brief career as a pianist, she decided to become an actress instead, and played in repertoire in France. At 21,'she began to study singing. Five years ago she made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York and became one of the most popular artists in operatic history. Tho Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra, now a regular contributor to tho monthly issues is represented in the March list with a performance of the imperishable ‘ Blue Danube ’ waltz by Johann Strauss the younger. Eugene Ormandy is the verilo young conductor of this great orchestra, and his individuality of style is refreshingly indicated in his treatment of this famous waftz. The London Palladium Orchestra, under Richard Crean. offers an attractive arrangement of well-known waltzes under tho title of ‘ Charm of the Vnlso.’ They are’interpreted with a decided veive and swing.