RECORDED MUSIC

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18552, 26 April 1930, Page 10 (Supplement)

RECORDED MUSIC

Sylvester Aholo (cornet) in “Absent” (Metcalf) and “The English Rose” (German). How the cornet should be played (Zonophone 5451).

Church Choir (with grand organ) in “Oft in Danger. Oft in Woe” and “Christian Seek Not Yet Repose.” This is very good choir singing, excellently recorded. (Zonophone 5246).

(1) Haste to the Wedding; (2) Bonnets so Blue. Walton O’Donnell conducting the 8.8. C. Wireless Military Band. Columbia 01809. A pair of very jolly folk-dances, full of the “Merrie England” spirit. Cecil Sharp, the famous authority on English traditional folk-music, arranges them; and he sees to it that in rhythm and tune they are the real thing. The well-known 8.8. C. Band makes the tunes fairly hum with life.

Barrington Hooper and Foster Richardson (duet, with orchestra), “In the Valley Where the Bluebirds Sing” (Solman), ’’Genevieve” (Tucker), This iS another re-recording. The voices blend ideally. (Zonophone 5417.)

Maurice Elwin (baritone, with orchestra), and “Am I Blue?” and “Let Me Have My Dreams.” This is a really fine baritone bracket. Zono.phone 5396).

Classical Memories. By the Debroy Somers Band. Columbia 05023. Another of the famous “medleys modernised” on which the Debroy Somers Band have made their name on the records. Playing and recording alike are full of high-lights and have a wonderful definition. You will recognise such tunes as Anvil Chorus, Habanera from “Carmen,” Coppelia Ballet, Tannhauser Overture, Hungarian March, Invitation to the Waltz, Light Cavalry Overture, and a couple of Hungarian Rhapsodies. Without doubt Debroy Somers best-ever.

Henry Hearty (comedian), in “I Ain’t Never Been Kissed” and “Where Did You Get that Name?” Hearty is one of the best modern comedians we know and he certainly “puts it over” in these numbers. Zonophone 5322.

Clarkson Rose (Comedian), in “Single and Married” and “Better than Nothing at All.” Single or married, the men will enjoy this. And the ladies get their own bacS on the other side. Zonophone 5406.

(1) Jerusalem; (2) Let us now praise famous men. Sir Henry Coward conducting the Sheffield Choir. Columbia 05049, Sir Henry Coward, the veteran conductor of what is easily the leading secular choir in Great Britain, brings off one of his biggest recording triumphs in Parry's noble setting of Blake’s poem, “Jerusalem.” He strikes a rich variety of effect (verse 1, women alone; verse 2, unaccompanied; verse 3, full unison), and the only possible ground for complaint might be in the edgy tone of the women in the first verse. The last verse, however, is thunderously imposing. Walford Davies’ anthem is notable for some good spirited singing.

Salon Orchestra in “Sleepy Valley” and “Chinese Lullaby.” H.M.V. EA636. Anything done by the Salon Orchestra is bound to be good. Three of the above numbers are from films unprecedented in their popularity and have already had remarkable sales on vocal and dance records. They are played with all the charm we look for from them and clever instrumentation is again a feature of these particular records.

National Military Band, in “Belphegor March” and “Forward March.” Re-recording of a great favourite. A real “nugget” for the band-lovers. Zonophone 5391.

Concert Orchestra, in “Minuet” (Boccherinin) and “Sous bois” (in the Forest) (Staub). Two delicate little orchestral numbers. An admirable record for those who are fond of light music attractively rendered. The minuet is the famous Boccherini, and the sylvan motif from Staub. (Zonophone 5019).

(1) Im Kuhlen Kellar (In Cellar Cool); (2) Per Svinaherde (Swineherd’s Song). Sung by Ivar Andresen, Bass. Columbia 04370. Although basses and baritones without number have given us the famous song “In Cellar Cool,” such a version new one by Ivar Andresen is more than welcome. It is a remarkable lesson to singers how those abyssmal notes should sound, and how its wide leaps should be stridden. His companion piece, sung in Swedish, is a “Swineherd’s Song”—a gem of Swedish folk music—in which he again plumbs the depths. His phrasing is broad, and his tone has an attractive dark quality which he uses with great effect.

The Rhythmic Eight, in the “Hanky Tonk” features, “I’m Feathering a Nest” (fox-trot) and “I’m Doing What I’m Doing for Love” (fox-trot). This is fine stuff to dance to. See them get up as soon as you put it on. You won’t beat it wherever you go. Zonophone 5457.

Lewis James (tenor, with orchestra), in “Songs for Little People” (medley of nursery rhymes). A charming record for anyone with children and guaranteed to rejuvenate grown-ups. Treat the tots to it. (Zonophone 5254).

Quartet in G Major (Haydn—Op. 76). Played by the Poltronieri String Quartet. Columbia 05049-50. The Poltroniere Quartet, who in their recent tour of Great Britain, became one of the most popular items in the 8.8. C. programme over the air, make a capital recording of one of these delicious little quartets that old “Papa” Haydn threw off from time to time. Thematically this work is so naive as to suggest an Op. 1, but the old hand shows itself throughout in the development and especially in the delightful counterpoint. The Poltronieri players give it a most engaging performance. Among their many virtues is an unusually wide range of power. A perfect little gem is the dainty and whimsical Minuetto.

Alfred Honn plays for Parlophone more Chopin—two of the Etudesh, Op. 25, No. 2, and Op. 10, No. 12, with a Tausig arrangement of a favourite “Pastorale” by “Scarlatti (E 10915, 12 in.). He touches both the dainty and the stormy studies with a right-feeling ringer. The spirit in both pieces is very praiseworthy.

Berlin State Opera House Orchestra, conducted by Klemperer, “Invitation to the Dance” (Weber), Pari. E 10927). A sound performance and an excellent recording.

Dorsey Brothers and their orchestra. “Button Up your Overcoat” (foxtrot) and “The Spell of the Blues” (fox-trot). Pari. R 335) “Button Up Your Overcoat” is from the new musical show “Follow Through,” and the other number is already well advanced in age, as popular music goes nowadays. Notwithstanding, this is a splendid disc.

Ninon Vallin (soprano)—L’Automne (Faure-Sylvestre) and “Clair de Lune” (Fa ure-Verlaine), (Parlophone RO 20094). One often hears these songs of Fure’s sung over the wireless, but seldom if ever with such purity of voice and style as In this record. Every detail is perfect.

Cockney Suite (A. W. Ketelhsy). Played by Albert W. Ketelbey’s Concert Orchestra. Columbia 05052-54. The versatile and prolific Ketelbey one might almost call him the Edgar Wallace of the musical world—continues

to pour out his vivid tone-pictures. His subjects range from Sahara deserts to Monastery Gardens, from China to Peru and back again. To-day his locale is London. He calls it “Cockney Suite,” and the five sections give us some richly pictorial views of a State Procession, The Cockney Lover, At the Palais de Dance, Thoughts on Passing the Cenotaph, and ’Appy ’Amstead. The music is easily understandable, and Ketelbey shows all the old flair for a good tune. The recording is beautifully clear in definition.

Ann Penn (comedienne), in “A Dicky Bird Told Me So” and “That Monte Carlo Song.” H.M.V. EA6OO. This clever little lady is endowed with a very charming and alluring personality. This she manages to infuse into her records and we predict as great a sale for this second record as for her first number EA44O.

The Parlophone Company’s Massed Military Bands are at very best in “Distant Greeting March” and “Marche Indienne” (E 6214). The latter is an unusual but good march, composed by M. Sellenick, one of the earliest conductors of the famous Garde Republicaine Band. The recording is superb.

(1) Song of the Volga Boatmen; (2) Largo (Dandel). Harp solos by Sidonie Goossens. Columbia 01810. It is strange how rare harp solo records are, for there is not one of us who is not fascinated by this oldest of musical instruments. Miss Goossens, whose position as principal harpist in Sir Henry Wood’s orchestra is sufficient guarantee of her quality, plays with exquisite sensibilty and feeling. She has wisely chosen two very familiar tunes, and they give her full scope to show the mellow tone and the tremendously wide range of her instrument. If this record meets with the success it deserves, may we hope for some records of those glorious mediaeval tunes written expressly for the harp?

Virtuoso String Quarter, in Introduction and Allegro for Harp, with Strings and Woodwind Accompaniment (Ravel), and “Novelette—No. 3” (F. Bridge. H.M.V. C 1662-3. Maurice Ravel, the greatest of contemporary French composers, was born in 1875. Although always spoken of as the “Ravel Septet,” the score of this work, of which this is the first electrical recording, bears the heading “Introduction and Allegro for Harp, with accompaniment of String Quartet, Flute and Clarinet.” Tht writing for the harp is particularly effective. On the fourth side is an extraordinarily attractive Novelette for Quartet by Frank Bridge—a gem of British chamber music.

Columbia 01900. They all Fall in Love, and Sitting on a Doorstep. Foxtrots. Will Osborne and his Orchestra are splendid in the tuneful first number, while everyone will enjoy the clever harmonising of Ted Wallace’s Campus Trio in the Vocal Chorus of the reverse. Regal G 20626. Chorus Hits of Yesterday. Sung by the Jolly Old Fellows. Those who enjoy the good old tunes will find them heartily sung on this 10-inch disc. Among the many songs, they will pick out“Whirlie Girlie,” “The Golden Hair was hanging down her Back,” “Comrades,” “Little Annie Rooney,” “Where did you get that Hat?” etc. Columbia 07033. My Luck Star, and Button up your Overcoat. Two tuneful song hits from the famous “Follow Through” Talkie, played by Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra. Columbia 01805. The Bully Song. Sung by Vernon Dalhart. An attractive and novel successor to this singer’s other song hits. There is some catchy banjo, accordeon and jew’s harp playing in the accompaniment.

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