Evening star., 1953-01-04
TurntobIe Talk
Monteux and Walter Feud
With Longer LP Releases
By jones G. Deone

49, SSSUS
Victor has just issued q
Heifetz single-side version no
doubt will make Columbia wish
it had done likewise.
Really spectacular, from an
economy standpoint. is victor's
Bluebird package of Beethoven's
32-minute Fifth and Mozart's
Jupiter" Total playing time
is one minute short Of an hour.
for just $40.
It isn't. of course, simply
music short enough to be
squeezed on q single side that
will benefit from the new tech
nique. Complete operas already
are becoming less imposing &C
QUESTIONS. Beethoven's Ninth
can be played in IS minutes
conceivably it might be put on
a single disc instead Of two
(though nobody's tried it YETI.
One can visualize not only a
more compact output in the
future. but q gradual re-
processing Of appropriate re-
cordings now in the catalog In
more economical form.
There is one practical prob
lem. already apparent. Distor-
ton, heard as needle chatter.
mounts as the grooves approach
the center of the disc. 1t Is
audible in all the new discs,
and seriously disturbing at the
magnificent climax Of Victor's
Pictures. One hopes the en-
gineers will learn to defeat it.
but If they can't, sometimes the
extra grooves will have to be
sacrificed. There's no point In
having sound If 1t isn't accept
able.
Sound QuoIity Vories
Aside from questions Of length.
the discs mentioned have vary
ing merits. Monteux brings Q
surging vitality to both the
Beethoven and Schumann which
one misses in the Walter record.
The San Francisco sound Is
bright and clear; that from New
York darker but more substa1-
tial. There Is some rasping Of
violins toward the close Of the
Beethoven Second.
The new Moussorgsky is ad-
mirably played and excellently
recorded until the last few
grooves, from which point needle
chatter on my machine pre-
cluded accurate judgment. The
sound is only a little less spec
tacular than Mercury's. and Is
probably somewhat more listen
able under normal living room
conditions. Romeo" should
satisfy those who, after Nous
sorgsky. still have ears to listen.
Heifetz dashes of the "Tur-
kish" concerto in Is minutes to
Miss Morini's leisurely 81; the
two performances clearly en-
phasize different values. Vic
tors reproduction easily out
dazzles Columbia's, marred by
muddy orchestra sound. but the
Perpignan. disc has better bal
ance between orchestra and
soloist. Heifetz's impeccable
playing of two Beethoven Ro-
mances on the back makes q
strong temptation.
The Bluebird, with the Vienna
Philharmonic playing the Mo-
zart and Barbirolli conducting
the Beethoven, certainly is a
bargain. How attractive it Is
depends on just how satisfied
one may be short of Beecham
and Toscanini. "a new Tos-
canini Beethoven series is to be
issued this year, a..
AS a postscript with no par
ticular relevance, I mention
two new 10-inch issues from
which it is possible to derive
pleasure out of proportion to
mere size-a recital of ariaS
from Mozart operas by Fer
nando Corena, and a perform
ance of a pair of early, melo-
dious Mozart and Haydn quar-
tets by the Griller String Quar-
tet. Corena. who figures in
several new complete opera re-
leases, is one of the most prom
Using young bassos. The Grill.
lers need no introduction. Lon
don's recording in each case Is