MUSICAL RECORDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 18943, 14 February 1925, Page 8 (Supplement)

MUSICAL RECORDS.

ZM r. Albert Summons, whose violin solos entitle him io tank as a virtuose, lias written arid recorded a "Theme j tind "\*ii i*iat ioiss in the Olden Style.' It, is a dainty and tuneful col 11 - position. perfectly played, and recalling the grace and ease ic of compositions of some Italian and French masters of the seventeenth ecuis lurv. It records well, as do most violin solos when nhived hv a master. It ! ' • 0 "God Shall Wipe Awav All Teats From J heir Eyes," by Sullivan. is one of the - latest records made hv Dame Clara lintt. '• Jt is a nu»t successful achievement-. Not only does this great contralto bring to l" bear her superb art upon this beautiful sacred work of Sullivan, but she evidently -. sang it as if she felt every word and the >! consolatory meaning of the music for the - bereaved. It is difficult to hear this re s cord unmoved. It. lias "Abide With Me," sung with sympathy, on the reverse. t Cesare Formichi, persona grata, in y grand opera at Coveut Garden, is t<i be e heard in his prime in "Rigolotto," and in the part of the Jester, in "('ortigiana, Nil it I'azza I >annata," and "Pari Sianto." •v Until are sung in Italian, and have the i- i advantage of a splendid orchestral acconie pauiment eonducted by Hamilton Harty. "1! igolet u/' affords abundant scope for the display of the consummate art. of Cesare Formichi, tie- Coveut, Garden Opera baritone. The two celebrated numbers from Verdi's masterpiece, most recently recorded by him are "Pari Siaui " (we are all equal), and 11 " ( ortigiani. vii razza dannata (Rigo lotto's Scathing, yet pathetic, denunciation of the licentious courtiers). No grand opera section of records is complete withj out these classics, and in this instance they are sung with a diamatic intensity to a famous artist of the time. The name of Paul Whitemun is usually associated with jazz music, recordings by his fatiKius orchestra being popular favourites in dance rooms the world over. Put recently he has introduced his conL cert- orchestra to the recording room, in a "Rhapsody in Blue." The record is not . here vet-, but it should be an interesting j otic, to hour when it does arrive, to judge from the remarks of a reviewer, who says:—This is a decided novelty. In addition to its undoubted originality and its striking piquancy of instrumentation, ) the "rhapsody ' not, without, genuine , musical interest. That, i! contains the elements of cither the "music, of the future ' or the foundations of a real American school, may be doubted. There ; is a certain amount of melodic inspiration 1 in the music, and a great .deal of technical \ skill, and the combination of piano and orchestra has been bandied verv offer- - tively. kor the rest it may be summed as the essence, of latter-day fox trot, * music expanded to symphonic ditnensious. The piano part is glorified "Kitten on the Keys," with a dash of Falla. The , orchestration is augmented fox-trot, with the usual cheeky saxophone tricks. , flavoured with a dash of ultra modern ! i-'in- It is interesting, amusing, and , rat her exciting: also, it ■contains definite musical possibilities. From the recording point of view: if j's a triumph. I am pleased to note that tlie task of recording Wagnerian opera in something hke a. regular seiies, has been taken up. The latest recordings, just issued in London, are of "Tristan and Tsolde." The vocalists are Louise Trenton, Florence Austral, and Tudor Da vies, and the cerpts recorded arc "Isolde's Curse." s from the "Narrative," arid "Tristan; j Isolde They Drink the Potion!" The singers are .supported by the Symphony Orchestra under ,Alherf Coafes,' and as may be imagined, the language is English. " ; 1 landsmen of New Zealand. wheflvr . participating m the coming Auckland contests, or mere 100k.".s on. are much interesied in the test, piece, "On the Cornish < oast. ' a rhapsody by .Henrv Xilirel, recorded by the Regal, and played by that fine band oi the Newcastle (New South Wales) SteeJ Works. This band made a most favourable impression on the most notable brass bands of England, whom they met in contest, and among whom they occupied a very high place, at the Crystal Palace last ytai. The i'ecoi d is double-side;!, oni ] JQiu. The recent demonstration in Wellington of the new " Pleated DiaphragM?" gramophone (H.M.V.) reminds one. j„ 11 io words of the philosopher in " Mr. Brit-ling Sees It Through." that, " this 'ere . progress, it. keeps on." The pleated Diaphragm gramophone opens up possibilities—great possibilities. Instead of working along the old paths, and attempting further improvements in the existing designs of sound boxes, sound chambers, and tone arms, the. British Gramophone Company has struck out at a new angle and j scrapped present devices, and so we have i the pleated diaphragm, the first sight of; which gives an impression of freakishuess. In appearance it is like a circular fan, about 15in. across. It is made of j paper. As a protective measure the paper ' is mounted on a circular frame, and the j disc, when playing, sits up perpeudicu- i larly. There is no doubt about the i-esuit. j The music conies away from the instru- j me lit with great freedom. What makes the so-called "spirituals" i so attractive is that they genuinely ex- { press the emotions of the negro, and are I thereby entitled to lake their place among the folksongs of the people who originated them and sing them. Mj-s Edna Thomas, whose recordings haw made the negro songs so popular with those who possess gramophones, has recently provided a oroole love song, ; "Mamzelle Zizi." as companion to the favourite sacred song, "Swing Low, Sweet. Chariot." The Creole sore with it 1 - bare suggestion of French influences. i.-> sung in the patois of the French West Indies. If is a plaintive melody, delightfully sung, with harp accompaniment. Chopin is seldom to be heard except on the pianoforte. The "Funeral Match," of course, is played on appropriate occasions by bands. The wealth of Chopin's melodies, however, has been successfully drawn upon by Mr. ..Herman Finch" for an orchestral arrangement. The "joining up" has been skilfully done, and the re- , cords cover two 12in. discs on both sides. Most of the better known pieces of Chopin arc referred to, including Walt* in G flat. No. 1. Ballade in A flat, the "Raindrop" prelude, and the great "J.)nmi'' polonaise. Guessing competitions for ihihlren in i recognising and naming popular mclo- : dies are being used at Home to stimulate memory applied to music. Records for this special purpose have been prepared for use in the family and in schools, and the. National Military Band has furnished eight, tunes for the purpose. They 'are all well known, but not neressarily so by their names to children. The, idea has been found already to have a gooil result in forming a taste for music that endures. I I Operas of Gilbert and Sullivan seemed to pass under a cloud of jazz and the frivolous music, associated with revue, lint thi' war being well over, revivals of the works of the finest, artistic collaboration the world ever knew proved successful. .Gilbert and Sullivan came into j their own again to be welcomed by the j younger audiences who had but little j more to go upon than what their parents had to say on the subject. The demand for orchestral arrangements for the gramophone is keen, and to the most ie j rent, recordings there has been added I "lolantlic" and "The Mikado" by the j Court Symphony Orchestra.