MUSICAL RECORDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20496, 22 February 1930, Page 10 (Supplement)

MUSICAL RECORDS.

The re-recordings for His Master's Voice of V Jeux d'Eau " by Ravel and Rhapsody in E Flat (Brahms) by Benno Moiseiwitsch aro equally welcome. The Ravel show piece was a popular number on Moiseiwitsch's programmes when be toured New Zealand about a year ago. He interprets with "beautiful tone colourings the romanticism of Brahms. The reproduction in both cases is very clear.

Frank Crumit, the American comedian, who achieved a wide success with his renderings of " Abdul Abulbul Amir and "The Gay Caballero," has added another popular number .to his list for His Maser's Voice, " Mountains Ain't No Place for Bad Men." The clever intonation of voice is very effective. On the ether side there is a catchy number, " A High Silk Hat and-,a Walking Cane," which should also be very acceptable to Crumit's admirers.

Scharwenka's first Polish Dance—a piece that has • delighted pianists for years—and the Dance of the Dwarfs, from Grieg's " Lyric Suite," aro two popular numbers in the repertory of the 8.8.C. Military Band. One might argue that the Scharwenka sounds more Hungarian than -Polish, but, anyway, it has been excellently recorded for Columbia, with some fine, work aniong the clarinets. O'Donnell shows sound musicianship in his handling of the "Dwarfs" rhythm.

Mischa Levitzki, the famous Russian pianist who toured New Zealand several years ago, is ' to-day one .of the great pianists of the world, and he has recorded for His Master's Voice one of his most successful concert pieces, Liszt's " Sixth Rhapsody." He delivers the slow section with great breadth and plays the fast " friska," with its famous octave paswith flawless brilliancy. The tone is unusually deep and sonorous, and true to actual tone.

The recording by His Master's Voice of the actual performance at the Berlin State Opera House of the finale of Act 111. of Richard Strauss' opera, " The Rose Cavalier " is a fine achievement. This opera was chosen last season for the gala performance at Covent Garden and a special production was also staged in New York. Its lyric beauty is unchallenged. In the recording the atmosphere of the theatre has been successfully caught, and the singing is uniformly good. The timbres of the voices of. the trio blend well, and the high soprano gives some very beautiful, singing indeed. The orchestral background adorns the scene.

A Kreisler . record for His Master's Voice is always of interest. This month the great violinist adds to his list two exquisite gems of his own composition, " Rondino " (on a theme by Beethoven) and " Fair Rosemary." It is a case of two simple numbers being glorified by the master-artificer's touch. The decorative work in ■' Fair Rosemary " is entrancing. One sits back and revels in thS beauty of the tone the artist commands. That quality never fails him. The " Rondino," 3 study in the perfection of .tho legato style, is a re-issue, but it was we.ll worth it, if only for the enhanced beauty the electrical recording has given it.

Albert Coates is a rhythmical conductor, with a quick appreciation of instrumental dexterity and colour. He is able to bring out the brilliancy of any instrumental group his baton alights upon, but never does he imperil the homogeneity of the orchestral texture.' This is a feature of the recording' for' His Master's Voice of " Eine Faust' Overture,'' • chronologically the first of the great works of Richard Wagner. It'is a work of tremendous, power, and Coates' rendering has every tonal quality.' . The music is based 011 a passage from ' Goethe's " F aus V which discusses theinevitability -of --externalforces and the desire for death as against lifo '" a thing 'unblest." Wagner's themes possess all' conceivablo dramatic aptness and the work unfolds itself according to a plan of continuous movement, logical and. inevitable. Every time we listen to Wagner there is no diminution of our wonder at his power, resource and certainty of touch. •

The musical comedy "Hold Everything" is enjoying a long run of success on Broadway, New York, and is already billed as one of the attractions for this year in New Zealand.. Its best feature, according to criticisms, is the bright and attractive music. Thero is life and colour in the chief songs and dances, and these have been made into attractive records by His Master's Voice. Jack Hylton and his orchestra ate well to the fore with two records of fox-trots—" You're the Cream in My Coffee " and "To Know You is to Love You," and " Don't Hold Everything " and " Everybody Loves Yu," which having lilting vocal refrains. Jesse Crawford 011 the Wurlitzer organ imparts some clever variations into "You're the Cream in My Coffee" and "My Sin." The Light Opera Company sings the vocal gems 011 oric side and gems from " Whoopee" on the other. They get every ounco of sparkle out of the melodious music.