MUSIC.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20317, 27 January 1928, Page 5

MUSIC.

NOTES AND RECORDS. “ Pagliacci ” (Leoncavallo) lias taken .12 records. The artists are Miriam Licette, Frank Mailings, Harold liams, Heddle Nash, and Denis Noble, accompanied by Eugene Goossens conducting the British'National Opera Company. The benefits of electrical recording are especially felt when it comes to a test like this. To quote Mr Herman Klein: We might be listening to ‘ Pagliacci ’ inside the Seala Theatre, where it was recorded. It is not a reproduction, but the thing itself —perfect in every detail, and a joy to listen to.” The various scenes are carried on to their climax with unflagging energy, while the choruses throughout are spirited. The words come out rather more clearly than usual. The orchestra is well controlled. Now that the long-awaited musical comedy “ Rose Marie,” probably the most successful production of ita sort ever performed, is to be in Dunedin soon, enthusiasts will be looking for its best recordings.- The artists who are now starring in New Zealand, and made such a reputation with the Australian production, have been recorded. Harriet Bennet sings the “ Indian Love Call ” on one side of a 12-inch record, and on the other gives “ Pretty Things.” Reginald Dandy singe the famous Rose Mario song with feeling, and on the other side of a 10inch record Harriet Bennet is heard again in “ Lak Jeem.” These two records are accompanied by the orchestra of His Majesty’s Theatre, Sydney, ably conducted by Mr M'Cunn. Other welcome ” Rose Marie records are “ Rose Marie ” coupled with the ” Indian Love Call ” by the 2 FC Orchestra, which also plays the “ Totem-tom-tom ” and “ Door of Her Dreams.” One of the most charming records, however, is one that gives two violin solos by Mischa Dobrinski. “ Door of Her Dreams" and

“ Indian Love Call.” Dvorak’s Symphony No. 5, In E minor. Op. 95, played by the Royal Albert Hall Orchestra and Sir Landon Ronald, is a good example of modern orchestral recording. To play one of these new records on, say, a recent model gramophone, and then immediately afterwards to put an old orchestral record on an old machine, is to realise what immense strides the whole science of reproducing music has made in less than two years. The musical critic of The Nation writes: Listening to his Dvorak symphony, you are really listening to an orchestra; brass, woodwind, and strings are all balanced; the drums are drums, and every' instrument can be distinguished clearly. The strings playing pianissimo are perfectly audible, and when a passage is given by the full orchestra it does not degenerate into a blare or mere noise. None of these things could be said of old records played on an old machine. There is a record, for instance, of Mozart’s Jupiter Symphony, produced not so very long ago, and well up to the average of its time, in which many instruments are not audible at all, and whole passages are unintelligible unless you follow the score or know it by heart. Such lapses hardly ever occur on modern records. The instruments which have benefited most by modern methods are, perhaps, the 'cellos and double basses, and next the horns.” Dr J. F. Larchet, who has had a great deal to do with the inception and the working of a new programme of musical studies in Irish Free State secondary schools, says that in school work a serious drawback is found to lie in the “ cutting "’ of musical works—a practice that is pursued in order to compress selected music to standard record sizes. “Cuts” that do not trouble the ordinary listener may make records valueless to lecturers who want to use them as illustrations of regular form. The neglect of Mendelssohn’s music by the recording companies is another deficiency in existing resources that is noticed when one comes to handle the gramophone in musical education. For introducing children to music Mendelssohn is the ideal composer. More Schumann is wanted also, from the same point of view'. For educational purposes Dr Larchet wants to have available records, full and authoritative, of most or all of Beethoven’s pianoforte sonatas, the nine symphonies of Beethoven, the three principal symphonies of Mozart, and a few of Haydn’s symphonies and string quartets, which are particularly useful in illustration of form and other elements of symphonic work. Most conspicuous is the want of a complete recording of the 48 preludes and fuges of Bach’s “ Wohltempirte Clavier.” The making of the matrix (the master die from which the record is pressed) is a costly affair, _ especially when big orchestral combinations or highly-paid stars contribute to the performance engraven on it. In the early days this gramophone state of affairs was different. Then, actually, most of the popular hits were W'ell on the wane (or the public had grown weary of the barrel-organ versions of them) long before they made their appearance on gramophone records. To-day things are quite different. As an illustration of how the gramophone has “ speeded up,” it is interesting to relate that a recent inquiry at a music publishers’ establishment for the printed copy of a rather brilliant dance record elicited .he information that although the record had already arrived the sheet publication had not yet appeared. There is no one like Chaliapine. That, of course, i 6 why Mr 0. B. Cochran paid him £2500 for two-performances in London recently, and that is why £SOOO has been spent on producing one record of his alone. The record—the famous “ Death of Boris ” scene and the “ Farewell ” scene, both from Moussorsky’s “Boris Godounov is the best Chaliapine record yet made. There have been some attractive reproductions from the ’cellists during the recording year which has just closed. Of these the two principal artists have been Pablo Casals, the greatest of contemporary ’cellists, and Cedric Sharpe, one of the best-known British artists. The Casal s contributions have been comparatively few, for it wa s only last year that he was added to the list of recording artists. He has given the following brackets” Prize Song” (“The Mastersingers ”), and “Star of Eve” (Tannhauser); Rubenstein's “Melody in M” and Schumanu’g ” Traumerei.” There was his notable association with Corto and the band in the Schubert ■’ Trio.” From Sharpe we have had several pleasing items—“ Chanson Louis XIII ” and “ Harlequin and Columbine,” and Couperni’s “ Pavane ” ; “ Gentle Maiden ” and Palmgren’s “ Rococo ”; two minuets from Beethoven and Pierne. The recent issue of a remarkable reproduction of the song of the nightingale, taken in the open by microphones connected with a portable recording apparatus mounted on the chassis of a motor car, remind us that this is not the first bird song to be recorded. There is available the record of a captive blackbird, to which is bracketed the song of a captive thrush; while on two other discs we have the reproduction of the note s of a captive nightingale. Verdi’s “ Otello ” is one of the composer’s greatest achievements. The “ Ave Maria ” number has been sung both by Dame Nellie Melba and Margaret Sheridan. In the “ Mio Signore ” duet scene there is a recording from Zenatello and Noto, with its bracket “ Ora e per sempre,” while Zentella has also been associated with Madame Spani in “ Grando Nariavi ” and “ Vcrga Ja Morte.”

Mendelssohn’s well-known but somewhat hackneyed “ Spring Song,” had a great vogue in the earlier days of gramophone recording. Since the recording companies have essayed more ambitious works, it has been left more or loss in the background. Well played and recorded, however, it is always a pleasing and melodious item for an evening’s home programme. There are three recordings of this: Mark Hambourg, the Florentine Quartet, and the Instrm mental Trio. Another “ Spring Song ” much in favour amongst organists is Hollins’s, which Dr Goss-Custard ha s recorded. Recorded violin solos by Yovamovitch Bratza, are “ Menuett ” (Handel), and •' Rosamunds Ballot Music ” (Schubert). Critics are watching with interest the development of this brilliant young Serbian violinist, who toured Australia two years ago and' whose records are well-known here. Since that time he has gone from triumph to triumph. Prague, Hull, London, Dub Hn, and other European cities have acclaimed him in turn. He plays the Handel “ Menuett ” prettily, but there is more charm in his handling of tho best-known piece of ballet music, which ha s been arranged by Krcisler. “ Liobestraumo ” (Liszt) and “ Ombra Mai Fu ” (Largo )(llandcl), sung bv Alfred O’Shea, tenor, have been recorded. Liszt’s “ Liebestraumc,” generally heard a s a pianoforte solo. ha s been arranged tor voice by G. Dechelette. He is better in Handel’s “ Largo,” which he approaches with dignity and restraint. Johann Strauss conducting his Symphony Orchestra has recorded his father’s “ Wine. Women, and Song ” (waltz), and “ Kiss ” (waltz). The waltzes catch the true Vicn nose spirit.