GRAMOPHONE NOTES THE best records I have received this month
are H.M.V.'s Tapiola (Beecham and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra) and Janacek's Sinfonietta (Rafael Kubelik and the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra). Beecham gets exactly the right intensity and compressed emotion of Sibelius's music, and the orchestral colour is magnificent, whether it is the icy white of the •strings or the jagged strokei of black from the bass of wood wind and brass. We could do with much more recording of Janacek's music. but the Sinfonietta is a good introduc- tion to his work for people who do not know it. The music of Kachaturian's ballet Gayaneh (Philharmonia Orchestra with isiallco) is pretty worthless, not much more than " colourful" in the barbaric Russian manner which corresponds to the folk jig with which our " nationalist " works used to end; but it is well played if you like that sort of thing. Schnabel plays the Beethoven B flat major concerto with the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Issay Dobrowen (H.M.V.), and this, as might be expected, is a perfect piece of " straight " classical playing, with no frills and all the T's crossed and the I's dotted.
I am personally allergic to the organ (or anyhow the modern organ), but, if you are not, G. D. Cunningham and the City of Bir- mingham Orchestra have recorded two Handel organ concertos— No. 2 in B flat and No. 4 in F. For amateurs of virtuosity Alexander Brailowsky (whom the Germans used to call "der Klaviertiger ") has recorded Liszt's second, Hungarian Rhapsody and Nathan Milstein the Romanza Andaluza of Sarasate and the Meditation from Thais. The best vocal records are of Act 3, scene 2, of Lohengrin (the Bridal Chamber) by Helen Traubel and Kurt Baum. This is warm, full-blooded German Romantic opera sung in the right warm, full- blooded romantic way. Isobel Bailliers recording of two Rachmani- nov songs—The Lilacs and Before My Window—is cool, but romantic, too, in its way and beautifully done. Finally it must be said for the benefit of those readers of The Spectator who have a taste for Caruso's recording of The Lost Chord that Gigli has recorded I'll Walk Beside You and that on the other side of this record is Tosti's. Parted. Plus fa change plus c'est la mime chose.
M. C.
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