WFIAINE the Same Piece, the Pianist Destroys the Composer's "Interrupted Serenade" Effect by Imprecise Counting of Note Values

ist's sense of timing is lax. In the sotto voce beginning of the F major Ballade, for example, the rushed, nerveless alle- gretto, as opposed to the indicated andantino, is chiefly the result of care- less accentuation of rhythm. And at WON measure 88 (again at measure 201) in WFIAINE the same piece, the pianist destroys the composer's "interrupted serenade" effect by imprecise counting of note values. Admittedly, these are extreme examples, but this sort of unincisive musical think- EI ing is on evidence throughout the disc. Furthermore, the piano tone is dull and Franco glassy, an effect which must surely be OPERATICALLY NEW!!! due partly to the particular instrument Corelli itself. The stereo version has a blasty IIADAì 1E distortion and shallow congestion; the 1 Pagliacci LP is better. H.G. BUTTERFLY s eon.anm by EN CIMAROSA: Il ¡Maestro di Cappella LOVRO VON MATACIC N . Concert Arias: Per questa Con,e Maler N orbert Mat, tMozart: MAPof iOLlifH bella mano, K. 612; Rivolgete a lui ANN ROBSON lo sguardo, CHARLES CRAIG K. 584; Aspri rimorsi GwIN GRIEti'Ii". ' t atroci, K. 432; Non so donde viene, Starring Franco .11 HI, il( ,rnsa- K. 512; Un bacio di mano, K. tional young Italian tenor making 541; Mentre ti lascio o figlia, K. his first U.S. appearances at the Met The only recording in Eng- 513 this season. lish of highlights from an Also starring Lucine Amara, soprano opera favorite. Fernando Corena, bass; Orchestra of the and Tito Gobbi, baritone. A Sadler's Wells production Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, La Scala Orchestra and Chorus, starring Marie Collier, Ann Argeo Quadri, cond. Lovro von Matacic. Conductor. Robson, Charles Craig and LONDON 5585. LP. $4.98. (SI 3618 B/L Gwyn Griffiths. Sadler's Wells LONDON OS 25219. SD. $5.98. Orchestra. Bryan Balkwill, t t HUMOROUSLY NEW E a Conductor. Is) 35902 This release's chief attraction -apart from its excellent sound-is the bass's splendid Peter SELLERS performance of the Cimarosa intermezzo, PETER easily the best on records. His versions & SOPHIA Loren of "Rivolgete a lui lo sguardo" (the dis- International carded aria for Guglielmo from Cost filmdom's brightest SeueRs A fan tette) and "Un bacio di mano" are stars get together for AND also outstanding. The grand concert an uninhibited aria and the buffo scena are different record romp! at 35910 $opHN ia matters, however; and though the spirit Another "must"! LORE of Corena's renderings is always right, Peter Sellers' the vocalism is often ungainly, with the comedy hit THE singer guiding his voice around the turns BEST OF SELLERS only imprecisely. The arias themselves, (5) 35884 of course, are among the greatest examples of the form, and in the absence of a Pinza, many will be happy to settle for Corena in order to hear them. SYMPHONICALLY NEW ! H u t t In any event, the Cimarosa alone justifies the disc. Notes. but no texts, which is especially unfortunate with re- c rrrt > HERBERT Kl.lí.11i'I;RI(R spect to 11 Maestro di Cappella, where a VON précis cannot mirror the text's affection- Beethoven KARAJAN ate wit. C.L.O. Symphony SIBELIUS n5 BRAHMS: THE FOUR DVORAK: Legends, op. 59 SYMPHONIES 1 Symphony nag Overture in d major, King Stephen (And Two Overtures - Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. K arel I "Tragic" and "Academic op.43 Sejna, cond. ' Festival") SUPRAPHON LPV 311. LP. $5.9f PHILHARMONPA ORCHESTRA Otto Klemperer conducting The Philharmonia Orchestra. Dvofák's ten Legends, composed in 1881, Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 Deluxe boxed set of "one of Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 belong to the same period and style as "King Stephen" Overture the most satisfying projects Herbert von Karajan con- the Slavonic Dances, the first set of which Otto Klemperer conducting in the history of recorded ducting The Philharmonia dates from 1878. Like the Dances. the The Philharmonia Orchestra. music." Hi Fi /Stereo Review. Orchestra. 1St 35891 Legends were originally written for piano (5) 35843 IS) 361.D duet and later orchestrated by the composer. Their form is simple and their BALLET -ICALLY NEW""" many attractive melodies have that same CHOPIN: artless folklike character that has en- e LES SI APHIDES LES SYLPHIDES deared the Dances to so many listeners. L.1. (à eeie:aAeei MEYERBEER: The Czech Philharmonic can usually be LES PATINEURS LES PATINEURS counted upon to give idiomatic perform- PnY,:alElU PONCHIELLI : ances of Dvofák's music, and they d0 not DANCE DANCE OF disappoint here. Sejna directs with tIFTHE HOURS THE HOURS warmth and spirit, and the recording is Charles Mackerras more than satisfactory in range and spa- conducting The ciousness. This is the only version cur- Philharmonia rently in the catalogue; it fills the need Orchestra. GEL RECOR very well indeed. P.A. PHLtHtnnnAltoECaEfTEA 1s) 35833 CMAn1.r.NLCAEEEAA Continued on page 102 CIRCLE 9 ON READER -SERVICE CARD 100 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE