GRAMOPHONES

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 338, 25 April 1928, Page 14

GRAMOPHONES

It is distressing to hear, states a London contemporary, that the 25 th anniversary of the formation of the Flonzaley Quartet is to be celebrated by the dissolution of the combination —sad news, indeed. But we shall still have their records to console us, and rumour says that they have lately recorded the Dohnanyi “Quartet in D flat,” Op. 15, and other works which will add fragrance to the memories of their exquisite art. Another testimony to the value of the gramophone in perpetuating the memory of artists who pass.

“All Hail, Thou Dwelling”—“Faust” (Gounod); "Dawn Her Pale Cheek” — "L’Elisir d'Amour” (Donizetti), are sung by Charles Hackett, tenor (Columbia L 1832). So far as the purely vocal side is concerned, there is little fault to find with this tenor’s performances. . One might prefer a slightly less nasal production, but we must remember Mr. Hackett’s nationality. But there is no getting away from the fact that the tone is very fine. Round and open, with a resonant bell-like quality in his vowel sounds, Hackett’s voice, save for a certain lack of power, might rank with the best in the world, and he can always be relied upon for artistic treatment.

What constitutes a library of records? A library of books, one would say, must contain at least 5,000 volumes. Yet most of our correspondents, says a London journal devoted to gramophony, seem to be talking of hundreds or even dozens of records. Who buys the vast output of the English factories? It was rather staggering the other day to hear that from one London establishment 2,000 records had been sent to various clients in South America during the last three months, and that one man alone has bought 1,500 records in the last year.

“Sonata in A,” for violoncello and piano (Beethoven), Felix Salmond (cello) and Dr. Simon Rumschisky (piano), Columbia L 1935-37. This sonata was written in 1808, during what is called Beethoven’s second period. The great critic Grove says it is “of extraordinary greatness, full of individuality, character, and humour, but still more full of power and mastery and pregnant strong sense, though abounding also in beauty and sentiment.” Felix Salmond is, of course, one of the greatest living ’cellists, and Dr. Rumschisky was specially chosen to appear at the Viennese Beethoven celebrations. The two combine with great understanding. I cannot call to mind a pair who could give a more thoughtful reading of this lovely work. The sonata is full of exquisite themes, finely worked out, and on the fourth side a brieg adagio cantabile is extraordinarily well played. * * * Here are some interesting “solutions by the artists themselves: —Mr. Peter Dawson says his favourite record, of course, if any, is the Prologue to “Pagliacci,” and for ballads, “Oh, Could I But Express in Song” (Malashkin), “Indian Love Lyrics,” “Lute Player,” “Floral Dance,” “She Is Far From the Land.” In fact, all the new recordings are simply half-a-dozen of one and six of the other. Madame Amelita Galli-Curci prefers “Lo, Here the Gentle Lark,” while Mr. John McCormack says he thinks the best record he ever made is the record of “Lullaby of Jocelyn,” with my dear friend Fritz Kreisler. Jascha Heifetz says that the following appeal to him particularly:—“Andante” (from “Concerto”). Goldmark, because the mood in which it was recorded is so well caught in the reproduction; “La Plus que lente” (Debussy); “La Fille aux cheveux de lin,” the last because it is the first successful recording with mute; “Nocturne” (Boulanger); “Meditation” (Glabounoff); and “Hebrew Melody” (Ashron), because it is Mr. Heifetz’s first record with orchestral accompaniment. Other favourites are “Rondo” • (Schubert), “Havanaise” (SaintSaens), and “Spanish Dance” (Granados). Miss TJna Bourke likes best the Mozart “Sonata in B flat” for piano and violin, recorded with Marjorie Hayward, and among her solos, the “Finnish Dances” by Palmbren, the “Sevillanas” by Albeniz, and “En Troika,” by Tchaikovsky.

In a gramophone with perfect alignment the line joining the centre of the record to the needle point should always be at right angles to the face of the sound-box (says one well-informed in such matters). You can test this roughly by placing a piece of notepaper with one of its corners at the needle-point and one edge passing through the centre of the turntable spindle. The sound-box looked at edgewise should then lie in the direction of the other edge. Try it, with the needle resting at different points of a record. Don’t set the turntable moving, of course. * * The latest to come from Dama Clara Butt, contralto, are “Shenandoah’ and “Little Fleur-de-Lys.” (Columbia X 331). Clara Butt, of the beloved voice, is at her best in singing these two songs. I feel, however, that that fine sea-chanty, “Shenandoah,” is hardly a woman’s song. Sir Richard Terry’s arrangement goes splendidly with a ma e voice choir, and Dama Clara, forcing her voice almost imperceptibly, almost seems zo feel that she is out of her element. In “Little Fleur-de-Lys” (by EasthopeMartin —writer of many good songs) she is her old self, and sings it with delightful ease. Really, there is only, one Clara Butt. * * * A correspondent says in a contemporary journal: “I always use steel needles, of varying loudness, according to room and record. I keep an account of the number of playings of each record, and those played 50 times are no whit worse, sometimes even better, than new records, or those with 10 or so playings. This applies equally to all records from Tamagno (1903) to electrical recordings.” * * * William Murdoch, the brilliant pianist, is especially good in the playing of “Hark, Hark, the Lark” (Schubert-Liszt), and “Andaluza (de Falla). (Columbia D 1549.) I would like to draw special attention to Murdoch’s brilliant and rhythmic playing, and to the rich sonority of some of the chords (both loud and soft) in “Hark, Hark, the Lark.” The bright quality of sound which this pianist is fond of just suits the Columbia process. The de Falla piece, at times wisful and dashingly romantic, is a thing of swift-changing moods, and is typical of the best work of this great Spanish composer. Murdoch gives it quite an unexpected richness of colouring, and his fingering and touch are simply marvellous. With a foreign name, Murdoch would have ranked with the very greatest pianists; lie is not far from that now.