Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-05-10
RECORDS
Copriccio
Proves Its
MettIe
RECORDS
by JAMES q. DEANE
star Record Critic

star Record Critic
Five years ago an Angel re-
cordlng Of the closing soprano
monoloeue OF the opera Ca
pricclo documented the con-
tinued vitality Of Richard
Strauss creative powers in old
age.
capriccio was completed In
1871. when Strauss was n.
This column labeled the
monologue, on the basis Of the
Angel disc, "a distillation Of
the composers best inspira-
ton"
The whole OF capriccio,
available on three new Angel
discs. win now give listeners
a chance 10 decide whether
the rest Of the opera lives up
TO its finale.
Capriccio Is intriguing.
Strauss called It not an opera
but a conversation piece"
The conversation. however. is
about opera. The principals
include a composer and a
poet. and the matter at issue
is which Is to win the crea-
tive ascendancy and. Incl
dentally, the favor Of the
monologist, a somewhat Mar
schallin-like countess. In
other words. what comes first
operatically-words or music?
The countess, and Strauss.
whose literary collaboration
was the late conductor Glenn
ems Kiauss, never overly an
swer the question. But in the
process Of batting it around
they have provided an anus
ing and diverting succession
Of gentle parodies on operate
convention, musically worked
by Strauss with superb crafts
manship. And the musical
fabric is close enough to
Rosenkavalier, Ariadne and
the other more familiar
Strauss masterworks so that
any Straussian should find it
q thorough delight, and not
very problematical when it
comes to deciding where
Strauss stood in all the argu-
ment.
Angel happily picked up
where its five-years-ago disc
left things by enlisting Elisa
beth Schwarzkopf again for
the delicious monologue and
the substantial preceding
contributions Of the countess.
The cast also includes such
other notables as Nicolai Ged-
da, Dietrich Fischer Dieskau,
Hans Hotter, Christa Ludwig
and Karl Schmitt- Walter, led
by Wolfgang Sawallisch with
the Philharmonic Orchestra.
1t would be hard to imagine
a production more unstinting
or ,honorably conceived and
executed.
Like Orfeo, Idomeneo, Pei
leas and Falstaff, Capriccio
may be first q musicians
opera. Strauss once called it
"a theatrical fugue." But the
number of musicians is grow /.
ing. CAngel $3.50 CID
= 4 Y i
DISCAPSULES
Recent issues:
BACH concertos after vi
valdi, Duke Johann Ernst Won
Sachsen- Weimar and Anon.
played by Hans Heintze, or
gan (Archive 311S). Splendid
music heard on fine old Ger
man organs.
BUXTEHUDE chorale pre-
ludes and other pieces played
by Hans Heintze, organ CAR
chive 3115). The organ is one
in Steinkirchen built by Arp
Schnitger in 1887. A mourn
ing piece includes soprano So
loist. A rewarding disc.
GRIEG F major sonata and
Szymanowski d minor sonata
played by David Oistrakh,
violin fMGM 10000. The
master Soviet artist in custo-
mary form and attractive re-
pertoire.
DVORAK Slavonic dances
and SMETANA Battered
Bride overture and dances
played by Antal Dorati and
the Minneapolis Symphony
(Mercury OIL plot: two
discs. Vigorous performance
es and vivid recording.
> DVORAK Symphony No. 4
in G played by George Sell
and the Cleveland Orches-
ira epic LC 3532). A genial
and tuneful foil for the over
familiar New World.
DELIBES Coppelia played
by Dorati and the Minneap-
oils orchestra (Mercury OIL
2-105; two discs. Familiar
ballet music in spectacular
hi-fi.
DELIBES Sylvia played by
Dorati and Minneapolis men
(Mercury Oh 2-106; two
discs. Ditto. Not all of it is
as familiar as one might
guess.
BRAHMS Concerto in D
minor played by Gary Graft
man. piano, Boston Sympho-
ny under Munich (RCA Vic
tor LIN 2274). Able pianism
and good sound, but not Ser
kin or Rubinstein.
BRAHMS Concerto in B
fiat played by Vladimir Ash
kenazy. piano, Berlin Opera
oroiaacf,-o x,Tado,. 7 arnold nd