Record Reviews

By John M. Conly

by JOHN M. CONLY

Bach: English Suites (Complete) (Fernando Valenti, harpsichord; Westminster: three 12" LPs in album with score). Of all the suites of Bach, these are the most intellectual, containing in logical fulfillment many themes met elsewhere in fragment. The tone of the harpsichord is intimate and strong.

Bach: Concerto No. 2 in E Major, with Prokofiev: Concerto No. 2 in G Minor (Zino Franeescatti, violin, with Georg Szell conducting Columbia Symphony Orchestra and Dimitri Mitropoulos conducting New York Philharmonic-Symphony; Columbia: 12” LP). Odd pairing, but very fine performances. The Bach, for example, sounds as if it might be a SzigetiBusch production, but for a slight French tonal lushness. Reproduction is excellent.

Debussy: Rhapsody for Saxophone and Orchestra; Fantasy for Piano and Orchestra;Clair de Lune (Jules de Vries, saxophone; Helmut Schultes, piano; Erich Kloss conducting Frankenland Symphony Orchestra; Lyrichord: 12” LP). Debussy seems to have considered the Rhapsody and Fantasy potboilers, but he was always hard on himself. If not deep, they have a pleasant dreamy sparkle, and are recorded with enveloping richness.

Donizetti: Mad Scene fromLucia, with Thomas: Mad Scene fromHamlet (Mado Robin, soprano; Richard Blareau conducting Conservatory Concerts Orchestra of Paris; London: 10" LP). There is some genuine drama, or at least melodrama, in these two insanity-acts, and Mlle. Robin hits B or C in alt with thrilling assurance.

Field. John: A John Field Suite, with Boccherini:Scuola di BalloSuite (Sir Malcolm Sargent and Antal Dorati conducting Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra; Columbia ”Entré": 12” LP). The durable, infectious Boccherini ballet music is well known and adequately played, The Field suite, arranged by Sir Hamilton Harty, is a real summer boon, light, lilting, pastoral Irish melody in well-concocted nineteenthcentury orchestration. Recording: good at $3.10.

Franck: Sonata in A Major, with Grieg: Sonata in A Minor

(Leonard Rose, cello; Leonid Hambro, piano; Columbia: 12” LP). For the listener bent on neither saving the world nor feeding a neurosis, here is some wonderfully satisfying music, played just about faultlessly by two of today’s most broadly competent young musicians. Columbia’s engineers have done them proud,

Haydn: Quartets, Op. 20, “Sun Quartets” (Schneider Quartet; Haydn Society: three separate 12" LPs). Another step in the great work of recording the complete Haydn quartets. What does one say? The usual(!) excellence prevails. Recommended without reservation.

Italian Baroque Music (Chamber Orchestra of the Società Corelli, Rome, with Luisa Ribacchi, mezzosoprano; RCA Victor: 12" LP). Concert i grossi and cantata excerpts by Vivaldi, Marcello, Geminiani, and Carissimi, sounding new and vital in good performances reasonably well engineered.

Honegger:Jeanne d’Arc au Bucher (Vera Zorina, other soloists, Temple University and St. Peter’s Boys’ Choirs, Eugene Ormandy conducting Philadelphia Orchestra; Columbia: two 12" LPs with text). Not for everyone, this CatholicImpressionist narrative-oratorio of St. Joan’s execution is long but full of drama and exciting sounds.

Mahler: Symphony No. 1 in D (Ernest Borsamski conducting Radio Berlin Symphony Orchestra: Vanguard or Urania: 12” LP). Two good small companies seem to have acquired the same tape at the same time. There is nothing to choose between them. 1 he performance is good—especially the funeral march — and a good recording of the work welcome.

Mascagni:Cavalleria Rusticana (Harshaw, Tucker, Votipka, Guarrera, and others; Fausto Cleva conducting Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and chorus; Columbia: two 12" LPs). This has wonderful theatersound; one could think it was made in the Met (it wasn’t); and the performance is very superior Met. WhY say more? The fourth side is devoted to four Verdi overtures, awesomely realistic.

Mozart: Sonata No. 8 in A Minor (Dinu Lipatti, piano; Columbia: 12" LP). Apparently Lipatti, who died in 1950, could play almost anything better than almost anyone else. Devotees are encouraged to try this Mozart, backed with Bach selections including the First Partita and the Myra Hess arrangement of “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring.”

Scarlatti, Domenico: Sonatas for Harpsichord, Vol. IV (Fernando Valenti, harpsichord; Westminster: 12" LP). Valenti obviously has some affinity for Scarlatti. These sound more real, tonally, than his Bach recordings, and from time to time, believe it or not, are almost wildly exciting. Listen on good equipment.

Sibelius: Lemminkäinen Suite (Eugene Ormandy conducting Philadelphia Orchestra; Columbia: 12" LP). It seems to be a Sibelius month. This rich recording, of a work new to LP, is selected arbitrarily from the take, which also includes a fine London combination of En Saga and Tapiola, with van Beinum and the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, and a BeechamColumbia cutting of the First Symphony, with the Royal Philharmonic. All are first-rate.