Music: September Records

Some phonograph records are musical events. Each month TIME notes the noteworthy.

Symphonic, etc.

CHOPIN: NOCTURNES (Arthur Rubinstein, pianist; Victor: 2 volumes, 22 sides). Though no towering musical architect, moody, consumptive 19th-Century Chopin still holds his place among the greatest of all lyric composers. Masterly playing by Pianist Rubinstein and excellent sound-reproduction make this first complete phonographic edition of the Nocturnes the month’s most distinguished recording.

PROKOFIEFF: LIEUTENANT KITE SUITE (Boston Symphony, Sergei Koussevitzky conducting; Victor: 6 sides). To cover up a Tsar’s error, obsequious Russian courtiers invented a hypothetical army officer named Kije. The nonexistent lieutenant outlived his inventors, became the subject of a satirical Soviet film seen in Manhattan in 1934. Composer Prokofieff’s music, written to accompany the film, is clever, brilliantly orchestrated. The Bostonians do a scintillating job.

HAYDN: SYMPHONY No. 93 IN D MAJOR (London Philharmonic, Sir Thomas Beecham conducting; Columbia: 6 sides). A famous Haydn conductor directs a top-flight Haydn symphony in top form.

ROSSINI-RESPIGHI: LA BOUTIQUE FANTASQUE (London Philharmonic, Eugene Goossens conducting; Victor: 6 sides). A familiar item in the repertory of the Ballet Russe, Choreographer Massine’s Fantastic Toyshop has memorably tuneful music. Performance first rate.

DEBUSSY: IBERIA (New York Philharmonic-Symphony, John Barbirolli conducting; Victor: 5 sides). Debussy’s subtle, impressionistic portrait of Spain gets its best all-round recording to date.

MOZART : PARIS OVERTURE, K. 31 la (Sinfonietta conducted by Alfred Wallenstein; Columbia). A rising young U. S. conductor proves his mettle in an excellent performance of Mozart’s “lost” overture.

CESAR FRANCK: QUINTET FOR PIANO AND STRINGS (Roth String Quartet with E. Robert Schmitz; Columbia: 10 sides). First modern recording of one of Franck’s finest works. The Roth Quartet and Pianist Schmitz do well by its surging, Gothic phrases.

BRAHMS: SONATA IN E FLAT MAJOR FOR VIOLA AND PIANO (William Primrose and Gerald Moore; Victor: 6 sides). Brahms wrote this sonata originally for clarinet, then made his own arrangement for viola. NBC Symphony’s William Primrose, widely regarded as today’s No. 1 violist, gives it an impeccable performance.

SCHUBERT-TAUSIG: ANDANTE AND VARIATIONS IN B MINOR (Egon Petri, pianist, Columbia). One of scholarly Pianist Petri’s well-styled additions to the standard phonographic repertory.

CESAR FRANCK : CHORAL No. 1 IN E MAJOR FOR ORGAN (AlbertSchweitzer; Columbia: 4 sides). On the famous organ at Ste. Aurelie, Strasbourg, Organist Schweitzer plays Organist Franck’s score as Franck himself might have played it.

VOCAL Music OF THE RENAISSANCE (The Madrigalists; Musicraft: 10 sides).

In Elizabethan times people sang deft. contrapuntal madrigals for amusement, as they now play bridge. The present series ‘is the first devoted to madrigals by continental European composers.

Popular

LONDON BRIDGE Is FALLING DOWN (Count Basic; Decca). Following the latest vogue. Basic’s band warms over (and up) the nursery rhyme of the world’s most famed apocryphal structural failure.

AT LONG LAST LOVE (Larry Clinton; Victor). Melody-of -the-month, from Cole Porter’s as yet un-Manhattanized Yon Never Know’. Also, Liberty Music Shop presents on one disc six tunes from the show as recorded by Cy Walter.

MR. CROSBY AND MR. MERCER (Decca,). Last June, when the genial Westwood Marching and Chowder Club (North Hollywood Branch) put on its second Breakaway Minstrel Show, the Olio was enlivened by ” ‘Lasses’ (Molasses) Mercer and ‘Chittlins’ (pig or calf intestines) Crosby in an erudite analyseration of swing.” The “analyseration” was sung to the music of the 1920’s famed duet Mr. Gallagher and Mr. Shean, new words by Lyricist Mercer (Cowboy From Brooklyn, et al.). The summer’s most amusing ditty gets more amusing when Crosby explains to Mercer that jazz is merely old-fashioned music hopped up.

“Allegretto, Mr. Crosby?” “Alligators, Mr. M.” Sales of Gallagher and Shean records reached millions. Mr. Crosby & Mr. Mercer so far: 45,000.

MY MELANCHOLY BABY (Benny Good man; Victor). Classic fox-trot played in the now classic Goodman manner.

LAMBETH WALK (Duke Ellington; Brunswick). Theme song of the 1938 summer dance madness, doubtless played more interestingly than it ever was at its point of origin, London.

TAPPIN’ THE COMMODORE TILL (Bud Freeman; Commodore Music Shop. 144 E. 42nd St., Manhattan). Some extraordinary if derivative (from Beiderbecke) trumpet playing by Bobby Hackett distinguishes this record.