Record Reviews

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 32 in C Minor, Opus 111; Galuppi: Piano Sonata No. 5 in C; Scarlatti: Piano Sonatas in C Minor, L.352; C Major, L.104; and A Major, L.483

Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, pianist; London CS-6446 (stereo) and CM-9446

Recordings by the Italian pianist Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli are far too infrequent, considering the unusual combination of elegance and strength he brings to whatever he performs. Beethoven’s C Minor Sonata is the last of the thirty-two, a subtle, cryptic, yet beautiful work, which Benedetti meets on its own terms with a fine blend of poetic insight and technical refinement. As always, he is a pianist who digs into the music rather than into the keyboard. The sonata by Baldassarre Galuppi (a composer celebrated in a poem by Browning) is a gracious, lovely eighteenth-century work, and it is played, like the three Scarlatti sonatas, with crystalline clarity.

Wagner: Die Götterdämmerung

Georg Solti conducting Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and State Opera Chorus with Birgit Nilsson and Claire Watson, sopranos; Wolfgang Windgassen, tenor; Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, baritone; Gottlob Frick, bass; and others; London OSA-1604 (stereo) and A-4604: six records

A few years ago London’s recording of Das Rheingold, first of the Ring operas, established a new set of standards for Wagnerian recordings under controlled studio conditions. Since then, most of the complete Wagner releases (such as Mercury’s Parsifal and RCA Victor’s Die Meistersinger) have been taped at live performances. This magnificent Götterdämmerung, the climax of the Ring cycle, was specially recorded in the Vienna Sofiensäle with meticulous planning, closely supervised engineering, and even a touch of electronic magic. Sometimes such studio performances seem to lack the spark of spontaneity, but not this one. The last of the Ring operas is unfolded with dramatic sweep and musical grandeur. The power of Birgit Nilsson’s Brünnhilde is predictable, but equally commanding in their roles are Gottlob Frick as the darkvoiced villain Hagen, Claire Watson as a more than usually appealing Gutrune, and Dietrich FischerDieskau as her irresolute brother, Gunther. The trios of Norns and Rhinemaidens are likewise convincing, although the latter indulge in some overly girlish giggling. Only Wolfgang Windgassen seems somewhat outclassed; his tenor is light for a Siegfried, and while he never is inaudible, he doesn’t exactly establish himself as a forceful personality. Solti doesn’t rush his climaxes or his singers; he conducts as though he knew Götterdämmerung were a long opera, and one that must proceed at its own pace. As for the electronic tricks and the sound effects introduced by producer John Culshaw, these are both imaginative and tasteful. Thunderclaps are used sparingly but effectively: and sometimes, as when Siegfried assumes the guise and the mannerisms of Gunther to approach Brünnhilde in Act II, a singer’s voice is artificially darkened. Windgassen, in fact, benefits from the treatment; nowhere else does he sound so authoritative and imposing. But actually, this Götterdämmerung has little need of such artificial enhancements; it can stand on pure musical values as a superb recording, and a revelation for our time of the enduring power of Wagner’s genius.

Do on Remember? Radio’s Greatest Them eg

Eddie Layton at the Hammond organ; Epic BN-26146 (stereo) and LN-24146

Musically, the value of this record is slight, not to say nil, but nostalgically, ah, that’s another question. Many a listener will have his memory jogged and even jostled by the succession of old radio theme songs that pour from Mr. Layton’s Hammond organ. It’s comforting, somehow, to be reminded of the era when Singin’ Sam the Barbasol Man, Jack Armstrong the All-American Boy, and the Goldbergs provided some of life’s amenities. Some of the tunes that introduced these programs weren’t half bad, either—Toselli’s Serenade for the Goldbergs, “Two Guitars” for the A & P Gypsies, “Manhattan Serenade” for Easy Aces, and the like. Mr. Layton plays them all straight, with the only voice heard being that of the Shadow (asking, as darkly and rhetorically as ever, “Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?”). With so many law enforcement agents and agencies represented (others include Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons, the FBI in War and Peace, and Mr. District Attorney), it’s too bad no room was found for Sherlock Holmes, whose radio exploits used to be heralded by a particularly ominous portion of the overture to Gilbert and Sullivan’s Ruddigore.

Cinema '76: Songs of the Continental Soldier

Words and music by Ray Charles, arranged and conducted by Tony Mottola; issued by Continental Insurance Companies CILP-500 (monaural only)

This is the most unusual, imaginative, and listenable children’s record to have been issued in a long time. It first came out as a souvenir of the Gontinental Insurance Pavilion at the New York World’s Fair, which showed its audiences a collection of bright and engaging cartoon slides about unsung heroes of the Revolutionary War — people like Deborah Sampson, the only woman to enlist in the Continental Army, Allan McLane, who did its espionage work, John Glover, who improvised its amphibious branch, and other worthies. The slides were accompanied by gay and clever folk songs written by Ray Charles and sung by an unidentified vocal group under the direction of Tony Mottola. This is a recording of those songs, eight of them, all abounding in charm, good cheer, and some solid information. One little ditty about how Baron von Steuben instilled discipline in the Continentals is a special delight, with its bouncy refrain: “Eins, Zwei, Drei, Vier, General von Steuben was here!” The attractive album contains not only the words of the songs but reproductions of the slides that illustrated them. The record, a twelve-inch monaural LP, is available from the Continental Insurance Companies, 80 Maiden Lane, New York 10038, at $2.00, including shipping costs.