Gramophone Notes
THE last month has brought four outstanding new recordings of classical symphonies. The most important of them is undoubtedly the fine recording (H.M.V. DB2346-51, 36s.) of Beethoven's Eroica Symphony by Serge _Koussevitzky and the London Symphony Orchestra—a truly, great .set of records, both in performance and in recording,iwhiekat once estab- lishes itself as the best version of the Froica available -for the gramophone. Koussevitzky seems to me almost the ideal conductor for Beethoven: there is not a single ease of overstressing in the whole performance, but the dramatic magnificence and heroic grandeur of the music is fully. Stated. The recording as a whole is superbly good, and one notices in particular the quite astounding clarity of the horns and oboe. I recommend this set without qualification. Almost equally delightful is a recording (H.M.V. DB2191-3, 185.) by Fritz Busch and the B.B.C. Symphony Orchestra of Mozart's Symphony- in C, No 36 (the 'Linz)—a delightfully pointed and unsentimental performance, in which the perfect balance maintained between strings and wood-wind is particularly remarkable. Koussevitzky appears again, this time with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, in an excellent recording (H.M.V. DB2343-5, 18.4.) of Mozart's Symphony in G Minor, K. 550, which again fully illustrates his remarkable virtues as a conductor. Less good than any of the preceding per- formances, but still remarkable, is the recording (H.M.V. DB2415-2420, 36s.) by Dr. Boult and the B.B.C. Symphony Orchestra of Schubert's massive Symphony No. 7 in C Major— a thoroughly sound and recommendable set of records. The great advance that has been made in piano recording is well shown in the recording (H.M.V. DB2426-8, 18s.) by Raehmaninoff and the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Leopold Stokowsky, of Raclunaninofrs Rhap- sody on a Theme by Paganini for Piano and Orchestra, an un- equal but at times exciting work, based on the familiar Paganini theme with both Braluns and Liszt adopted. Not everyone will like the Philadelphia Orchestra's playing, but the piano is undoubtedly good and records well. That brilliant pianist, Marguerite Long, and the Colonne Orchestra, conducted by Paul Paray, have an excellent set (Columbia LX862-4, 18s.) of Vincent d'Indy's fascinating Symphony on a Mountaineer's Song far Orchestra and Piano—an extraordinarily interesting work which is here brilliantly performed and beautifully recorded. The piano comes out well again in a performance (Columbia LX365-8, 24s.) of Brahms' Piano Quartet in C Minor, Op. 60, given by Harry Cumpson, Cyril Towbin, David Dawson and Carl Stern—a quartet of players pre- viously unknown to me, but playing here with good energy and decisiveness, if not always with subtlety. The piano tone is not quite so good in Baekhaus' recording (H.M.V. DB2405-6, 12s.) of Beethoven's Sonata in C sharp Minor, Op. 27, No. 2, but Backhaus' playing, particularly in the last movement, is extraordinarily with impressive. To anyone who is not already surfeited th recordings of the Moonlight Sonata this version can be wholeheartedly recommended. So, as much for the interpretation and much' more for the recording, can Horowitz's two records (H.M.V. DAI887-8, 8s.) of Beethoven's Thirty-two Variations in C Minor, and re he there will be no chance of a surfeit of recordings, since the Variations, so far as I know, have never been recorded before. This is an early work, not very strong structurally and sometimes slight, but always interesting and with passages of great beauty. Better still, for the tone of the piano, is Solomon's performance of Chopin's Fantasia in F Minor, Op. 49, and two Studies, Op. 25, No. 8, and Op. 10,' NO. 8 (Columbia DX668-9, 8s.). And best of all is the set of Chopin Valles (H.M.V. DB231I-6, 36s.) which Cortot has made--a remarkably fine set which would be worth studying foi the pianist's mastery of rubato playing alone. • . . Three recordings of less important works remain .to be mentioned. There is a very pleasant performance by Eileen Joyce (Parlophone E11265, 4s.) of Waldesrauchen by Liszt and Hummers Rondo Facori in E Flat ; a sound recording by Kleiber and the Berlin State Opera Orchestra of Berlioz' Roman Carnival Overture (Decca-Polydor, CA8197, 4s.) ; and a brisk and lively recording (Parlophone E11269-71, 12s.) by Robert Heger and the Grand Symphony Orchestra of Tchai-
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