Reviews

Records : Opera for 3d?

Possibly to tie in with the release of the new prettified film of The Threepenny Opera, HMV have reissued the 1954 recording of the off-Broadway stage revival.

It is sung in the English translation of Marc Blitzstein by members of the original cast, including Lotte Lenya, Scott Merrill, Beatrice Arthur and Jo Sullivan. I have always preferred this version to that of the complete opera recorded in Hamburg on Philips, because there is a better balance between orchestra and voices, and because the Breeht lyrics have more punch in the slang of the colloquial American (to the non-German-speaking listener anyway). Lenya is, as always, perfectly stylish and makes the most of the bitter dreams and frustration of "Pirate Jenny" and the "Solomon Song." The recording is a little lacking in base, but the words and, just as important, the accompaniments are clearly audible. This could well rate as a collectors' item one day. (Mgm Mc 6005, Mono only.)

From another stage presentation, in London in 1963, comes the Decca disc of Oh, What a Lovely War. This is a fascinating and disconcerting mixture of treacle, sarcasm, weariness, tragedy and humour (sinister and macabre), expressed in the slogans, pop songs (and the soldiers' parodies of them as well as of hymns), communiques, headlines, religious hypocrisy and sound effects of the 1914-1918 war. At times it sounds like Brecht/ Weill, at others like George M. Cohan. It is beautifully recorded and, played on Anzac Day, would serve as a usefull corrective to some of the patriotic poop we get some of the patriotic poop we get at that time. (LKM 4542, Mono only.)

The main characteristics of Ashkenazy's interpretation of the Rachmaninoff Second Piano Concerto (with the Moscow Philharmonic under Kondrashin) seem to me to be his excellent technical ability and a studied seriousness. Certainly there is no reason why this work should be jazzed up with all sorts of extraneous virtuosity simply to inject it with novelty; but I do not care for the other extreme that comes out like undue caution. When you put on the Tacchino/Paris Conservatoire/ Cluytens version (HMV Concert Classics XLPM 20050), you find an added vigour that is deficient in the Ashkenazy recording. The Russian performance has the advantage of superior recording, in that the orchestral tone is more lifelike, but the piano is too near to the listener for my liking. Those solid, deep, bass chords (with attendant incidental noises) are very nice, but you do not get that close in the concert hall. Tacchino's piano, in contrast, is better balanced against the orchestra, thereby making the players sound further away from the listener. His fill-up is the original piano solo of Weber's Invitation To The Dance; that of Ashkenazy is three of Rachmaninoff's Etudes-Tableux. Tacchino's disc is cheaper but available in mono only; Ashkenazy's is full price but comes in stereo as well (and a very good stereo it is too). It depends therefore on personal preference—if you like a predominantly sober approach, then this new release is highly recommended. Decca Sxlm 6099).

Curzon's approach to his collection of Liszt pieces (Sonata in B Minor, Liebestraum No. 3, Valse Oubliee No. 1, Gnomenreigen, Berceuse) eschews showmanship for its own sake, but this pays off handsomely: this really is, for instance, a superb rendition of the "Liebestraume," which I thought I would never again sit through without squirming. The main raison d'etre of the disc is the sonata: this is a great performance, extremely dramatic in its conception and abundantly melodic in its long, singing lines. The recording, available unfortunately only in mono, is likewise impressive in reproducing the intensity of Curzon's reading, the wide, dynamic range of Liszt's music, and the power of the piano's bass chords. (Decca Lxtm 6076.)

The film soundtrack excerpts featured on Film Spectacular are "West Side Story," "Around the World in Eighty Days," "Samson and Delilah," "Exodus," "Big Country," "Henry V," "Western Approaches" and "The Longest Day." The playing, by the London Festival Orchestra under Stanley Black is expert and the recording is of demonstration quality. The music varies widely: the best piece is undoubtedly Clifford Parker's "Seascape" for "Western Approaches," not because it is anything significant, but because it is at least unpretentious and without the over-inflated brass writing that strives to have import behind the credits of too many films. However, this selection demonstrates the genre in all its aspects, and makes a useful sound souvenir of the films presented. (Decca Sklm 4525.)

— A.E.