The Week's RECORDS

Radio Record, Volume XII, Issue 24, 25 November 1938, Page 10

The Week's RECORDS

THE Russian composer Boro- .. din’ shared his short and strenuous life between music and chemistry, making _ his mark in no uncertain fashion on both. He delivered one of his lectures to the medical school at Petrograd on the very day on which he died. He used to say himself that the only times he could spare for composition, were when he was too ill to do his medical work, so that his friends used not to greet him with the customary: "JT hope you are well," but rather, ‘‘I hope you are ill."’ His opera, "Prince Igor," of which he wrote both the libretto and the music, was not quite completed at his death. It was finished by his good friends Rimsky-Korsa-kovy and Glazounov. In the second act of the opera, Prince Igor igs 2 captive in the camp of his enemies, the Polovsti; but a captive who is treated with all the homage due to a valiant and distinguished enemy. The dances are arranged and performed in his presence, and with a view of doing him honour. The Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra under Leopold Stokowsky has reeorded these "Dances of the Polovisian Maidens" (H.M.V. DB323233). The two records can. be strongly recommended to the growing army of Philadelphia Orchestra fans.

Echo from Wales

VERY early in the present century, Sir Edward Elgar was on holiday in Wales, and while there was impressed by the sound of distant singing, in which the cadence of a falling third particularly caught his fancy. From the train of thought thus generated sprang the main tune of his orchestral work, "Introduction and Allegro for Strings" (Op. 47). Later on, a song heard in the valley of the Wye reinforced the Welsh impresgions and led to the completion of the work. It was written for a solo quartet (two violins, viola and cello) in conjunction with a string orchestra, and was first performed in March, 1905.. Under the baton of Sir Adrian Boult, the strings of the BBC Symphony Orchestra have recorded the work. The string quartet in the new FLM.V. recording is named on the labels of the two discs (H.M.V. DB. 319899), the personuel being Paul Beard, Barry Squire, Bernard Shore and Ambroise Gauntilett, a very able team. The three sides occupied by Higar’s piece will give delight to lovers of good orchestral music. On the fourth and spare side the orchestra plays the same composer’s "Sospiri" (Op. 70). One critic has said of this tender Jittle trifie for strings and harp that there is something native about it-both individual and national. Every British listener will immediately respond to its appeal, and acknowledge on hearing it that our great composer was as successful in musical miniatures as he was in the field of the symphony, concerto and oratorio.