GRAMOPHONES

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 60, 2 June 1927, Page 14

GRAMOPHONES

Verdi’s style is admirably suited to coloratura singers of the Galli-Curci school. In “Come d’aurota sogno" and “Tomor dime” the famous soprano gives of her best. The record is a very representative presentation of the Galli-Curci #

“Always” (Irving Berlin), sung by Barrington Hooper (tenor) and “When the Red, Red Robin” (Woods),, sung by Clarkson Rose (comedian), should be popular. These are probably two of the most popular hits of the day, and in the hands of the above artists make excellent entertainment.

Two popular vocal favourites are “Serenade” (Toselli) and Mattinator (Tosti), sung by Sydney Coltham. These two popular melodies have nan a very large life. Both the sentiment and the music have a human appeal which is difficult to resist, especially when suns by such an accomplished tenor as gramaphonists know Mr. Sydney Coltham to be.

De Pachmann is undoubtedly a master of Chopin, any doubts on this point being dispelled by his recent recording of "Nocturne in B Major,” and “Impromptu in F Sharp Major, for H.M.V. This is probably Pachmann’s best recording of Chopin, and should be included in every gramophonist s library. Both numbers are thoroughly representative of Chopin’s style.

Two new dance records are provided by the Savoy Havana Band, Jock Hylton and his orchestra and the Savoy Orpheans. These are all excellent new fox-trots and one-steps. The Savoy Havana Band gives us the fox-trots “Tell Me You Love,” “Iyone,” and “My Own Iyone.” Jack Hylton’s offering includes “Sunny Boy” and My Dream of the Big Parade” (fox-trots), while the Orpheans contribute a Spanish one-step, “My Carmenita.” Duets by those well-matched artists, Dora Labette and Hubert Eisdell, have drawn popular attention to the very

similar vocal qualities possessed by both. One is soprano, and the other tenor, of course, but both have a silkiness of tone and a happiness of phrasing that single them out as an ideal pair in duets. Especially light and dainty is the rendering of the fascinating “Very O w n Pierrette,”

while the companion number

shows considerable histrionic skill as well as charming vocal quality. The “forward” character of the electric recording is well worth noticing in this Columbia record. * With the return to this country of the boy prodigy, Jascha Heifetz, there is a revival of public interest in' his recorded work. Of this there is a very long list in the H.M.V. catalogue. Amongst his most recent —new process period—are transcriptions of Chopin’s “Nocturne, Op. 27, No. 2,” and Mozart’s “Rondo in G Major.” These show Heifetz at his best in strongly-con-trasted numbers. A very enjoyable record is provided by H.M.V. with Amy Woodforde Finden’s “Indian Love Lyrics.” Played as orchestral pieces by E>e Groot’s finished orchestra, these charming songs by Amy Woodforde Finden have a double value and attraction. They can be enjoyed as straightorchestral numbers, or used as orchestral accompaniments by those desiring to sing them. The latter is a very enjoyable experience.

“Land of Hope and Glory” (Elgar) - “Melody in A” (Spencer Shaw) and recorded by Spencer Shaw on the great organ, is a moderate-priced record, and well worth the money. Spencer Shaw is one of the leading English organists, and records very successfully. On the Zonophone list he has quite a large section, one particularly good bracket being A 303 —on which he has recorded Ketelby’s /‘ln a Monastery Garden,” and “The Pilgrims’ Chorus,” from “Tannha user.”

An orchestral bouquet is provided with “La Boutique Fantastique” (Ros-sini-Respighi) (Royal Albert Hall Orchestra, H.M.V.). This is, in every sense of the word, an orchestral bouquet of sheer delight, and no collection of orchestral records would be complete without it. Its merit as a musical work lies in its wealth of tone colour, and its delicate filigree work. The recording of the Royal Albert II: Orchestra under the new process is excellent.

“Variations on a Theme” (Paganini), Op. 35, No. 1 to No. 13, in two parts, was recently recorded for H.M.V. by Backhaus. Paganini’s extraordinary “Variations,” written for the violin, have been transcribed for the pianoforte by Backhaus himself, and recorded for gramophonists with all the verve and brilliance for which this great virtuoso of the instrument has become justly famous. To teachers and students especially this disc should be very valuable.

“Elegie” (Massenet’s “Song 'of Mourning”, and “Ich Grolle Nicht” (Schumann’s “I Do Not Complain”), have been sung for H.M.V. John Brownlee, Australia’s brilliant young baritone, was “discovered” by Melba, who took him with her party on her farewell tour of the British Isles. For his inaugural appearance on the H.M.V. discs he has chosen two charming and happily contrasted numbers, one sung in French and the other in German. Brownlee’s voice is of sound quality, with a fine resonance and richness of tone. These records quicken one’s antiicpation of future recordings by this very capable artist. Undoubtedly the musical event of the year is the visit next month of Ignace Jan Paderewski, the worldfamous pianoforte virtuoso. In the world of recorded music Paderewski is a general favourite, especially among those who delight in the highest forms of interpretive art. Paderewski’s recording has not, perhaps, been so successful as Moiseintitis, De Greef’s, or Bachaus’s, but it is, nevertheless, of a very high order of merit, according to the exacting H.M.V. standards. The Paderewski list recommended here includes: —DB 374 “Valse C Sharp Minor,” Op. 64, No. 2 (Chopin); Warum (“Why?”) Schumann; DB 375, “Nocturne F Sharp Major,” Op. 15, No. 2 (Chopin); “Polonaise Militaire” (Chopin); DB 376, “Campanella” (Liszt); “Aufschwung” (Soaring), (Schumann); DB 378, “Hark, Hark, the Lark” (Schubert-Liszt); “Chant d’ Amour” (Stojowski); DB 379 “Cracovienne Fantastique,” Op. 14, No. 6 (Paderewski); “Minuet in G,” Op. 14, No. 1 (Paderewski); DB 380 “Nocturne in B Flat” (Paderewski) ; “Valse in A Flat,” Op. 42 (Chopin); DB 381 “Hungarian Rhapsody,” No. 2 (in two parts), (Liszt) ; BD 833, “Impromptu in B Flat Major,” Op. 142, No. 3 (Schubert). There are others, of course, on the catalogue, to which gramophonists may refer for further explanations.

Advice has been received from the Associated Board of Music and the Royal College of Music, London, that this year’s examiner will be Mr. H. C. C. Moule, M.A., Mus. Bac. Cantab., son of a former president of Corpus Christi College. Mr. Moule was born at Cambridge and educated at Marlborough College, and at Trinity College, Cambridge. He received his musical education under the late Professor Charles Wood, Professor Dent, and Dr. Rootham. Mr. Moule is now a member of the University Faculty Board for Music, and also one of the professors at the Royal College of Music. He has not previously visited New Zealand.

A good orchestral disc is provided with “Barcarolle, Tales of Hoffmann” (Offenbach), and “Intermezzo, Cavalleria Rustincana ” tMascagni), played by the New Light Symphony Orcliesti-a. H.M.V. 82377, 10-inch. This excellent orchestra made a gramaphone reputation with its rendering of Goldmark’s •Rustic Wedding” movement and a Spanish “Morloguenor,” and this reputation it has certainly sustained in the disc above mentioned. This should prove to be a very popular bracket, for both are favourite numbers, and though frequently recorded in the past have never been so clearly reproduced from the machine. “Aloha Oe” (Farewell to Thee) and

“From the Land of the Sky Blue Water” (Cadman), played by Kreis?.er, are two very simple and appealing melodies, interpreted with all the artistic expression and technical skill of a world-famous virtuoso. That fact makes the disc well worth

\vhile. “Gloria,” from “Twelfth Mass” (Mozart), and Hallelujah Chorus, from “The Messiah” (Handel), recorded by Trinity Choir, are among recent recordings. Good oratorio chorus records are none so plentiful that gramophonists can pass this moderate-priced disc. The volume of tone is well sustained, and the notes of the organ peal forth magnificiently. These choruses have also been recorded on a 12-inch Zonophone disc (A 300), by the same singers.

“The Afternoon of a Faun” (“Prelude a I’apres midi d’une faune”) is played by the Royal Albert Hall Orchestra, under Sir Landon Ronald. It is not necessary to know very much about the story of the “Afternoon of a Faun” to relish the beauties of the orchestral prelude. One’s greatest pleasure comes from the delicate tone colours with which Debussy, prima of the modern school, has treated this creation.

Bach’s choral masterpiece, “Crucifixus” and “Patrem Omni potem “Qui tollis” and “Osanna,” from the “Mass in B Minor” (Bach), has recently been recorded for H.M.V.

Some day soon people will begin to realise that concert performances of a whole large work is one problem, and gramophone recording of movement of a work is another, and that, while these “actual performance” recordings have special interest of association, and indeed are sometimes entirely satisfying, it is unreasonable to expect perfection throughout a complete performance of a whole work; whereas we have already seen that gramophone companies can achieve perfection in the separate recording, under special conditions. of single choral movements. In the circumstances the recording is very satisfying.

In “Ragtime,” Miss Meyer gives us a capital reading of Stravinsky’s celebrated “ragtime joke.” Strp.vinsky, of course, would consider straight ragtime composition beneath him, but the

superiority of his art enables him to make a very diverting play upon the well-known features of jazz. The companion number is an attractive moreeau by the Spanish composer, Albeniz.

A good band bracket is provided with •Funeral March of a Marionette" (Gounod) and "Punjaub March” (Gounod) and “Punjab March (Payne). Black Diamonds Band. (Zonophone). It is a lons time since we heard a really clear record of Gounod’s quaint marionette processional and that is what the Black Diamond Band has given us. i ll ~ reverse number shows the band in excellent form in a good rousing quickstep.

Columbia’s Wagner issues are many and valuable, for long ago they realised that this composer s music stood absolutely in a class of its own for liberal treatment. Hardly anj ot the “popular” excerpts from that great man’s “Ring” music have been passed over, and although the latest recordings, such as that of the “Parsifal Prelude and the Dutch played “Tannhauser” Overture are. technically, masterpieces of reproduction, many earlier issues are none the less admirable and merit the attention of every serious student of Wagnerian music. V e had, for instance, a number of interpretations of the famous “Siegfried’s Death March” from “The Twilight of the Gods,” and beyond doubt the Hade Orchestra’s playing of it, under Sir Hamilton Harty, is remarkable tor its effectiveness. This sombrely dramatic creation has all the poetry and tone colouring Wagner so inimitably mastered. The march is built on the leading motives associated with Siegfried, and begins with a funeral theme, single typani notes prefacing the crescendo playing of strings and brass. These, with woodwind passages, rise to a great climax, and even to the most unmusical ear the solemnity of the work is unmistakable and impressive. The recording is splendidly clean, even where a mighty mass of sound issues with all the vigour and majesty associated with most of Wagner’s scoring.