The Week's RECORDS

Radio Record, Volume XII, Issue 29, 30 December 1938, Page 9

The Week's RECORDS

[z is commonly believed that the lesser men of an age achieve popularity while the greater are comparatively unrecognised by the crowd. ‘This belief has unquestionably had something to do with the tardy recognition of the worth of Sullivan’s light opera music by some cultured musicians. The Gilbert and Sullivan operas were so successful with the crowd that many earnest people jumped to the conclusion that Sullivan's music could have no lasting qualities. Of course they were. all at sea as we now know. Several generations have persisted impenitently in whistling Sullivan’s tunes.in their bathrooms and the music lives’ on with a vigour that. would dismay ertain sour-faced highbrows of the 280’s and ’90's. That the newly-recorded Gilbert and Sullivan selection by the New Mayfair Orchestra will be warmly welcomed goes without. saying. Here are the titles of its dozén "whistlable’ melodies from the cream of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas; The. titles on the record (HMV. C2964) are: Entrance of Ko-Ko, I have a.Song to Sing 0, Poor Wandering One, Take a Pair of Sparkling Eyes, Three Little Maids, Datice a Cachucha, Ah, Must I Leave You, A Wandering Minstrel I, A Regular Royal Queen, Gavotte, If You Go In, and If. That Is So. Russian Haven One of Rubinstein’s most popular pieces is his "Kammenoi Ostrow, Op. 10, No. 22." This is one of a set of pieces named after an island in the Neva River, Russia. One writer gives. us an excellent. idea of the source of Rubiznstein’s inspiration. He says:. ""Kammennoi Ostrow, or Kammennoi Island, lies in the Neva River, near St. Petersburg. Any afternoon in summer, if you walk to the farthest extremity of its pine-treed avenues, you can see Finland in the distance beyond a strip of. sea,. silvered. under this clear Northern light. The delicate white chalets of the rich Petersburghers are set like pearls amid its greenness. Verdure and silvery. lights are so rare in raw, plizgzardly Russia that they make of this fitly a poetic spot, and when the chimes of the island bells break metodiously upon your ear you are ready to believe that Arcady is in Russia and not in Greece." , Orchestrated’ by. Victor’ Herbert, ‘Kammennoi Ostrow" has been recorded by: the Boston Promenade Orchestra, under Arthur Fiedler, (H.M.V. EB 119) and the result is most gratifying. . Wagner in Love Many people hearing’ Wagner’s famous ‘"Traume" (Dreams) in any of its numerous arrangements are unaware that it? was originally: a.song.. It is one of a.set of five whick he conrposed to the words of. Matilde Wesendontk. Included in this little group is "In Treibhaus" (In the Hothouse). A halo. of romance .surrounds the composition of these songs because the words were by the young wife of a generous patron of the composer, With this lady, Wagner fell deeply in love. ‘ This hopeless passion for a high-minded and attractive woman. in her . twenties "soneht appeasement in. the furthering of each other’s earthly happiness;"’ to quote Wagner’s own words... A recording of the two songs by the ‘Wagvuerian soprano, Maria Muller, has placed within the reach of all a-memento of this idyll on a Zurich hilltop. The lovely quality of Maria Muller’s voice, the fine accompaniments of Ivor Newton, and the excellent recording make this disc (HMV DR 3256) well worth adding to the library.