Page Two
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Wednesday, Jonuory 28, 197Q
Page Two THE MICHIGAN DAILY Wednesday, January 28, 1970
records
Browsing
bins
of budget label classics
By R. A. PERRY
With a limited amount of
lucre but an unlimited desire to
extend one's libido in, the ac-
cumulatio of vinyl delights, the
lover of "classical" music often°
casts a dubious but hopeful eye.
at the budget label bins. Anxi-
pus over price, but just as an-
xious over quality, the collegiate
browser-assuming that he is not
financed ad infinitum from
above may wonder whether half
the price necessarily means half
the performance or sonics. Cer-
tain labels-Seraphim, Odyssey,
.and Victrola-offer the reassur-
ance of repressings which were
never Brand X to begin with,
and Seraphim has especially
been magnanimous in their of-
fering of long-esteemed treas-
ures. Many other labels, how-
ever, offer less immediate ac-
ce->tance; yet there under dull
covers hide some manificent
performances. In this and the
next few articles, I would like
to look at some of these minor
budget labels and offer some
opinions as to worthwhile re-
cordings.
A recording company whose
products cannot be found in rec-
ord stores but which ievertheless
warrants much attention is the
Musical Heritage Society. Their
address is 1991 Broadway, New
York 10G23, and their catalog,
free for the asking, lists many
c o m p o s er s unmentioned in
Schwann and certain perform-
ances in the basic repertoire
equal to those on any label. All
discs sell for under $3.00, are well
annotated, and are recorded,
with exceptions, in clear, clean
stereo.
The MHS catalog seldom
strays into the Romantic or
post-Romantic repertoire, but
when it does so, it offers such
otherwise unavailable works as
the Faure Sonatas Nos. 1 and 2
for Cello and Piano. Works of
austere reverie, these sonatas
are played 'with tonal warmth
and appropriately controlled
passion by Paul Tortelier, the
excellent French cellist, and
Jean Hubeau, piano. (MHS
833). Two other rare HMS ex-
cursions into the repertoire of
this period produce the, tom-
plete piano music of Beethoven
as played by Friedrich Gulda,
(the set won a Grand Prix du
Disque) and the piano music of
Debussy played by Jorg Demus.
In fact, MHS offers many
"complete" recording series;
one that I wholeheartedly rec-
ommend is that of the piano
music of Haydn as performed.
by the Haydn-Mozart specialist
Arthur Balsam. These record-
ings, fifteen of them, have *'ot
been taken from the pianist's
previous traversal on the de-
fuixct Washington label, but I.p-
resent a new effort. It may per-
haps be said that Balsam has
carried the earlier sonatas' at-
mosphere of inconsequentiality
over to the later sonatas, which
could use more heft and bite,
but in general (and in impor-
tant specifics) I find Balsam's
touch and phrasing well able to
convey the charm, wit, and 'low
of Haydn's music; most impor-
tant, Balsam never wanders in-
to pretentious or preoccious styl-
izations. (MHS 101-15)
Balsam also has a recording
on MHS (580) of four sonatas
by Muzio Clementi-the com-
poser detested by Mozart and
admired by Beethoven.
Bach has always been a &:e-
cialty of MHS. and their catalog
boasts not only a series com-
prising the complete .organ
works but also a long jist of
Cantatas unavailable elsewhere.
In the organ works, the solo
performer is Marie-Claire Alain,
who predominantly makes use
of the Great Marcussen Organ
in Copenhagen, Although Miss
Alain has won numerous Grand
Prix du Disques for these re-.
cordings, I personally find her
playing rather halting and frag-
mented. (I'm a Walcha man.)
If you admire Bach's organ
music (and for those who do,
'admire" is a pale word), the
most pleasant way to assess for
yourself Miss Alain's abilities
would be through MHS 77 /7,'
a two-disc set offering various
Fantasias, Fugues, Trios, Pre-
ludes, and Concertos.
The mainstay of the Bach
Cantata efforts lies with Fritz
chestra. Ristenpart and the
Sarre group offer a perfect ex-
ample of a first-class, small
European musical force whose
anonymity in the States pre-
cludes the attention and sales
their quality warrants. Risten-
part's, presence as a conductor
practically guarantees vital,
disciplined, and communicative
music-making. A fine example
in the MHS catalog would be
an anthology of Concertos, sin-
fonias, and sonatas by Tom-
maso Albinoni. (MHS 664)
If you would like to test my
opinions on Ristenpart before
seeking out MHS, listen to the
readily available Nonesuch re-
cordings of Haydn's Symphonies
6, 7, and 8 (H-71015) and Mo-
zart's Divertimentos K. 136, 137,
and 138 (H-71207).
MHS has the lion's share of
Erato Records of France for
American distribution, a n d
Erato relies heavily on Jean-
Francois Paillard and h i s
Chamber Orchestra of Paris..
This group has its successes and
failures, but one of their defi-
nite successes is a recording of
Handel's Concerti Grossi Opus
6. Handel's Opus 6 presents in
its twelve concerti every mood
and inventive twist of Handel's
prodigious skills save the joining
of word to music. From zippy
gavottes to stately largos, the
music never sinks to the routine.
Being a popular work, the
Opus 6 has received numerous
integral recordings, from the
thick lethargy of Menuhin and
his Bath Festival Orchestra to
the hypertensive adaptations of
Leppard and the English Cham-
ber Orchestra. Kurt Redel's old
set on Vox was a lovely one but
it has been deleted; it alone of
those I have heard caught per-
fectly the flowing melancholy of
the numerous adagio move-
ments. Paillard's version may
well be the best presently avail-
able; although it never quite re-
laxes sufficiently in those ada-
gios, it uses historically accurate
ornamentations that Menuhin
never bothers to consider, while
avoiding the parody of pun-
gency that Leppard occasional-
ly touches upon. Certainly these
twelve concerti hold so much
that each version cannot but
help having its felicitous mo-
ments, but over-all, the Paillard
is most satisfying. (I have not
heard the Dart version.)
Hopefully, this introduction to
a catalog offering much to the
student record collector has not
seemed too filled with mere pro-
motional zeal. MHS has its
losers, but after familiarizing
oneself with the first-rate
European instrumental artists,
many outstanding albums can
be discovered. To promote that
requisite acquaintance, - MHS
constantly offers special cheapie
bargains - usually $1.00 sam-
plers or mono cut-outs--and I
would suspect that because of
this policy alone, many of
MHS's customers are college
students.
presents
DAVI D L IPSON
(genius/prodigy) speaking on
"BACH'S SUITE MUSIC"
with LIVE PERFORMANCE
on Piano
Refreshments and FUN afterwards
WED., JAN. 28, 8 P.M.
1236 Washtenaw (at S. Forest,
near S. Univ.). Everybody wel-
come! (No musical knowledge
needed). For transportation or
further info, call 761-7356,
665-6806, 769-2003, 761-
4260.
TONIGH T AT 8:00!
2 PERFORMANCES THURSDAY
THE UNIVSRSITY
OF MICHIGAN ___
PROFESSIONAL
THEATRE
PROGRAM
JANUARY 26 - 39
.
Werner conducting the Pforz-
heim Chamber Orchestra and
the Heinrich Schutz Choir of
Heilbronn. For the most part,
these forces cannot approach
the incisive styling of Karl Rich-
ter and the disciplined singing
of his Munich Bach Choir on
Archiv, but what wins me so
much to these MHS recordings
is the simple fact that most of
them feature .tenor Helmut
Krebs. Few of Kreb's recordings
have made their way to the
States (the old Archiv Orfeo is
an exception), but his singing
once heard will probably not be
quickly forgotten. In fact, his
sweet voice of innocent yearn-
ing made his old Westminster
recording of Cantata No. 198
(f"Meine Seele rumnt u n d
preist") the most painfully and
yet joyously beautiful perform-
ance of any Bach work I have
ever heard.
Many of the MHS Bach Can-
tata recordings present other
fine singers such as Agnes Gie-
bel, Hertha Toepper, and Jakob
Staempfli; instrumental soloists
such as Maurice Andre (trum-
pet), Pierre Pierlot (oboe),
Reinhold Barchet (violin), Paul
Hongne (bassoon), and Jean-
Pierre Rampal (flute) should
convince anyone familiar with
European performances of Ba-
roque music as to the quality
of the forces employed.
Speaking of Baroque music,
the MHS catalog not only lists
esoteric names that would make
the most pedantic musicologist
quiver with delight, but also
contains, next to Nonesuch, the
largest share of recordings by
the late Karl Ristenpart and
his Sarre Radio Chamber Or-
c r u
®.S. PrefsatsuBai Premiere!
6,
TU ES.-WED.
ios TRIANa'S
1
I
"First Play from Revolutionary
Cuba t.
letters
FromBf&C& T &A
American Studies
Film Nights
The General
Buster Keaton
i
I;
"Rebellion of Youth
Against Age!".
"Guerrilla War Against Society!"
"Social Revolution Against
Tyranny P
--LondoiTimes
To the Editor:
We are sorry to hear that Mr.
Neil Gabler, critic celebre of The
Michigan Daily, was disturbed
by pur movie. We are sorry to
hear that ,he was unable to de-
cide if our film was significant..
Any movie which starts with
Handel's Messiah is obviously
significant (you missed a very
important clue, Neil!)
We believe that the fact you
were disturbed by the film's lack
of significance is a significant
disturbance. After all, your gen-
eration grew up during the John-
son years (which is a handicap
difficult to overcome); you
screamed your poor little lungs
Lectre on
use of voice
Sophia Walsh will lecture on
Language and the Living Word
today at 4: 0 p.m. in the Arena
Theatre in the Frieze Building.
Miss Walsh's lecture will de-
monstrate the methods of voice
development characteristic o'f
the School of Speech Training
at the Goetheanum in Dornach,
Switzerland.
Miss Walsh has been travel-
{ng around the world lecturing
on this topic. Her lecture is
sponsored by the University
Players from the Department of
Speech land is free to the pub-
lic.
She has also played Shakes-
peare, Goethe, Ibsen, Strind-
berg, Steffan and Steiner's
dramas and toured Europe in
some of these plays.
out for the Beatles and later
for Bobby Kenndy. You wore
desert boots and levies, prince-
tons and clairol. You are ideo-
logues, people who come to col-
lege to engage in meaningful
dialogue, relevant and revolu-
tionary, and then to change the
world.
Therefore, you judge movies
(books, magazines, newspapers,
television, radio, etc.) as you
Judge political programs and
demand SIGNIFICANCE. We
say enjoyment for its own sake
is significant. And obvious. (You
hnissed another important clue,
Neil). Hey dig, Neil, the Walrus
is Paul.
Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice
Sincerely yours,
(Drew Bogema)
Jan. 26
A."
Direced by DAVID WHEELER
TICKETS AT PTP BOX OFFICE
WEEKDAYS: 10-1, 2-5 P.M.
---
OPENS TONIGH T .
DARK OFISTHE MOO
by RICHARDSON & BERNEY
A Modern American Folk-Drama
8:00 P.M., Trueblood Theatre, Frieze Bldg.
I
r
Box Office open until 8:00 P.M.
764-5387
II
4 ,.----
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"NANAMI"
From the country
that gave you
"I,AWOMAN" "INGA"
and "I AM CURIOUS"
(YELLOW)
'Fanny Hill' is a "porno-classic!"
-ARCHER WINSTON
i
"In there with sex and
- ..
- N.Y. Post
jiiiiiuiluuinumlulmu'
II.
r
H' I
I
I
I
I
I i
I
l %' , .
1
hI
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"Fanny is played by Diana
Kjaer, who has a nice body,
lots of red hair, big blue eyes,
and alovely soft mouth into
which she often sticks a finger."
--N.Y. Times
l
Ill-I'
El".
PRESENTS
A RED WAGON SPECIAL
IN 35MM
INGMAR BERGMAN'S 1908 FILM
SHAME
A man's confrontation with war
Jerry Gross and Nicholas Demetroules
FResen
new...and from Sweden
PERSONS
UNDER
18 NOT
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