Allergies and Allegiances

New Zealand Listener, Volume 32, Issue 824, 13 May 1955, Page 20

Allergies and Allegiances

By

OWEN

JENSEN

HERE’S one thing about music. You can dislike a piece and yet admire _ it; admire it even warmly and enthusiastically. For although what the music has to say may not ring a bell or get you by the short hairs, it may still leave you filled with admiration at the craftsrmanshin or the touch of genius. And inspired performance, whatever the music, always has its pleasures. Maybe you finish up envying those whom the music reaches more easily and -deeply. A few of the discs that have came our way this last week or two ara a little like that. They are not quite my line of country, but one can hardly fail to be moved by the strength of the music and the felicity of the performance, Among these is Bruckner’s Symphony No. 6 in A Major. Despite attempts to come to terms with Bruckner, his music always leaves me with an impression of tecious prolixity. The deep sincerity of the man comes across, his devotion. to his ideals and the ideals themselves; but he speaks not in parables let alone aphorisms. In fact, he tends to labour his points. To Bruckner admirers, this will be the most arrant heresy; but there it is. This Symphony No, 6 has come nearest to winning me over. Less diffuse than some other of Bruckner’s major works, it has some glorious moments of exalted rhapsody. As played in its original version by the Vienna Symphony Orchestra conducted by Henry Swoboda (Festival WAL 201) it is as good an introduction to Bruckner as you could

--_ wish for. The two discs aré put up in a handsome album with some useful notes about the work. The fourth side carries Bruckner’s settings of Psalm 150 and Psalm 112, sung by the Vienna Kammerchor with the Orchestra. In their essence of Bruckner’s philosophy and style these choral works might almost be footnotes to the symphony. The recording is fine. Another of my allergies is the music of Mahler. Not that Mahler has much, if anything, in common with Bruckner. Bruckner’s pietistic spiritual home is a long way ‘rom Mabhler’s pantheistic disillusion. There is no doubt, howsier" that.Mahler in his Song of the Earth expresses his pessimism with a_ touching beauty. Many would place this as Mahler’s finest composition. It may be, because in it Mahler is truest to himself, without the arrogance and paranoic extravagance that one tends to associate with his music. In this recording of The Song of the Earth, Elsa Cavelti (mezzo-soprano) and Anton Dermota (tenor) are the singers, the Vienna’ Symphony is the orchestra. Otto Klemperer as conductor gives an authentic interpretation, in fact, a very beautiful one (Festival CFR12508)... It used to be almost every young pianist’s aspiration to rise to. the dizzy heights of virtuosity by dashing off a Liszt Rhapsody with reckless abandon. Maybe many of them still count this a milestone on the road to success. But remembering the innumerable poundings that rutted the paventent of this

(C) Punch

\ toad it would seem that most of them had little in common with the pianism and imagination of Edith Farnadi. Edith Farnadi has recorded the 15 Hungarian Rhapsodies (Festival WAL 213). She plays them magnificently, making them sound, indeed, much better than they really are. She has a wide range of tone. colour which she uses imaginatively, and a seemingly inexhaustible technique. All this comes out in the recording With exceptionable clarity. Now, away with allergies. John Sebastian Bach is an allegiance which most, I am sure, will share. The Wiener Akademie Kammerchor conducted by Ferdinand Grossman have _ recorded three Bach motets-Jesu, meine Freund, Komm, Jesu, Komm, and Singet dem Herrn ein meues Lied (Festival WL 5289). The unaccompanied singing of this choir is almost flawless. Superlative tone, impeccable phrasing, confident handling of Bach’s contrapuntal complexitiesgand remarkable pitch fidelity make this superb listening. If there is one fault’ it is that, paradoxically, the singing seems sometimes to have almost too much assurance. Jesu, meine Freund, for instance, is pushed along with an almost relentless enthusiasm of tempo. . But the Wiener Akademie Kammerchor’s singing of Bach so far surpasses the usual run of the mill performance -even on recordings-that this becomes quibbling. While we are on the subject of Bach, mention should be made of some harp- _ sichord playing by Fernando ValentiToccatas in E Minor and D Minor, and Prelude, Fugue and Allegro in E Flat (Nixa LLP 8048). The tone of the harpsichord is sonorous, as big and generous as the playing. Valenti gives Bach breadth and strength. In fact, he makes the music as brilliant and exciting as it should be. Light and Bright Dvorak’s Carnaval Overture may be reasonably described, I think, as. lightsome stuff. As played by the Stadium Concert Symphony Orchestra of New York conducted by Alex Smallens (Fes-

tival CFR 10-427) it is certainly bright. The performance is somewhat brash, being a little short on subtlety. And this applies, too, to Berlioz’s Beatrice and Benedict Overture on the reverse side. There is no doubt about the competence of the playing, however. If you are a little low in spirits this noggin of Dvorak and Berlioz should buck you up no end. 4 Even more joyous and considerably more polished is the performante of the Overture, Polka, Furiant and Dance of the Comedians from Smetana’s The Bartered Bride, played by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Alfred Wallenstein (Festival CFR 10-423). Maybe it’s stretching the point a little to put Richard Strauss’s Dance of the Seven Veils from Salome in the light and bright department. It gets in by virtue of the Rosenkavalier Waltz on the other side. The performance is again by. the Stadium Concert Symphony Orchestra of New York under Alexander Smallens (Festival CFR 10126), and makes pleasant listening. Light and bright in music is a little like a Lyons Corner House. How light it is depends which floor you happen ‘to be on, When you come round to Music for You, it rather means music for everybody, preferably when. you have your mind on something else, like eating; unless, of course, you fee] concentration is necessary for "In a Monastery Garden," "Melody in F," "Liebestraume," etc. .. But for a musical aperitif or something to go with the hors d’oeuvres, Eric Robinson and his orchestra taking a programme from-their BBC Television show make a very pleasant. confection (Argo RG 40). The music is well arranged, played and recorded. A little less distinguished in the same line, but palatable enough, is a proeramme of Viennese Waltzes presented for your relaxation by Armand Bernard and his string orchestra (Nixa: LPY 128). For old time’s sake and some good singing you should look up Inia Te Wiata’s' ballad recital (Nixa NLPY 915). It’s fine! :