RECORDED MUSIC

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVII, 24 September 1927, Page 10

RECORDED MUSIC

THE WEEK’S NEW RECORDS. CHOPIN “PICTURES.” Much has already been written of the Splendid set of Chopin “Preludes” played for H.M.V. hy Alfred Cortot, the famous pianist. Here is a delightful little interpretation, written when the records were issued: “It has been said, and not without truth, that, had we nothing of Chopin’s other than the we should still possess a complete epitome of his art. None can listen to them, at any rate, without learning a great deal about what tjiopm stands for in piano music; they will learn, also, more than a little about Cortot’s approach to Chopin, and this apart from the verbal “interpretations” he has seen fit to suppl v lor them. Some of these are apt enough. “Beside a tomb” well befits the Prelude in E minor; after all, was it not played at the composer's funeral service? In the so-called “Raindrop” Prelude, Mr. Cortot sees a young mother rocking her child—a nightmare—a scaffold waiting for her son—and so forth. Niecks saw a procession of monks chanting lugubriously. A purely musical imagination might see in the music a little adventure of the note A flat. How ever, we can please ourselves in this connection; the great thing is that we have the music, that Cortot is a line pianist in it, and that the recording has an uncommonly high degree of tonaf fidelity. THE CREAM OF THE ORGAN DISCS, Among several H.M.V. organ recordings issued in recent months, two are of outstanding musical interest. In any list of the greatest works written for the instrument, Bach’s “D minor Toccata and Fugue ’ would inevitably find a place; even the pianists have annexed i, iv. keyboard. Mr. G. D. Cunningham has recorded it for H.M.V.• he is the Birmingham city organist, and admired in that capacity, which would alone recommend the disc in his city (says a reviewer). But a truer recommendation is in the playing, which is masterly in every musicianlv way. The “Toccata” has the clarity of the touch-piece its name implies it to be. With it is to be ranked a Dupre disc from the same company; the brilliant French organist is heard m a “Dialogue” by Clerambani-r. -* Parisian organist of the early eighteenth century, and a “Noel” by Daqinn. a French harpsichordist of a generation later who was an organist also. Both are pieces of a rare delicacy, which comes out well in Mr. Dupre’s playing. THE VICAR’S CONVERSION. The Rev. A. H, S. Pattrick, vicar of Washington, Sussex, has written to the H.M.V. Company: “Now that the gramophone reproduces vocal and instrumental music very nearly perfectly, and there are beautiful records of sacred music. I propose to make use of some of these in the place provided for the anthem in the Prayer Book. The uplifting power of beautiful music, wedded to sacred words,' and adequately rendered, : s now brought within reach of every congregation,” THE MATCHLESS “FIFTH.” Of Beethoven's wonderful Fifty Symphony, issued in the H.M.V September list, Berlioz wrote that “it appears to emanate directly auu solely from the genius of Beethoven. It is his own intimate thought which is there developed, and his secret sorrows, his pent-up rage, his dreams so full of melancholy oppression, u's nocturnal visions, and his bursts of enthusiasm furnish its entire subject; while the melodic, harmonic, rhythmic, and orchestral forms are there delineated with an essential novelty and individuality, endowing them also with considerable power and nobleness.” A finer performance of the symphony could scarcely be desired. A FRUITFUL YEAR. The last year has been rich n improvements m gramophony. These improvements bare been twofold. There has been mechanical advance in plenty, but there has also been extraordinary improvements in public taste. I know (says a Londoner) of several representative cases where, the taste of the entire household has turned deliberately from jazz to music. A chorus girl friend, with dancing rhythm in her blood, has a gramophone (on the instalment system), and many shillings out of her weekly 70/- go to the record shop, but I notice that she plays the H.M.V. “Twilight of the Gods” far oftener than “Who.” Her gramophone is a jov to her because she can through it hear the deep, solemn music for which she craves. And there are many like her. The 19-year-old son of a gardener near me has won some money as a prize and he has treated himself to two large records out of it. One is Handel's “Largo” and the other the “Song of the Volga Boatmen.” HAVE YOU MISSED THIS? Rimsky Korsakov’s keen-edged instrumentation in “Scheherazade ’. (writes an enthusiastic English critic) is reproduced to the life on two records published by H.M.V. The Covent Garden Orchestra, conducted by Gossens, appaituuv eas no Catterall to make the music of the solo violin magical in its arabesque allurements, but the tonal texture on the whole is superb, vibrant with rhythm and Rimsky-Korsakov’s own astringent hues. Here is genuine “Orientalism,” possessing the saarp logic of the arabesque. Chromatic melody by Rimsky-Korsakov rarely provokes the sense of a weakened, over-ripe music; ,his chromaticism seems the outcome of a logical and penetrating musical faculty which finds in half-tonos not myster- but sharper delnition. The aiarooque is always impersonal in expression, and the fantasy of “Scheherazade” asked for an impersonal, or at any rate objective, style of composition. • a break of authentic emotion would seem vulgar in the world of Arabian Nights romance, which, of course, is wholly decorative. These “Scheherazade” records must not be missed. THE GRAMOPHONE IN CHURCH. Gramophone recitals have become established features in tne Ufames Parish Church, Worcestershire (writes the “Musical Times”). ufie programmes of the most recent have included records of Elgar’s second

Symphony and A minor “Pomp and Circumstance” march, “Death and Transfiguration,” Schubert’s Trio in B Flat, solos, and extracts from the B minor Mass. This strikes us as being an excellent feature and well worth noting by those wdio wish to help forwaru the cause of good music in villages. MASTERLY “TRIFLES.” Lemare's “Andantino” must be familiar to most music lovers whether their tastes lean towards the frankly “popular” or in other directions. Kreisler, the master violinist, plays it with superb tone m his latest record for H.M.V., confining if principally to the G string. He has arranged Tschaikovsky’s quaint little “Humoresque,,” already a greatpianoforte favourite, so that it gains additional piquancy in his hands. Both pieces are charming trifles, but played with a master hand, in a masterly manner, they cannot fail to impress the listener. TWO CLASSIC LOVE DUETS. The love duet from Act I of “The Valkyrie” is a perfect piece of recording and singing. The artists are Miss Geta Ljungberg and Mt. Walter Widdop. The former’s lovely soprano voice combines admirably witth the tenor of the latter. Both have surpassed themselves in their rendering of this great Jove duet (H.M.V. DB 963). Another fine love duet is the final scene from “Aida” (H.M.V. D.A. 809). Two superb voices supported by excellent orchestral accompani ment and a rousing chorus produce an effect that is irresistible. Particularly fine is the singing of the two solo artists—Rosa Ponselle and Gio vanni Martinelli. Their voices without a shade of a tremor blend ideally, and there can be no denying the wonderful energy both throw into their work. 1 can highly recommend both these records, feeling confident, that the most exacting critics will not be disappointed with them.