A Welcome for Warenskjold the Soviet's Gilels /^AH the Mazurkas Kleiber's Beethoven No. 5
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59 A Welcome for Warenskjold young man with a style made to order It is absorbing to note that the for the late works of Prokofiev, Shos purity, grace, and rhythmic accent of takovich, etc. Rubinstein’s playing is constant in Grieg and Dvorak: Songs. Dorothy Warenskjold, soprano, with the Con However, since he is playing Liszt the little as well as the much-played certs Arts Orchestra conducted by and Saint Saens, those abilities are Mazurkas, that his concern for the George Greeley. (Capitol P 8247, not altogether relevant. Of his ability second of Opus 33 is no more than his $5.70.) to play glissandi like glass, runs like attention to Opus 50, No. 1. In both— rivets, and arpeggios as glittering as as in the many between—the piano AS CONCERTGOERS and radio lis- arctic ice, there can be no question. sound is of this artist’s own distinctive -'1 teners (also operagoers in San But the kind of artistry that distin sonority, and though the sequence Francisco) on the West Coast know, guishes between effects must have involved phys Dorothy Warenskjold is one of the and expression is hard to ical effort spread over most accomplished American sopranos find in these perform many weeks’ time, it can of the day. That she is content, thus ances. There is a sugges be heard straight through far, with regional celebrity is a trib tion of it in the opening as the expression of a ute to her modesty. Also it reflects movement of the Saint- single underlying im the sensible view that there are other Saëns, but the invitation pulse which few could ways to make a career than by coming to charm in the allegro muster on any given oc to New York prematurely. scherzando is brusquely casion. In her introductory recording she rejected. As for the finale, In respect to sound, it shows a fine lyric soprano voice, even it is hardly the Presto in is interesting to hear that and lustrous, admirably controlled dicated: something more Rubinstein favors for the throughout its range, and especially of a vivacissimo. The two Polonaises a fuller, suitable to such Grieg items as “Sol- Liszt performance is glib, more resonant quality, veig’s Song,” “Tides of Spring” (as tonally metallic, and temperamentally doubtless related to the more “con- “The Last Spring” is described in this limited. certy” expressions they embody. He English vocal version), and “A Swan.” Vanguard has a sound reputation plays both with a solid balance of dra If there is an adverse comment to be for high standards in processing, so matic and musical elements, the re made, it would concern the unvarying it must be considered that this tape warding “Andante spianato” with es silken sound she produces, whatever is a defective one. The orchestral pecial art in the interlacing figures the mood or emotion of the song. It sound is sharp and clear, but the pitch that pass from right hand to left. makes for beautifully ear-caressing is never quite exact, and the piano tone, but also for mind-fatiguing tends to waver in sustained passages. Kleiber’s Beethoven No. 5 sameness. Included in the Dvorak se/^AH the Mazurkas quence are the “Gypsy Songs” (with Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 in C the inescapable “Songs That My minor. Erich Kleiber conducting the Mother Taught Me”) and the “Love Chopin: Mazurkas (Opus 6, 7, 17, Concertgebouw Orchestra of Am Songs” (Opus 83). She sings every 24, 30, 33, 41, 50, 56, 59, 63, 67, and sterdam. (London LL 912, $5.95.) thing in English texts clearly enun C8); also “Fantaisie Polonaise’’ ciated, but no more authentic for that. (Opus 61) and “Andante spianato HIS is certainly the best-sounding Considering that Capitol has in and Grande Polonaise” (Opus 22). T version of this taxing work now vested this effort on Miss Waren- Artur Rubinstein, piano. (RCA available, and one that is so well skjold’s behalf (the approved pronun Victor LM 6109, $17.16.) performed as to challenge comparison ciation, I believe, is “Warrenshold”), with any other. This is particularly it might have seen to it that she had T is rare that any performer has true of the first movement, launched livelier, better disciplined accompani I a second chance at so substantial in tremendously impressive vigor by ments than George Greeley provides. a segment of his chosen instrument’s Kleiber and sustained without lapse Also, by some misguided miracle of repertory as Rubinstein has here; it for its taut, concentrated length. The acoustics, it has managed to provide a is, .necessarily, rarer still that one conductor’s preference throughout the bright clean resonance for her voice, manages not only to equal but even work is for tempi that move rather a dull fuzzy one for the orchestra, es exceed a previous high standard of than meditate, but his concentration pecially where the low end and the quality. By some inherent discipline is not quite firm enough to sustain timpani are concerned. rather hard to analyze but neverthe what he has set in motion. Thus the less plainly evident to recognize, Rub scherzo has its moments of lax con instein manages to preserve a straight trol, and the finale, though beautifully The Soviet’s Gilels forward line to his objective, yielding prepared, loses momentum. neither to emotional exaggeration nor However, what Kleiber attempts is Liszt: Concerto No. 1 in E fiat. Emil musical understatement. of sufficient stature to invite a reval Gilels, piano, with orchestra con As a symptom of phonographic uation of the most recent Toscanini ducted by K. Kondrashin; also progress, it may be noted that Rubin effort (LM 1757). Here is no such Saint Saens: Concerto No. 2 in G stein’s first impressive, if cumber considerate concern for mere sonority minor. The same. (Vanguard VRS some, treatment of the Mazurkas (on (it is taken from a broadcast), but 6015, $5.95.) uncountable 78-rpm discs) utilized a the driving force of the conductor is sequence of his own, designed for never relaxed, even when it is con O judge by the choice of Emil listening “interest.” This time the cealed (in the andante). Moreover, TGilels to join David Oistrakh in listener is deemed sufficiently inter London provides its superior richness a musical performance during theested in the material itself and suffi of sound and accuracy of detail at recent Berlin meetings, he is the con ciently mature, musically, to take the more than small cost to the consumer; sidered choice as the No. 1 pianist pieces as they were written, thus pro two sides are utilized for the single of the Soviet Union. To judge by these viding a special kind of utility—in the work, whereas the Toscanini offers the examples of his skill—neither very area of historical perspective—for Symphony No. 8 on the second side. well recorded—he is an iron-fingered Rubinstein’s mastery. —Irving Kolodin..