Evening star., 1944-08-06
Record Reviews
9 By ALICE EVERSMAN.

NOJ great many OIL Jne compost
tions of Emo Dohnanyi have been
recorded so that Columbia's release
of his superb Quintet in G Minor,
Op. 1" should arouse special interest.
The gifted Hungarian composer,
who has reached eminence here and
abroad as a pianist, conductor and
pedagogue, has sure talent in Gre
ative writing that flows with in
spiration. The artists of the record
ing, Edward Kilenyi, Philadelphia
born pianist of Hungarian descent,
and the Roth String Qupartet give
brilliant performance.
The quintet is the composers first
work written when he was about IS
years of age and strongly Influenced
by his admiration for Brahms. Dur
ing the summer Brahms spent at
Ischl, Dohnanyi visited him, bring
ing the quintet for the masters crit
icism, Brahms was so impressed with
the work that he arranged immed-
lately public performance with the
composer at the piano and from
that moment Dohnanyi's success
was assured. Because the influence
of Brahms style is evident through
out although touched off with
Dohnany's individuality, it has been
called Brahms Second Piano Quin-
tet."
Kilenyi, who gives a particularly
sympathetic reading of the work
ably supplemented by the Roth
artists, was pupil of the composer
and in 1923 toured Europe with
him in concerts connected with the
Schubert centennial. In the same
album Kilenyi records Dohnanyi'S
"Ruralia Hungarica, op. 32a.'
Brahms Choral Work
Another recording that sWellS the
list of important works from the
Columbia studio is Brahms Song
of Destiny" or "Schicksallied," sung
by the Westminster Choir, with the
Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra
of New York, conducted by Bruno
Walter. The extraordinary beauty
of this noble work is captured by
both orchestra and singers in
noteworthy Interpretation. The
Westminster singers round out the
two double discs with an unaccom-
panied performance of the motet,
20 Savior, throw the heavens wide"
Since the Budapest String Quartet
Joined the Columbia forces, it was
assigned the recording of the last
five quartets by Beethoven. With
the recent release of Quartet No.
IS in A minor, Op. 1872" this set is
completed Excellently recorded
from the mechanical side and
played with the superb ensemble,
tonal beauty and musical sentiment
for which the Budapest foursome
are famous. the adverse criticism
which belittled this great work at
its initial hearing is forever elm
mated from serious consideration.
Beethoven Symphony
Together with. the above men
toned releases, Columbia puts out
a repressing of Beethoven's Ninth
Symphony" played by the Vienna
Philharmonic Orchestra directed by
Felix Weingartner. This perform
ance is the. only one on records
which makes use of the original
German text of Schiller's lode to
JOY" in the final movement. The
Vienna State Opera Chorus with
Luise Helletsgruber, soprano; Ro-.
settle Anday, contralto; George
Maikl, tenor, and Richard Mayr,
bass. are the artists heard in the
finals.
The passing of Weingartner in
1912 and the sad changes that have
occurred in the Austrian capital,
make this recording valuable one,
especially as Weingartner was an
authority on Beethoven and wrote
scholarly treatises on his works.
An excellent choice in lighter vein
is the album of -Four Favorite
Waltzes" recorded by the CHS SYM
phony, Howard Barlow conducting
The four favorites are Strauss "On
the Beautiful Blue Danube" ST.
belius' "Valse Triste," Tschaikow-
sky's waltz of the Flowers" from
the "Nutcracker Suite" and Strauss
Tales From the Vienna Woods" I"
The orchestra plays the waltzes
splendidly and Mr.. Barlow embel-
fishes them with marked accents in
the Viennese numbers and a wealth
of sentiment in the beloved "Valse
Triste."
Among the single discs are two
worthy of attention, that on which
Bidu Sayao sings two arias from
Mozart's Don Giovanni" the
"vedrai, Carino" and "Batti, BATH"
and Adolf Buschs fine violin playing
In the Bach Sonata In E Minor"
with Artr Balsam at the piano.