Record Reviews

By John M. Conly

by JOHN M. CONLY

Ancient Music of the Church, together with Karl Loewe: Ballads (William Warfield, baritone, with Andrew Tietjen, organ, and Otto Herz, piano; Columbia: 12" LP). In the church music — by Heinrich Schütz, Hammerschmidt, Perotin, and Monteverdi— Warfield is tremendous; the music lives and thrills. Moreover, Columbia’s engineers have hit something like an all-time high in vocal recording. The Loewe songs are of lesser stature, but good.

Beethoven: Concerto No. 4 in G Major (Paul Badura-Skoda, piano, Hermann Scherchen conducting Vienna State Opera Orchestra; Westminster: 12" LP). If the recent Columbia Gieseking version was a trifle precise and cool, this one is a little too broad and sunny. Hear both.

Beethoven: Concerto No. 5 in E Flat Major, “Emperor” (BaduraSkoda; Scherchen; Vienna State Opera Orchestra; Westminster: 12" LP). A gorgeous second movement, a ponderous first, a choppy third, all brilliantly recorded. This brings to three the number of almost adequate LP “Emperors,”the others being Columbia’s (Serkin) and Mercury’s (Schiøler) versions. For true “ Emperor" lovers, the recording still is HMV’s 78 rpm Schnabel -Gallieri album (DB 9326-30), incomparably better than all others, even in soundquality.

Dvorak: Symphony No. 5 in E Minor, “New World” (George Szell conducting Cleveland Orchestra; Columbia: 12" LP). A paradox: Columbia here has out-hi-fi’d the vaunted Mercury Olympian version, but Mercury’s young Rafael Kubelik has outplayed his senior colleague, Mr. Szell.

Haydn: Symphony No. 88 in G, together with Mozart: Symphony No. 36 in C, “Linz” (Fritz Busch conducting Danish State Radio Orchestra; HMV: 12" LP). Like most of HMV’s initial releases, this probably was recorded on disk masters, taped therefrom, and rerecorded here by RCA Victor, but it shows no ill effects. The late Dr. Busch’s reading of these two classic masterpieces is unsurpassable, a moving legacy.

Hindemith: Sonatas for Four Hands (Karl and Margaret Kohn, pianos; Claremont: 12" LP). Played a little worshipfully, but with skill, and recorded very well indeed. Claremont, a new company, also has recorded vigorous performances by Lee Pattison of Schubert’s Piano Impromptus, Op. 142, and Schumann’s Fantasiestück, Op. 111, No. 2, and Fantasies in C Major.

Holst: Suite The Planets (Sir Adrian Boult conducting BBC Symphony Orchestra; HMV: 12" LP). In 1913 the ugly, martial drumthumping of Mars, the Bringer of War seemed daringly modern. Now it doesn’t, but it’s still good music.

Mozart: Concertos No. 20 and 21 (Artur Schnabel, piano; Walter Susskind conducting Philharmonia Orchestra; HMV: 12" LP). These are clearly made from 78 rpm masters, but are nevertheless without rival, on records, in interpretation and performance.

Mozart: Concerto No. 4 in D Major, together with Prokofiev: Concerto No. 1 in D Major (Joseph Szigeti, violin; Sir Thomas Beecham conducting London Philharmonic Orchestra; Columbia: 12" LP). The Mozart is played big, but with irresistible fondness and irreproachable control. The Prokofiev is dwarfed in this company, albeit well played also.

Purcell:Dido and Aeneas (Kirsten Flagstad, Elizabeth Schwartzkopf, and members of the Mermaid Theater cast, conducted by Geraint Jones; HMV: 12" LP). All literary London helped support last season’s revival of Dido in the Mermaid, the city’s sole Elizabethan playhouse. Flagstad sang for nothing. The 1689 opera, perhaps still the greatest in the English tongue, had the benefit of priceless artistry. Wonderful!

Sibelius: Symphony No. 1 in E Minor (Anthony Collins conducting London Symphony Orchestra; London: 12" LP). All this wealth of themes — and hi-fi, too! Collins takes it not overseriously, but zestfully.

Tchaikovsky: Overture1812and Fantasy OvertureHamlet (Sir Adrian Boult conducting London Philharmonic Orchestra; London: 12" LP). No doubt this was recorded with an Audio Show in mind, having the most sepulchral bass drums and hissingest cymbals to sound forth from disks in many a month.