THE CONTEMPORARY TOUCH

New Zealand Listener, Volume 34, Issue 873, 27 April 1956, Page 11

THE CONTEMPORARY TOUCH

By

OWEN

JENSEN

T takes all sorts to make a world, today’s world perhaps more than any -and not the least, the world of music. Contemporary music has diverse aspects. The complaint about 20th century music-and one must admit that there are complaints from time to time-is that it numbs the mind with complexity and tickles the melodic ear too little. Nothing of this could be laid against Prokofieff’s String Quartet No, 2, Op.

92, nor about the contemporary Italian Gian Francesco Malipiero’s String Quartet No. 4 (Columbie 33CX 1295). Prokofieff’s quartet, written in 1942 when the Russians were sorely pressed and fighting for their lives, shows nothing of turmoil or conflict, Prokofieff, with other important creative artists, was evacuated to a quieter part of the country, and the folky character of the music, melodically and rhvthmically strong. reflects

his more peaceful environment. It~is straightforward music and, despite some harmonies which might have surprised Brahms, traditional in style. Malipiero in his quartet favours the sensuous, melodic approach characteristic of Italian music. Both works are therefore easy on the ears, but if your ears have been sharpened by much listening to contemporary music you may not find them all that exciting. The Quartetto Italiano plays both quartets with chromium-plated polish. Straightforward, but for a different reason, is Milhaud’s' music to Paul Claudel’s Christophe Colombe. Milhaud had already written an opera on this subject to a libretto by Claudel (1928). In this incidental music to Claudel’s drama which Milhaud wrote in 1952, he not only uses entirely new material but a distillation of style which makes the music not so much subservient to the drama as enhancing its moods and atmosphere. The drama takes up as much if not more space than the music, so if your French is no better than mine you must be content, for the most part, to savour the magnificent dramatic

overtones of the Madeleine Renaud-Jean-Louis Barrault Company. The music, conducted by Pierre Boulez,’ is well done (London TW 91084-85). The playing of the pianist Sondra Bianco and the Pro Musica Symphony Orchestra of Hamburg, conducted by Hans-Jurgen Walther, in Gershwin’s Rhapsody in + Blue, cand his Concerto in Pe "ee

£# (Pariophone PNY 1020), is brilliant, let there be no mistake about it. And the recording is fine, too, But the odd thing about the performance is that, with Gershwin as American as they come, pianist and orchestra accomplish their assignment not only with Teutonic thoroughness, but with a similarly inspired seriousness. There is no hint of Gershwin’s ingratiating vulgarity and the expected sentimentality is given a Brahmsian solidity. You

may, if you're a Gershwin fan, yearn for a touch of Oscar Levant and Paul Whiteman, but I think you'll like the playing all the same. Moussorgsky’s opera Boris Godounoy is a long way from Gershwin, but not so far off our time, despite the seventy or so years since its first performance. In fact, its dramatic strength and the vitality of its music give it quite a modern tang. There are no stars among the singers in this latest version by the National Opera of Belgrade conducted by Kreshimir Baranovich (Decca LXT 5054-56), but the general approach to the performance suits the homespun character of the music. All in all, it is a quite exciting performance. Ernest Chausson’s Concerto in D Major for Violin, Piano and String Quartet is by no means modern, being very much a part of French Romanticism, Colour is restored to the somewhat faded charm, however, by the rich playing of Menuhin, Louis Kentner and the Pascal Quartet (H.M.V. ALP 1285). Schubert does not fade, especially the songs. Gerard Souzay’s Schubert Recital No. 2 (Decca LXT 5023) includes some of the more familiar songs with, as well; a number of less well-known master- pieces such as "Der Atlas" and "Gruppe aus dem ‘Tartarus." Souzay, and his pianist Dalton Baldwin, make the best of Schubert. More Mozart Christian Ferras (violin) with the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra conducted by Karl Munchinger, gives) attractive performances of the Mozart Violin Concerto No. 3 in G Major, K.216, and the doubtfully authenticated but nevertheless delightful No. 7 in E Flat Major, K.-268 (Decca LXT 5044). An important contribution to the Mozart repertoire is a recent recording of his not-so-well-known Litaniae Lauretanae in D Major, K.195, This is very beautiful music. It is given a loving performance by Jennifer Vyvyan (soprano), Nancy Evans (contralto), William Herbert (tenor) and George James (bass), with the St. Anthony Singers and the Boyd Neel Orchestra conducted by Anthony Lewis (London OL 50085),