Music: October Records

U. S. opinion thinks uplift is fine, but uplift that makes money is even finer. Last month in Manhattan, amid an outburst of pompous, dead-pan hullabaloo, an uplifting stunt was launched by the National Committee for Music Appreciation, an outfit headed by John Erskine, novelist, musician, guiding light and onetime president of the Juilliard School of Music. The New York branch of the Committee, billing itself in double-page advertisements as “a non-profit organization,” announced that it would distribute twelve sets of operatic recordings “at an incredibly small cost!”—$1.75 for three or four records. Last fortnight the same records were launched in Washington, with more of the same kind of hullabaloo, including a dinner at which Mr. Erskine and other bigwigs spoke.

The National Committee was born of the cheap symphonic recordings put on sale two winters ago by the New York Post. The recordings spread through the land, sold more than 1,000,000 copies. The Post’s promotion firm, Publishers Service Co. Inc., still manages the record sales. pays salaries to Mr. Erskine and two other Committee executives, buys the broiled chicken and green peas at the Committee dinners—of which there will be plenty, for the Committee now has 75 local branches. In its 18 months of existence, the Committee, after the manufacturer (RCA Victor) and Publishers Service had been paid, has had enough left to give $78,000 to needy U. S. orchestras and musical organizations.

Like the earlier symphonic discs, the operatic records are anonymously performed, without benefit of rehearsals (at which union musicians must be paid). They are not quite so wonderful as the Committee’s advertisements suggest. Indeed, the New York Better Business Bureau asked the Committee to moderate its claims (which it did). But the Committee’s discs are by no means bad, may well increase U. S. music appreciation. Among the recording artists are Metropolitan Opera Tenors Armand Tokatyan and Raoul Jobin, Basso Norman Cordon. Among the operas so far released, Carmen is the best; Faust is a series of seemingly arbitrary selections. For each opera the Post’s Musicritic Samuel Chotzinoff has written readable notes.

Other records of the month:

SYMPHONIC, ETC.

Stravinsky: Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rite of Spring) (Igor Stravinsky conducting the New York Philharmonic-Symphony; Columbia: 8 sides). The spine-tingling bumps & bleats, grumps & groans of Stravinsky’s ballet of pagan Russian rituals caused a near-riot in Paris in 1913. Stravinsky, ordinarily an indifferent conductor of his own works, had an off-night in Manhattan last spring, went to town with the Philharmonic and Le Sacre. Here he repeats the performance, with well-recorded results.

Bloch: Schelomo (Emanuel Feuermann, cellist, with Leopold Stokowski conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra; Victor: 5 sides). In Schelomo (Hebrew for Solomon), musical Zionist Ernest Bloch rhapsodizes and wails, perhaps of worldly vanities, perhaps of breasts like roes and necks like ivory: there is no descriptive program. Cellist Feuermann plays eloquently.

Mozart: Concerto in B Flat Major for Bassoon and Orchestra (Ferdinand Oubradous, with orchestra conducted by Eugene Bigot; Victor: 4 sides). Mozart’s tunes let Bassoonist Oubradous purl sweetly as well as boop for a laugh.

Bach: The Little Organ Book (Volume II) (E. Power Biggs playing the organ of the Germanic Museum, Cambridge, Mass.; Victor: 7 sides). The mighty Johann Sebastian wrote chorale preludes—settings or improvisations on Lutheran hymn tunes—for most of the feasts of the church year. Organist Biggs plays them somewhat stiffly, on Cambridge’s limpid, sparkling-toned “baroque” instrument. Volume II completes Victor’s set which (unlike the church year) begins with New Year’s, ends with Advent.

Ravel: Bolero (Leopold Stokowski conducting the All American Youth Orchestra; Columbia: 4 sides). Fine recording of Ravel’s showpiece, in which a sinuous tune thumps along, attaining power simply through a piling on of orchestral weight.

Wagner: Dich, Theure Halle from Tannhauser and Gluck: Divinités du Styx from Alceste (Helen Traubel, soprano; Victor). Soprano Traubel, one of last season’s discoveries, makes her disc debut in two airs designed for big, warm voices.

Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3 (“Scotch”) in A Minor (Jose Iturbi conducting the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra; Victor: 8 sides). Mendelssohn’s burbling melodies, inspired by his visit to Holyrood in Edinburgh, are brightly recorded by another debutant organization.

“The Heart of the Symphony” (Victor Symphony Orchestra conducted by Charles O’Connell; Victor: 8 sides). Abridged movements, torn from the squirming bodies of symphonies by Beethoven, Brahms, Franck, etc.. presumably to acquaint beginners with symphonic whys & wherefores. Music lovers beware.

Bach: Concerto in D Minor (Joseph Szigeti, violinist, with members of the New Friends of Music Orchestra, conducted by Fritz Stiedry; Columbia: 6 sides). Tops in Bach, tooled by one of the great fiddlers.

POPULAR

Harlem Nocturne (Ray Noble; Columbia). Melody-of-the-month with notable alto saxophone work by Jack Dumont.

Vernon Duke Melodies. Decca three-disc album of six tunes, by the author of April In Paris (included), sung by Hildegarde, who does as handsome as she is. Cling to You is hitherto unrecorded.

I Can’t Get Started With You (Joe Bushkin; Commodore Music Shop). Solo of another Vernon Duke favorite by Tommy Dorsey’s able pianist; stylist work, but you can tell what he is playing.

Sepia Panorama (Duke Ellington; Victor). Augmented by a new bass and tenor saxophone, Ellington’s band tops even its great pre-Repeal form.