Aug - AmericanRadioHistory.Com

RC( OROS
the surface and does not sustain itself after
its initial shock has worn off.) The performance
is obviously excellent in every
respect, and the recording is quite good,
although it has some echo, especially toward
the end of the first side. The record is
accompanied by the full German text and
a madly capricious English version; most
of Scene IV is translated but most of Scene
V is merely summarized, although the
leaflet allows ample space for a complete
translation. A. F.
PROKOFIEV
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, No. r,
in D, Op. 19
tBruch: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra,
No. 1, in G minor, Op. 26
David Oistrakh, violin; London Symphony
Orchestra, Lovro von Matacic, cond.
ANGEL 35243. 12 -in. $4.98 or $3.48.
What a man is that David Oistrakh! What
a tone, what a bow arm, what a left hand,
what flaming style! He is particularly impressive
here because of Angel's gorgeous
recording. On this disk you can really hear
what he does with the lyricism and grotesquerie
of the Prokofiev concerto and with
the gentle romanticism of the concerto by
Bruch, the poor man's Brahms. A. F.
PROKOFIEV
Symphony No. r, in D ( "Classical "),
Op. 25
Symphony No. 5, in B -flat, Op. too
Orchestre des Concerts Colonne, Jascha
Horenstein, cond.
Vox PL 917o. 12 -in. $5.95
Here on one disk are the two symphonies
of Prokofiev that have found their way into
the so- called standard repertoire. Both are
done by an outstandingly able conductor
and both have been well recorded. There
are sixteen other LP versions of the Classical
in the current catalogues; this work has
probably been recorded more often than
any other piece of modern music, but
Horenstein's interpretation must stand high
on the list. His interpretation of the Fifth
is not as distinguished as that of the late
Serge Koussevitzky, but it is, of course, considerably
superior from the sonic point of
view. A. F.
RAVEL
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, in G
Concerto for Piano (for the Left Hand)
and Orchestra
Jean Doyen, piano; Orchestre des Concerts
Lamoureux, Jean Fournet, cond.
EPIC LC 3123. 12 -in. $3.98.
It is good to have both of Ravel's piano concertos
on a single disk, especially since they
were written simultaneously and comment
on each other. It is typical of Ravel's nice
taste in paradox that the concerto for one
hand is the bigger, more densely sonorous
and monumental of the two and comes as
close to the epic style as Ravel was capable
of coming, while the concerto for two hands
is a light, witty contribution to the "neoclassical"
trend of its time. Doyen has a very
large, fine tone and plays both works with
great sensitivity and penetration, though
his delivery of the Bach -like slow movement
in the two -hand concerto is on the tubby
AUGUST 1955
Composer Orff with soprano Goltz (right)
side. The recording is generally good but
somewhat spotty, particularly in the matter
of balance between piano and orchestra.
A. F.
RAVEL
Shéhérazade; Trois Poèmes de Stéphane
Mallarmé; Deux Mélodies Hébraïques
Suzanne Danco, soprano; Orchestre de la
Suisse Romande, Ernest Ansermet, cond.
LONDON LL 1196. 12 -in. $3.98.
Some of the subtlest songs in the modern
repertoire, marvelously interpreted and
beautifully recorded, but rendered completely
meaningless for most listeners by
the omission of texts from the jacket. This
is not fair to Ravel, to Mme. Danco, or to
Ansermet, and it may not even be fair to
London's balance sheet. It would be interesting
to know, at least, if such idiotic
issues as this sell as well as vocal recordings
with the poems supplied. Not that sales
alone would justify the idiocy. A. F.
SAINT -SAENS
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, No. 4,
in C minor, Op. 44 - see Chopin:
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, No. 2.
SAMMARTINI, GIOVANNI
BATTISTA
Sonata in G -see Boccherini: Sonata
for Cello and Piano, No. 6.
SCHUBERT
Adagio and Rondo, for Piano and Orchestra,
in F
Symphony No. 3, in D
Frank Pelleg, piano; Winterthur Symphony
Orchestra, Clemens Dahinden, cond. (in
the Adagio and Rondo); Utrecht Symphony
Orchestra, Paul Hupperts, cond. (in
the Symphony).
MUSICAL MASTERPIECE SOCIETY MMS 6
to -in. S1.65.
NOW AVAILABLE
RECORD SECTION
INDEXES
1951.1953 and 1954
(see page 59)
The Adagio and Rondo is a phonographic
première. Schubert's only concerted music
tor piano and orchestra, it is worth having
although small Schubert. Indeed the Rondo
is a careful paraphrase of Mozart without
Mozart's breezy mastery of varied reiteration
in nursery -tune form. The Adagio is
a sweet and rather vapory piece of more
original substance. Tripping easily in
modest Mozartean style, the pianist does not
overestimate the seriousness of his work,
and the orchestra plays akin. The registration
is appealing at low volume and ought
to be kept there, since some coarseness
becomes apparent with increased power.
The inventive and energetic Third Symphony,
which owes so much to Haydn and
sounds so little like him, has received another
of the good standard performances
now beginning to abound on records. With
more continuous drive in the last two
movements this would have challenged the
leadership of the Hoogstraten interpretation
for Period. The sound is both clear and fat,
a little echoic. The value imposingly transcends
$1.65. C. G. B.
SCHUBERT
Quartet No. Io, in E-fiat, Op. 125, No.
. r -see Haydn: Quartet frt F minor,
Op. so, No. 5
SCHUBERT
Sonata for Arpeggione and Piano, in A
minor - see Boccherini: Sonata for
Cello and Piatra, No. 6.
SCHUBERT
Symphony No. 5,
tMendelssohn:
NBC Symphony,
RCA VICTOR LM
in B-flat
Octet in E flat, Op. 20
Arturo Toscanini, cond.
1869. 12 -in. $398
The little symphony with its small forces is
delivered in trim and shapely style and it
sparkles with movement, but the sound is
hard. Improvement but not cure can be
effected through the controls. It is the
octet which excites admiration. Richer and
more virile by the multiplication of the
prescribed double string quartet, this music
is transfigured by the Toscanini fire into a
braver, fighting, and furious new image of
itself. We shall never hear it more exciting
and probably never with more homogeneity
of stroke. The famous Italian conductor
at his best generally means Mendelssohn
at his best. Large, hearty, and sweeping
reproduction in a nice fit with the performance.
C. G. B.
SCHUBERT
Symphony No. 9, iu C
Hallé Orchestra (Manchester), Sir John
Barbirolli, cond.
RCA VICTOR LBC 1085. 12 -in. $2.98.
The sonics will be admired more than the
performance. Admirable brass, clear wood,
and fair strings, the latter a bit distant and
the whole a little echoic but in good likeness
of a public performance, carry an interpretation
in which the conductor has not
helped much. The last two movements are
deficient in the strong energy and contrasts
found in most other editions, and the second
movement, the ethereal and plaintive An-
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