MUSICAL RECORDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20976, 12 September 1931, Page 10 (Supplement)

MUSICAL RECORDS.

A striking Columbia record of those two popular war-time marches—" It's a . Long Way to Tipperary" and " Sussex by the Sea"—has been make by the Royal Air Force Band, conducted by Flight-Lieutenant J. H. Amers. To those who served in the great war, the gay martial strains of these familiar tunes will bring back the thrill of it; to the yttunger folk they will come as invigorating and wholly enjoyable marches in which they can fain lustily in the male choruses.

The " Bedouin Love Song," with its alternately stirring and languorous passages, is and always has been a favourite song with everyone; and sung by a fine baritone as Fraser Gange (whose last visit here is still warmly remembered), we have a version that would be difficult to equal and almost impossible to excel. "Achal by the Sea " is a fine song by a well-known Dunedin woman. Its popularity is steadily increasing, and here it has a presentation that will do much to consolidate its well-deserved success. The recording is by His Master's Voice.

The Big Four have scored another great success with their latest Columbia record of " Drink, Brothers, Drink. This tune, a furore on the Continent, has, in a few months become one of the greatest chorus favourites. It is a cheery, hail-fellow-well-met tune, and has an old German waltz lilt. It should be the favourite chorus song this year, just as the " Stein Song" was last. The Big Four have sung it with a robustness and swing that are irresistible. Coupled with this is " Down the Old Back Road," an American comedy number featuring some amusing animal effects.

Mark Hambourg gives a scholarly performance of Bach's " Toccata and Fugue in D Minor," in a recent recording for His Master's Voice. The sonority of the piano strikes one immediately, and the combination of forceful chords and clear rippling scale passages rivet the attention through the toccata. The firm enunciation of the fugal subject, and the suave tasteful treatment of the episodical passages are praiseworthy features in the presentation of the fugue, while the pianist's masterful interpretation of the majestic appendix combined with excellent recording, makes the performance an outstanding one.

Couperin's " Chanson Louis XIII. and Pavano" forms the subject of one of the most interesting transcriptions Fritz Kreisler has played for the gramophone. The " Chanson " is of a pastoral character with a coda of supreme beauty. The " Pavane" is a stately old dance of Italian origin and Kreisler gives it a courtly grace and charm. On the reverse side Kreisler plays another Couperin arrangement, " La Precieuse," a perfect gem. Kreisler's playing in both pieces is notable for sincerity, unobstrusiveness, and beautiful tone. "La Precieuse," with its touching sweetness and tenderness, finds in the violinist an ideal interpreter who unfolds the lovely melody very poetically. The recording is by His Master's Voice.

Another carillon record by Miss Gladys Watkins is included in the His Master's Voice September list. On the Wellington War Memorial Carillon she plays " Love's Old Sweet Song" and " Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes," bringing out all the beauties of the bells. The record was made while the carillon was erected in Hyde Park, London, where it enchanted hundreds of thousands of people, and, as the result of a series of experiments, the recorders have been ablu® to eliminate the overtones which have marred several attempts to reproduce bells for the gramophone. The two items played by Miss Watkins are eternal favourites with a large public, and the carillon brings to thein a new sweetness and charm.

Columbia this month offers not merely one of the finest soprano records in English that has ever been issued, but one which will delight thousands by its sheer novelty. The world-famous Intermezzo from " Cavalleria Rusticana" is familiar in its orchestral form, and in this vocal arrangement sung by Isobel Baillie, its glorious melody is actually enhanced. The singer begins and ends with the most perfect high notes, and all through the lovely aria her pure-toned voice thrills tho listener, while the organ of the Central Hall forms an impressive background. Coupled with this, we have Mendelssohn' 3 exquisite " On Wings of /Song," and Miss Baillio's beautiful voice flows- serenely again through this divine air. This has an organ accompaniment, supported by 'cello and harp.

Liszt's " Hungarian Rhapsody No. 4 in D," is played by Sir Hamilton Harty and the Halle Orchestra on a new Columbia disc. This rhapsody, embodying in its slow gipsy melodies and racy dance tunes, the national characteristics of Hungarian music, is one of fifteen which the great Liszt wrote, and must surely take pride of place besido the famous others. Tho renowned Halle Orchestra has played with real enjoyment, and all sections—woodwind, drums, strings and brass—come out with finely-dis-ciplined balance and clearness. There is an intriguing little violin solo, followed by a delicious clock-like tuno on woodwind and strings on the first side. The second part features those typically vigorous changing rhythms, without which 110 Liszt rhapsody is complote, and the brass have some splendid passages. $

"As Pants the Hart" (from Spohr's " Crucifixion"), and " 0 for a Closor Walk with God" (Cowper and Foster)„are sung by St. Andrew's Cathedral Choir, Sydney, on a recent Columbia disc. This is not only an Australian pressing, but also an Australian recording—a performance in the magnificent Gothic Cathedral of St. Andrew's, Sydney. The soloist is Master If. L. Oakenfold, and there is little doubt that lie eclipses even the iino boy sopranos now recording in England. It says much for the ingenuity and patienco of the Columbia engineers, that they have secured almost perfect results in the recording—the acoustic properties of churches and cathedrals making well-nigh insurmountable difficulties for those in charge of the olectro-mechan-ical side of record-making. No lovor of fine choral singing should miss hearing this particular disc.

An even greater feat than the recording of the nightingales and Beatrice Harrison's 'cello has been the recording of Karl Iteich's chorus of trained birds, accompanied by orchestra, which has beon released by His Master's Voice. The birds include thrushes, missel-thrushes, nightingales, and starlings, and whilo the orchestra plays " Forest Murmurs " from Wagner's opera " Siegfried," they express themselves in woijdrous 6ong. The orchestral theme is particularly appropriate, for in it the murmuring sounds of the forest, with its calling of birds and rustling of leaves are reproduced in delicate orchestral phrases that are interwoven to form a. musical picture of the richest colouring. From Wagnor's music apparently the birds have taken their cuo, and they add to the picturesqueness of the instrumental score. One marvels at the ingenuity of a man who is able to command the full-throated utterance of these song birds.