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or on records. I-Ie never "just plays"; he seems to be taking part in the act of composition itself. Not rarely one finds him carried away to the extent of humming along on an expressive climax; dangerous, but from him not offensive. As we hear him play this incredible set of 33 variations (a venture he wanted to undertake, beyond the call of a virtuoso's duty), we may wish to match his rendering against Leonard Shure, whose Epic disc of Op. 120 was released just a few months ago. In brief, Shure's is great piano playing; Serkin's is also great music making. Shure plays with insight, brilliance, and masterly control; Serkin adds the element of deep humanity, a keener sense of the .lyric, the occasionally humorous, the romantic, the visionary. To compare these discs section for section is a revealing lesson in music criticism. The Diabelli Variations is a work to live with, a towering achievement of musical structure and meaning; and Serkin's recreation of it is without a doubt the finest to be heard today. The recorded sound is first-rate. Andor Foldes (who has also recorded most of the piano music of Bartok ) reveals hin1self here as a Beethoven player of stature. His singing tone and sensitive style are always balanced by an original and tboughtful approach. His tempi lean toward the slow side but that leaves us time to hear below the surface. In the 32 Variations (an early composition of which I am personally fond, though it is always in the shadow of the D-iabelli set), he delivers a superb performance, and all the rest are provocative and delightful too. The sound I find a bit blas ty and shaky in spots, less than ideal. K. G. R. Chopinesque Bouquet • CHOPIN: Nocturnes - E-flat , Op. 9, No. 2, D-fla f, Op. 27, No. 2; Pofonaise in C Minor, Op. 40, No. 2; Scheno in B-flat Minor, Op. 31 ; Barcarofle in F-sharp , Op. 60; Waltz in C-sharp Minor, Op. 64, No.2; Grande Valse bri/fante, Op. 18. Rudolf Firkusny (pia no). Capitol PAO 8428. • CHOPIN: Polonaise in A-flat, Op. 53 ; Impromptu in G-flat , Op. 51; Nocturne in F Maior, Op. 15, No. 1; Ba/fade in G Minor, Op. 23; Scherzo in C-sharp Minor, Op. 39 ; Mazurka in C-sharp Minor, Op. 50, No. 3; Waltzes D-flaf, Op. 64, No. 3; C-sharp Minor, Op. 64, No.2; D-flaf , Op. 70, No. 2; A-flat, Op. 42, A-flat, Op. 69, No.1; A Minor, Op. 34, No. 2. Ph ilippe Entremont (piano). Concert Hall CHS 1502. Isn't it really incredible how many good pianists there are? No age, I would venture, has boasted such an array of masterly keyboard p layers as this: if the 19th century was the great age of piano composition, the 20th may well be the great age of piano playing. According to the One H undredth Issue of the Schwann Catalogue of long playing records (Congratulations! How would we get along without our "lieber Schwann"?) and its Artist Listing, this is Firkusny's first Chopin disc. As expected from tlns fine musician, it offers fine balance between inlpassioned statement and intellectual control, between bravura technique and a sense of poetry. Favor the bass when you p lay tlns; the fortissim os are h arsh, and the surfaces none too quiet. 56 MOOR E - THE DEVIL AN D DANIEL WEBSTER. B rillia ntly interpreted by Lawrence Winters a nd an all-star cast. (O P W- 11032) u T here ar en Jt many American operas that reach t he status of lasting ciassics. T he Deuil a nd D an ieL W ebster is s urely one 0/ them ! An excellent recording! n - T he San Francisco Examiner GERSHWIN- Piano Concerto in F (XWN 18684). P ia no Concerto in F - R hapsody in B lue (XWN 18685). Piano Concer to in F An American in Paris (XWN 18686). R hapsody In B lue--An American in Paris (XWN 18687). Utah Symphony. conducted by Maunce Abravanel. Reid Nibley-Piano soloist. "'Capture!t the flauo r 0/ Gershwin's music more completely than any recorded version we have heard. " - Philadelphia Daily News J . S. BACH - COMPLETE BRAN DEN BURG CONCERTOS. Pro Arte Chamber BADURA-SKODA CONDUCTS AND Orchestra of Munich. Conducted by K urt PLA YS MOZART. Piano Concerto No. 14 Redel. (Two record set: XWN 2219. Also E Flat a nd Piano Concerto No. 22 E F lat available singly: X WN 18647/ 18648). (XWN186611 .Piano Concerto N o. 19 F and '~The r.e is iC?): and life in .t hese interpretation s In a~dttton to UI.!tUOSI~'y of t.he h ighest "Nobody else ill Ihe pianislic world can beat Piano Concerto No. 24 C Minor'(XWN 18662). order. TillS release wIll satls/y any tm;te in Badura-Shoda . whose art. as expressed in Bach per/orm.ance." Mozart , is exquisite. tonally radiant/" - Review of Recorded Music. -Cincinnati E nquirer * Ask for our history - making complete Berlioz Requiem . See and hea r Westmi nst er at your . R ec ord ~ d at the Inval id es in Paris. dea ler today ! Send l or your ~ ....- ...-.. Hermann Sehe rehen con duct ing. Iree copy 01 t he lamous ~ . . Westmi nst er eatalo~ . ." .'elJp»~,:;:;; Wnte: Westminster Recording Sales Corp., 275 Seventh Avenue, New York. N. Y HI F I we Sooner or later all pianists turn to Chopin; if Firkusny comes rather late in the enormous list of such recorded recitals, E ntremont is perhaps a bit too early. He is a big talent, no doubt; sensitive as well as brilliant. But his work is still uneven: exciting in the G minor Ballade, superficial in the A minor and A-Hat waltzes; fiery in the C sharp minor Scherzo, mannered in the C-sharp minor Waltz. When there is 'so much sublime "competition," a disc like tlns sounds too much like "look what I can do." And why, for a player not yet sufficiently known by sight as well as sound, is there no room for a cover or liner photo of the 23-year old Frenchman? The recording is good, except for one bad tape splice. K. G. R_ Mozart, Son & Father • MOZART: Symphony No. 40 in G Minor (K. 550); Eine kleine Nachtmusik (K. 525). Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Willia m Steinberg cond o Capitol PAO 8432. • MOZART: Symphony No. 35 in D Maior (K. 385 ) (" Haffner" ); Divertimento in B-flat (K. 287). Phil harmonia Orchestra, Herbert von Ka rajan condo Angel 35562. IIIFI & MUSIC R EVIEW
• L. MOZART: Musical Sieighride; Cassafio ex G. Bach Orchestra of Berlin, Carl Garvin condo Decca Archive ARC 3093. If the first two records listed are any indication, the latest fashion is toward leisurely interpretations of Mozart. Steinberg gives us one of the slowest readings of the opening movement of the G Minor that I can recall ever having heard. This These amusing works succeed in their purpose, and are performed and recorded to perfection. D. R. Today's Great Opera Stars • PRESENTING TOZZI - Verdi: Don Carlo-Ella giammai m'amo; Mozart: Don Giovanni - Deh, vieni alia finestra; Verdi: Simon Boccanegra-II lacerato spirito; Verdi: I Vespri Siciliani - 0 tu, Palermo; Mozart: The Marriage of Figaro - Non pi" andrai; Verdi: Ernani -Infelice, e tu credevi; Mozart: The Marriage of Figaro - Se vuol ballare; Verdi: Nabucco - T u sui lab bro de' veggenti; Mozart: Don Giovanni-Madamina, il catalogo. Giorgio Tozzi (bass ) with the Rome Ope ra House Orchestra, J ean Morel cond o RCA Victor LM 2188. • LEOPOLD SIMONEAU OPERATIC RECITAL-Mehul: Joseph-Champs paternals; Thomas: Mignon-Adieu, Mignon; Elle ne croyait pas ; Massenet: Manon -Instant charmant; Ah! Fu yez douce image; Donizetti: L'Elisir d'amore-Una furtiva lagrima; Verdi: La Traviata-De' miei bollenti spiriti; Flotow: Marfha-Ach so fromm. Leopol d Simo neau (tenor) with the Be rlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, Paul Strauss condo Decca DL 9968. • EILEEN FARRELL IN GRAND OP ERA - Gluck: Alceste - Divinites du Styx; Weber: Oberon - Ozean, du Un geheuer; Verdi: Ernani-Ernani, involami; Ponchielli: La Gioconda - Suicidio!; Tc h a i ko vs ky: Jeanne d'arc - Adieu, Forets; Massenet: Herodiade-II est doux, il est bon; Debussy: L'Enfant prodigue-Lia's Air; Menotti: The Consul-To This We've Come. w- 1 is in no way intended as negative criticism, since this symphony-more than any other by Mozart-lends itself to a "serious" interpretation. In fact, it is interesting to see how the famous opening movement emerges here, since, depending upon the interpretation (and, p erhaps, upon the mood of the listener) , it is one of those movements that can be looked upon as either virile or melancholy. Steinberg leaves no doubt that h e regards the work as somber fare. The minuet, likewise, is taken at a slow pace. While this makes for a perfectly valid approach, it is my feeling that the finale benefits least thereby. The sound is big, but the easy-going pace deprives the closing movement of a certain amount of "punch." Bigness of sound is even more apparent in the Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. The size of the string orch e~ tra used, combined with the acoustics, makes for the most tremendous quantity of sound that I have ever heard employed for this work. However, to the credit of players, conductor and engineers, let it be said that there is beautiful attention to detail, within this sonic framework. The Angel disc also offers the leisurely pace m entioned above, but doesn't try for the same tonal "bigness." Both works are approached in relaxed fashion, and one is struck by the ingratiating quality of the sound. Inner lines are nicely brought out in the slow movement of the divertimento. To these ears, this approach is far preferable to Toscanini's hard-driven readings of these works. An earlier generation of the Mozart family is represented by the disc devoted to the music of Mozart's father, L eopold. Here, certainly, is easy-going music. The first work, Musical Sleighricle, is listed as being for "Orchestra and Sleigh-Bells." The second contai ns among its movements the three pieces known until recently as the "Toy Symphony" by Joseph H aydn. JULY 1958 My Man-Mary Lou Brewe r with Sy Shaffer and hi s Orchestra WP 6081 IS SWEEPING THE COUNTRY Speak Low-Hal Oti s and hi s Orch es tra 'liP 6073 Your FREE Preview Record contains excerpts from four fabulous new popular albums ... in matchless high fideli ty! You get this R ecord directly from Westminster. With the Preview you receive four cqupons each entitling you to $1 ofT the nationally advertised price of the $3.98 records listed on the P review. J udge these superb records for yourself . .. make your ~~~I~~~sn~t .~:~~ JJ~~~n:i~ sr:rur~ .. ... ~~ dealer for your discounts! 'l?J1inWTuJ1M," Write ror your Free Record ..·.·.. ·HI-FI:;::) I.. __ today! .;.___________________ THE FABULOUS WESTMINSTER r PREVIEW RECORD don't miss it IT'S FREE! Don't miss this exciting new way to buy records! Fill out the coupon below. Offer good for a limited time only! r--------------- WESTMINSTER RECORDS, 275 Seventh Avenue, New York , N. Y. Dept. HFM Pl ease se nd me your Popular Previ ew Record. I enclose 25 ¢ to cove r cost of ha ndling and postage. NAME ______________________ ___ ADDRESS ____________________ __ CITY _________ ZONE_STATE --- ·w______---------.: W7 57
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