Irepeat Performance Brings You Bernstein, Weill, Brecht and the BACH: Kunst Der Fuge, S

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iRepeat Performance brings you Bernstein, Weill, Brecht and the BACH: Kunst der Fuge, S. 1080 (arr. on Everest; and there are two versions Whole Winograd); BEETHOVEN: Grosse (London and the Odeon reissue at hand) "Creation" Fuge. in B flat, Op. 133. Winograd of the Frederic Austin 1920 arrangement, LEONARD BERNSTEIN: String Orchestra, Arthur Winograd, both using a double cast of singers and Trouble In Tahiti. Bernstein 's only opera is actors. Austin's scoring suffers from cond. Heliodor H /HS 25019 -2, $2.49 now available once more. (two discs) [from M -G -M 2 -E3, 1958]. overreliance on a sugary string -domi- With Beverly Wolff and The loving care which Winograd has nated texture and a general air of oh -so- David Atkinson of the origi- accorded Bach's staggering work sings proper tastefulness. All the cutting wit nal TV production. H/ HS -25020 out eloquently in every measure. The of the satirical songs is thereby refined away and the ballads tend to degenerate Ami6 orchestra plays the conductor's arrange- tie ment with extraordinary sensitivity- - into sentimental ditties. If this weren't dynamics, tempos, phrasings, linear bal- bad enough, about one quarter of the ances are just and right. Wisely, the songs are omitted. Compensating factors canons, obviously unsuited to a string on the Odeon are the excellent singers ensemble, are not performed, and the and the actors from the Old Vic - temptation to complete the final fugue Zena Walker, Rachel Roberts, Daphne is sensibly avoided. Concluding the per- Heard, John Neville, Eric Porter, and formance exactly at the point where Paul Rogers -but even here pleasure is and near -blind composer laid tempered by the fact that sung and BRECHT- WEILL: the aging Der spoken characterizations rarely jibe. Jasager. down his pen adds a measure of poign- For An unusual masterpiece by ancy to this excellent interpretation. one instance: observe how Zena Walker's the "THREEPENNY OPERA" Winograd does not achieve the same delightfully dizzy Polly Peachum dis- team of Brecht and Weill. success with Beethoven's problematical solves into thin air when Elsie Morison's Recorded under the super- vision of Lotte Lenya. Fuge and the performance is just sweetly voiced milk maid takes over. Grosse H/ HS -25025 as scratchy and out of tune as everyone Although the recording was made in is 1955, the stereo is genuine and sports Jima else's. The sound given both works KU Well-I. clear but rather coarse; and Heliodor has considerable movement. Much of it is DER JASAGER stingily stuffed both records into one miscalculated, however, to judge from the R1:RTnIJ ItRl:c11T jacket with only a cardboard divider. sudden leaps between speakers as an Minor quibbles, in view of such a mar- actor relinquishes the microphone to his velous version of the Bach at such a singing counterpart. A first -rate per- reasonable price. formance of this evergreen musical is badly needed. Why doesn't the London/ Concerto for Violin and Decca /Culshaw team set to work on BEETHOVEN: Two for the price of one in D, Op. 61. Henryk Britten's inspired adaptation? Orchestra, HAYDN: violin; Orchestre de la Société JOSEPH Szeryng, The Creation. des Concerts du Conservatoire de GILBERT and SULLIVAN: Complete The only budget recording Paris. Jacques Thibaud, cond. Monitor Operettas: Princess Ida; The Yeotnen of Haydn's great oratorio. MC /MCS 2093, $1.98 [from Odeon of the Guard; Patience; Ruddigorc: Complete 2- record set in- XOC I11, 1959]. Trial By Jury. Operetta Excerpts: The cludes full text. Berlin Radio Chorus and Orchestra. Szeryng's performance of this often re- Mikado and Patience; The Yeomen H/ HS- 25028-2 corded concerto is the sweetest I have of the Guard and Ruddigore: The ever heard. Even if occasionally his Gondeliers and lolanthe: H.M.S. approach seems downright sugar -glazed, Pinafore and The Sorcerer; The World there is definitely room for such melt- of Gilbert and Sullivan; Gilbert and ingly beautiful playing. The release gains Sullivan Choruses. D'Oyly Carte Opera additional interest from the presence of Company, Isidore Godfrey, cond. Rich- Thibaud on the podium, one of the mond RS 62011, RS 62012, RS 62013, pianist's few appearances in the record- RS 62014, R 23050, R 23055, R 23056, ing studio as a conductor; his view of R 23057, R 23058, R 23059, R 23060; the music jibes nicely with Szeryng's in RS sets (two discs), $4.78 each; R Also new on $2.39 each 4218, Heliodor: the gentle yet firmly controlled contours discs, [from London RACHMANINOFF: SYM- of the accompaniment. The stereo ver- 4205, 4211, 4206, 4101, 5087, 5088, PHONY NO. 2. Leningrad sion is ersatz but at least relatively harm- 5089, 5091, and various London origi- Symphony. H/ HS -25029 less. nals, 1949-55.] BRAHMS: LIEBESLIEDER With the exception of The Pirates of WALTZE& SUK: SERENADE GAY -PEPUSCH- AUSTIN: The Beggar's Penzance and The Sorcerer, all the FOR STRINGS. Arthur Wino. grad. cond. H /HS -25026 Opera. Elsie Morison (s), Monica Sin- D'Oyly Carte recordings of G and S PISTON: QUINTET FOR clair (ms), Constance Shacklock (c), made in the early days of LP are now PIANO AND STRINGS. Alexander Young (t), John Cameron available on London's inexpensive Rich- Earl Wild. Walden Quartet. (b), Ian Wallace (bs), Owen Brannigan mond label. At the time when these HOVHANESS: KHALDIS (bs); Pro Arte Chorus and Orchestra, performances were new, the D'Oyly CONCERTO. William Masse. los. trier Solomon. H f H5.25027 Sir Malcolm Sargent, cond. Odeon Carte company was particularly long on BACH: VIOLIN PARTITA CSD 1516/17, $13.58 (two discs) [from authentic Savoyard style but rather short NO. 2: FLUTE SONATA IN RCA Victor LM 6048, 1957]. on exceptional singing voices (the situa- A MINOR. Wolfgang Schneid - The Beggar's Opera has not had a par- tion hasn't altered much today). But those rrhan. Gustav Scheck. ticularly happy phonographic history: of us who were reared on Martyn Green, H/ HS -25030 there is Max Goberman's authentically Darrell Fancourt, Margaret Mitchell, IIELIODOR Record, i, a divisional Metro-CnldwynMayer Inr pure but insipidly performed restoration Ella Halman, and the rest will prob- CIRCLE 42 ON READER -SERVICE CARD AUGUST 1966 99