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THE GRAMAPHONE.

HIS MASTER’S VOICE

Beautiful ’Cello Playing. The chief impression left by the playing of Miss Beatrice Harrison, tli.e English ’cellist, is the attractive tone anid {phrasing. In her rendering of Popper's “Harlequinade” taste and technique are on an equally high level. The melody is carried straight through. On the other side is Van Biene’s “Broken Melody,” which had a great vogue about twenty years ago, and is well worth revising. Few string players record better with full value for every shade of tone. (H.M.V., 61626). Eloquent Violin.

The hauntingly beautiful “meditation” from Massenet’s “Thais,” is recorded by Miss Marjorie Hayward. Purity of playing is matched by purity of reproduction. Another famous melody “Poem” by Fibieh is the companion number. There is some exquisite double stopping in the opening of this number, and the variations are most pleasing. Miss Hayward is nothing if not eloquent, and her latest record is one of the most life-like of recent months. (H.M.V., 82938). Humour on the Disc. Scott and Whaley (humorous duologue with effects), in “A Run with the Darktown Hunt,” parts 1 and 2 (Vernon). H.M.V., 82966. This is an exceedingly funny record, a truly ludicrous dialogue between a darkie, who, not knowing that f a fox was an animal, had Deen persuaded to act as a fox in the hunt, and the man who had engaged him. The talk takes place after the hunt, and is one of the best pieces of pure fun that has been heard on records. John McCormack. Two numbers, simple and yet moving, beautiful in melody, “Since First I Saw Your Face,” an old English song arranged by! Somerville, and “La Maison Guise” (“Fortunio”). by Messager, are sung by John McCormack. Suvh, melliflous singing as this remains a wonderful thing, even in these

days of virtuosity and richness of tone, and easefulness of production makes every note musical, whether he wills it l or not. His naive singing of these ballads is fascinating without vocal tricks. His legato phrasing is broad . and, smooth. (H.M.Y., DA 946). A Superb Record.

Berlin State Opera Orchestra in “Polonaise, No. 2” (Liszt, arr. Muller-Berg-haus). H.M.V., D 1625. Even as the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra established their colossal English reputation by their records of Liszt’s “Second Hungarian Rhapsody,” so will the Berlin State Opera Orchestra enhance the high esteem in which we already hold them by their superb record of another Liszt piece—the ‘ ‘ Second Polonaise. ” It is every bit as tuneful and colourful as the “Rhapsody. 5 ’ Paul Robeson Again. Paul Robeson and Lawrence Brown (vocal duet) in “Witness” (arr. Lawrence Brown), and in the negro spiritual, “I Got a Home in Dat Rock.” Paul Robeson's artistry is evident with every note he sings. Witli this record, ,a 3 with his earlier records, it is impossible to listen and not be moved deeply by the simple fervency of the rendering.' The wonderful bass voice is only secondary to the complete and utter sincerity that lies in this superb record.

Great Debut,

It is not often that we in New Zealand are able to participate in a great event, but through the gramophone we are able to share in one of the greatest debuts made at Covent Garden in recent years. This was the debut of Rosa Ponselle, whose records have been coming to hand steadily, and who in the October list gives “Ernani! Ernani! Involami,” from Verdi’s “Ernani,” and “Pace, Pace, mio dio,” from “La Forza del Destino,” by the same composer. These arias have been recorded before, but Ponselle is a new Star on -the firmament. Referring to her debut in “Norma, ’’ the “Morning Post” critic wrote: “Miss Rosa - Ponselle'* has burst upon-London musiclovers with the effect not .merely of a new star, but of a new sun, in tflie. musical heavens. She .is undoubtedly, the greatest Italian opera dramatic soprano London has heard for many years, and in point of fact very old

Covent Garden opera-goers were saying at the, first interval of Norma that this was singing that , took them back to the days of Tietjens, while younger astonished habitues of the opera were to be heard confessing that if this was the singing of the Malibrans and the Pastas of the days they heard so much of and. rarely believed in, there was something after all in the claim that dramatic sopranos were'also sopranos with gloriously beautiful voices, and wonderful singing style and technical accomplishment. Certainly the dramatic singers we have been accustomed to Hear in Italian opera have usually been dramatic without being overwhelmingly impressive in point of beauty of voice. And here, in the very first phrase,- Miss Ponselle sang, was a voice of rich and rounded beauty of timbre, and of a

volume so generous that qualify and power were at once apparent as the perfectly-balanced attributes of a great singer. In a magnificent performance of the familiar Casta Diva of the, first act her powers were astonishingly ’revealed—in the perfect attack and perfect quality of the highest pianissimo notes, the nuances and l the emotional signficanee in the singing of every phrase, the ease and accuracy of the

coloratura passages, and such beauty of tone in all the registers that it was difficult to know whether to admire most the lovely quality of the notes in alt or the splendid breadth of the low chest tones.” H.M.V., DB 1274.)

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/SNEWS19291004.2.8

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Shannon News, 4 October 1929, Page 2

Word count
Tapeke kupu
896

THE GRAMAPHONE. Shannon News, 4 October 1929, Page 2

THE GRAMAPHONE. Shannon News, 4 October 1929, Page 2

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