THE SYMPHONIC BAND

New Zealand Listener, Volume 37, Issue 933, 28 June 1957, Page 20

THE SYMPHONIC BAND

By

OWEN

JENSEN

HEN the Eastman Symphonic Wind Ensemble (conductor, Frederick Fennell) plays, band music takes on a different stature altogether. Here are none of your salon confections, naive, flaccid selections, pontifical suites or adipose marches. This music has the colour and spaciousness of a landscape, and athletic grace. Symphonic bands-woodwind as well as brass-are common in the United States. If this is the way they sound, it is time we had something of the sort here, The Eastman Symphonic Wind Ensemble plays’ two suites by Gustave Holst, a Toccata Marziale by Vaughan Williams, and his Folk Song Suite (Mercury MG 40015). This is popular music in the best sense of the word. And it is well played, too. Something in the same brilliant colours comes out in Rimsky-Korsakov’s

Russian Easter Overture and his Symphony No. 2 ("Antar’), Listening to this vividly orchestrated music and, for that matter, vigorous ideas, one is left in no doubt of Rimsky-Korsakov’s reputation as one of the great writers for the orchestra. The two works are played by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra conducted by Paul Paray (Mercury MG 50028). The Detroit Symphony Orchestra under Paul Paray play also Schumann’s Symphony No. 2'in C Major, Op. 61 (Mercury MG 50102), Schumann is not in the same class as Rimsky-Korsakov when it comes to writing for the orchestra, but there is both warmth and excitement in this symphony, poetry translated into music, The Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra under Antal Dorati comes our way again with a performance of Symphony No, 5 in C Minor, by Beethoven (Mercury MG 50017). Dramatic and precise, a ‘little less exuberant than usual, the Minneapolis players make this very satisfying Beethoven, The reverse side of the disc carries the Egmont, Coriolan and Leonore No. 3 Overtures. For some pleasant musical adventuring, look up Charles Ives’s Violin Sonatas Nos. 2, 3 and 4, -played by Rafael Druian (violin) and John Simms (piano). Successful businessman, composer in various venturesome styles and something of a personality, Charles Ives, when he died at the age of 80 in 1954, was acknowledged to be one of the most significant of American musicians. These violin sonatas are contemporary but for all their individual style are straightforward listening with a bent towards a popular idiom, Rafael] Druian makes the most of Ives’s lyric writing. More Sugar and No Spice SOMETIMES, I. think, there should be a law against some music. Take Beyond the Sunset, a batch of allegedly religious songs sung by Red Foley with a variety of assistants (Festival FR 12-1165). And if you're taking them, please, oh, please, take them a long way away. This is sugar that reaches the stickiest of saccharine sentimentality. Ugh! About one spoonful less of sugar goes into the recipe for Music trom London, played by Kevin Forsythe and his Orchestra (Coral C 12-1255). The diaphanously clothed figure on the cover of Sleepy Serenade, songs by Eddy Howard (Mercury MG 20111) raises one’s hopes. The songs were by no means as exciting as the cover might suggest, If you are as allergic to sugar in music as I am, this Sleepy Serenade might induce nightmares. Helen Merrill, with strings (Mercury MG 36057) vocalises two sides of little ditties like "Lilac Wine" and "Anything Goes." The record cover describes her as "a new sound in jazz.’ That’s true enough; but there are sounds-and sounds, of course! After all this, Everybody Sing ("Adds zest to your party"), party songs from "Beer Barrel Polka," "Sweet Adeline" and "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" to "Auld Lang Syne" and "Goodnight, Ladies," seemed a prospect of livelier moments. But this turned out a very genteel party, with lashings of raspberry cordial in the way of Wurlitzer organ | trimanings. Swing Baby, with Ralph (continued on next page)

(continued from previous page) Marterie and his Orchestra (Mercury MG 20-124) had much more zest. But it needed pianist Teddy Wilson with Piano Pastries (Mercury MG 25172) to pull the party together. Teddy Wilson’s jazz pianism doesn’t run to much in the way of originality, but it has a pleasart spontaneity which makes it attractive. Tf you should wish*"to whoop the party up a bit, there’s Square Dances with caller Eddie Carol-and how-to-do-it leaflet (Spotlight SV 23).