RECORDED MUSIC

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVIII, Issue 45, 4 February 1928, Page 15

RECORDED MUSIC

A GREAT 'CELLIST. j,. (a) “The Broken Melody” (b) “Brink To Me Only.” ’Cello Solos by W.H. Squire, ace. at the piano by bir Hamilon Barty. Co. LlOl7. I have often held that squire undoubted master of the 'cello though he is only at his very greatest when he gives us simple melodies of the sort that we find on this record. In phrasing and construction he has many equals, but none at all in that mellifluous roundness of tone that, makes an amateur almost weep at the very perfection of it. These straight forward tunes make the most of that rare quality, and therefore I can well imagine that many a listener, lost in admiration for the beauty of the 'cello tone, could listen to the tunes again and again, and then be unable io recall what the tunes actually were For an old recording, reproduction is astonishingly good. PEEK GYNT SUITE. “Peer Gynt Suite” (Gneg(. Played by the New Queen's Hail Light. Orchestra—2 Records. Co. LISIU-7. This is a rare achievement—a really satisfactory recording of the familiar Peer Gynt music, and we pro. phecy a wide popularity for those two records. The Queen’s Hall Orchestra has dodged the worst pitfall—the temptation to overlard the music with a forced Norwegian colouring. They have remembered that Grieg, is essentially a melodist, and consequent ly these records are a healthy reminder that. tunefulness is not an enemy to good music. “Morning,” somehow a favourite with Corporation Bands, is here played exactly as it should be, with just the right amount of poetic feel ing. Of the other pieces in tile Suite I confess to liking the two popular Dances—Anitra’s Dance and the Dance of the imps. Very good re cording.

THE FAMOUS LENER STRING QUARTET. “Quartet in C Major” (Serenata) Mozart. Played by the Lcncr String Quartet —2 records. Co. L 1729-30. 1 like to think of the Lener Quartet .as quadruplets, all drawing the same salary, for never have 1 heard four players who blend so exquisite ly together. And the recording is equally kind to them; usually it con demns the viola almost unheard and takes heavy toll of the 'cello's lojver notes. Were I given the job of popular ising chamber music, my first move would be to make the possession of these records compulsory by law. Exhilarating, tuneful, easily understood, but none the lees rich, ths Serenata is the perfect expression of this type of music. Mozart's charming grace and crystal-clear simplicity were never more winningly set out; but it would be insulting to expect anything less from the Lener Quartet. SOUVENIR OF A GREAT VISIT. (a) “Ele Danse” (Friedman), (b) (b) “Scherzo in E. Minor” (Men delssohn;. Pianoforte Solos by Ignax Friedman, Co. D 1558. It is a great tribute to Friedman’* musicianship that during his recent and well-remembered tour of New Zealand, we of his numbers were more warmly applauded or more frequently encored, than those of hi» own composition. ‘Elie Danse” was one of these, and this record most, faithfully recalls how zestfully ho flung it off. A trifle, may be; but one that proved his bewildering mastery of execution. More interesting, musically, and of course bet ter known is the jolly Mendelssohn Scherzo. Notice how compactly .it is constructed under Friedman ’r hands; he piles note on note with a definite unified purpose. like a builder adding brick to brick. A BRILLIANT VIOLINIST. (a) “Guitarre” (Moskowski), (b) “Bretislav” (Bohemian Dance) (Sev cik). Violih Solos by Yocvanovitch Bratza. Co. D 1449. The more we hear of Bratza, the clever young Serbian violinist, the more we like him. Like a true artist he individualises everything ho plays. He is not content to recite his pieces in a cold unemotional voice, so to speak, but gives us his own cleverly worked-out interpretation of each composition. Intellect, as well as technique goes to make his readings interesting. 1 like him particularly in the vivid Bohemian Dance by his old master, Professor Sevcik, in whose honour the Czech Government recently held a Musical Festival. His tone is always a sheer delight, and his technique puts him among the half-dozen greatest violinitsts of the day. Fine recording.

JOHN McCORMACK IN HIS BEST VEIN. John McCormack (tnor), in “Lilies of Lorraine” (Grey-Connor;, and “A Rose for Every Heart” (Cadman). H.M. V. D.A. 881. John McCormack is so great an ar tist that he can traverse the whole gamut of musical styles from the simplest ballad to the most damatic operatic ana and yet be equally at home in whatever it may be that he sings. The secreta is presumably, that he is sincere in everytlung he does. For this record he sings two simple little ballads as affectingly and as charmingly as one could wish; the new elec trical recording reveals his beautiful voice excellently. A PADEREWSKI GEM; I. J. Paderewski (piano), in "Nocturne a Raguze” (Ernest Schelling). D 81029. This beautiful and melodious work was composed by Ernest Schelling, a gifted America composer-pianist, and the only pupil Pcderewski ever had. During his recent tour of Australia and New Zealand, Paderewski stated that of all records he had ever made he thought the “Nocturne a Rag uze” was the most perfect as regards reproduction. Howver, not only the piano tone has been most successful ly reporduced, but the wonderful play ign of the world’s greatest pianist is at its very best. ANOTHER SEARCHLIGHT TATTOO. Memories oF the last hrilliantly-ro-coriied music, of the Aldershot Command Milita'y Tatto, will revive at

the news of another series from last year’s military spectatcle, recorded by His Master’s Voice at Aldershot, of the music discs here. The first (C 1371 is a selection from "Carmen”; the second JC1372), a selection from Meyerbeer's “Les Huguenots”; the third, the “Ballet Music” from “Faust.” These are thre very fine discs, A SWEET SOPRANO. Garda Hall (soprano), in "Cornin’ Thro’ the Rye” (Traditional) and “High Upon the Hill” (Sanderson). H.M.V. 82484. Garda Hall has the spirit of youth in Ker voice. It is so fresh and clear. Her simple and unaffected style of singing suit the delightful “Cornin’ Thio’ the Rye” ideally, and she has made a record the charm of which is not likely quickly to fade. The dainty little ballad on the reverse side afords a pleasant contrast. ORGAN GEMS FROM DR. GOSSCUSTARD. Dr. Reginald Goss-Custard, F.R.C.O. (on the organ of the Kingsway Hall, London) in “Madrigal” (Lemare) and “Romanza” (Wolstenholme) H.M.V. C 1345. In the organ records by Reginald Goss-Sustard there is alwaysa deli cacy and sensitiveness for registration. No liner example of his peculiarly individual performance could be had than in this record. Lemare's “Madrigal” is a delicious fragment worthy of the best traditions or organ playing; a little piece of attractive melody of just the sort we should hope for from the composer of that ever-popular “Andantino in D Flat.” NEW DANCE RECORDS. There are some exceptionally good dance records in the new H.M.V. list. Amongst the best of these may be mentioned “Sa-lu-ta” (fox-trot with vocal refrain by Faring Pennsylyan ians), and “Who-00l You-ool” (foxtrot with vocal refrain by Johnny Martin, by Nat Shilkiest’s Orchestra (E.A.211): fox-trot, “There’s a Trick in Pickin’ a Chick-Chick-Chicken” (Shilkiet’s Orchestra, w’ith vocal refrain by Johnny Martin. “You Don’t Like It—Not Much” (foxtrot by Jan Gauter’s Orchestra, with vocal re frain. (EA. 213); “Shalmar” (waltz, by Jack Hylton’s Orchestra) and “Dear Little Irish Mother” (waltz, with vocal refrain by the Savoy Havana Band), E.A. 210; “Hello.’ Blue Bird,” “Hugs and Kisses” (fox trots with vocal refrains by Art Landry’s Orchestra), E.A. 218; “Lantern of Love,” and “Baby” (foxtrots from “Cadles in the Air ” by Wolfe Kahn’s Orchestra), E.A. 219.