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GRADO "Truly the World's Finest..." Well Seek Originality Through Expressive- Ness Rather Than Expressiveness Through Originality

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GRADO Brieff, flute; Joseph Marx, oboe; Lorin lion has two important advantages in ing sneaked into the Beaux Arts Ball Bernsohn, cello; Robert Conant, harpsi- the conducting of Karajan and the tech- for an evening of eavesdropping. chord (in the Carter). nical work of London's engineers. The The cast is in general quite strong. One COLUMBIA ML 5566. LP. $4.98. conductor elicits playing of tremendous could cavil at the condition of Hilde COLUMBIA MS 6176. SD. $5.98. dash and precision from his magnificent Gueden's low voice, but her sophisticated orchestra, and at several points gets his Rosalinde is so charmingly done as to It is a trifle embarrassing for me to singers to maintain an unflagging tempo make such criticism seem rather beside review this record, since I was the chair- in ensemble I should have thought im- the point. Both Zampieri and Köth are man of the Naumburg Foundation jury possible. And London's sound men have, beset by a rapid tremolo that is none too which selected these pieces for recording. once again, done their work to perfec- appealing, and Miss Köths "Mein Herr That, however, was long years ago. tion. Marquis" falls somewhat flat, though Columbia has been very leisurely about Some really remarkable effects of her verses to champagne are piquant making these discs, and in the meantime distance and direction are achieved, and enough. Resnik is a languorous Orlofsky, I had forgotten entirely what the pieces the whole performance sits on a cushion and Messrs. Kmentt, Berry, and Waech- sounded like. Coming back to them of air, just as it would in an acousti- ter (the latter two reversing the roles afresh is a rather fascinating experience. cally excellent auditorium. The effect in they took in the recent Angel release) The music of Harold Shapero possesses the "Dui-du" ensemble is unforgettable. are all in top form. Kunz's Frosch, re- a very rare quality: it has a completely Indeed, the whole party scene is, if peated from the Angel set, is a small personal profile within the confines of anything, a bit too realistic -after all, I masterpiece of slapstick. As for the a conservative idiom. Harmonically and want the sensation of listening to a care- party turns by Orlofsky's "guests," one rhythmically there is nothing here to fully prepared performance. not of hav- or two of them, such as the Simionato/ startle anyone, but the music flows with a cool, gracious fluency all but unique in modern American chamber music. This work exemplifies very well what Virgil Thomson had in mind when he said the music of the next decades may GRADO "Truly the world's finest..." well seek originality through expressive- ness rather than expressiveness through originality. But it was written twenty years ago. Elliott Carter's sonata is a very differ- ent affair. Here the idiom is far from traditional, but bristles with complexities of harmony and rhythm alike. The han- dling of the colors and resonances of IES TONE ARM harpsichord, flute, oboe, and cello is extraordinarily brilliant, but above every- thing the work exemplifies Carter's own statement: "I regard my scores as scenarios for performers to act out on their instruments, dramatizing the players as individuals and participants in the ensemble. To me the special teamwork of ensemble playing is very wonderful and moving, and this feeling is always an important expressive consideration in my chamber music." Performance and recording in both instances leave nothing to be desired. A.F. STRAUSS, JOHANN: Die Fleder- maus Hilde Gueden (s), Rosalinde; Erika Köth (s), Adele; Regina Resnik (ms), Orlofsky; Hedwig Schubert (speaker), Ida; Giuseppe Zampieri (t), Alfred; Waldemar Kmentt (t), Von Eisenstein; Peter Klein (t), Dr. Blind; Walter Berry (b), Falke; Eberhard Waechter (b), Frank; Erich Kunz (speaker), Frosch; Omar Godknow (speaker), Lord Barry- more; B. Fasolt (speaker), Ivan; Andre von Mattoni (speaker), Carikoni. Guests at Orlofsky's ball: Renata Tebaldi, Birgit Gunstock walnut wood Vertical azimuth adjustment Nilsson, Leontyne Price, Joan Suther- land. Ljuba Welitsch. Giulietta Simiona- Smaller in size and mass Interchangeable cartridges to, Teresa Berganza, Mario del Monaco, Vertical balance adjustment Adjustable overhang alignment Tussi Bjoerling, Ettore Bastianini, Fer- Lateral balance adjustment nando Corena. Vienna State Opera Completely wired to preamp Chorus. Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Tracking force adjustment Ultrafine shielded cable Herbert von Karajan, cond. LONDON OSA 1319. Three SD. $17.94. The most striking feature of this per- Custom Cartridge $32.50 - Muster Cartridge $49.50 - Micro Tone Arm $29.5 5 formance is, obviously, the "gala" con- cert held at Orlofsky's in the Second Act. It is a lot of fun, and will probably be enough to attract many buyers for the For further information write: release, but I imagine some collectors GRADO LABORATORIES, INC. will be influenced at least in part by the 4614 Seventh Ave., Brooklyn 20, N. Y. Export - Simontrice, 25 Warren St., N. Y. C. performance of Die Fledermaus that sur- rounds it. From the start. the produc- CIRCLE: 41 ON READER- SERVICE CARD JANUARY 1961 75 www.americanradiohistory.com.
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