New Records

There are few names that oldtime opera lovers care to mention in the same breath with Caruso and Scotti, but Claudia Muzio (1892-1936) is one of them. The daughter of an Italian operatic stage manager, she grew up backstage in London's Covent Garden, Manhattan's Metropolitan. Caruso, with whom she made a stunning U.S. debut as Tosca in 1916, once said that Claudia "knew all of our stage tricks before she wore long skirts." She had a voice to match her acting: she could, and did, sing coloratura, lyric and dramatic soprano parts with equal ease. In Buenos Aires one time, when Giovanni Martinelli momentarily lost his voice in the third act of Catalani's Loreley,* she carried off his tenor part as well.

With an Esoteric Records release, The Duse of Song (2 sides LP), out this month, younger opera lovers can hear the voice their elders have been talking about. Even though Esoteric has re-recorded its nine arias (including the Vissi d'Arte from Tosca) from 32-year-old cylinders, and Claudia Muzio's luscious voice is heard through a fog of needle scratch, her tones are full, even and velvety from top to bottom.

Other new records:

Bartok: Rhapsody for Piano and Orchestra, Opus I (Andor Foldes, pianist, with the Lamoureux Orchestra, Roger Desormiere conducting; Polydor-Vox, 1 side LP). Composed in 1904, Bartok's first published piece echoes some early influences, e.g., Liszt and Richard Strauss, but there is striking, youthful originality too. Hungarian-American Pianist Foldes plays' it (and the Fifteen Hungarian Peasant Songs and Sonatina on the other side) in a clean and fresh style. Recording: good.

Chopin: Ballades (Robert Casadesus, pianist; Columbia, 2 sides LP). Chopin composed only four ballades, but they contain some of his most passionate and enticing music. Pianist Casadesus, playing with beauty of tone and taste, proves it. Recording: good.

Mozart: Idomeneo, Re di Creta (soloists and chorus of the Vienna State Opera, the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Meinhard von Zallinger conducting; the Haydn Society, 8 sides LP). The 13th of his 22 theater works, Idomeneo was Mozart's favorite--if no one else's; it has only had one U.S. production, at the Berkshire Music Center (TIME, Aug. 18, 1947). Although there is much to marvel at, most listeners will find Idomeneo loaded with tiresome recitative and lacking in the sparkle of Don Giovanni or The Marriage of Figaro. Performance and recording: good.

Mozart: Symphony No. 41, K. 551 (the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Thomas Beecham conducting; Columbia, 1 side LP). Doughty Sir Thomas has never been exactly reticent about his podium prowess with Mozart. Here (and with the "Prague" Symphony on the other side) he makes good his boasts. For beauty of phrasing and tone, this deep and glowing performance of the "Jupiter" is hard to beat. Recording: excellent.

Puccini: Tosco (Love Duet, Act I) (Ljuba Welitch, soprano; Richard Tucker, tenor; the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Max Rudolf conducting; Columbia, 1 side LP). Some of Puccini's most heart-pulling music, beautifully sung. Although her voice is thinner, the Met's flaming new Tosca, in Vissi d'Arte, which completes the side, stands up mighty well with her Golden-Age counterpart, Claudia Muzio.

Strauss: Elektra (Anny Konetzni, soprano; Martha Modi, contralto; Daniza Ilitsch, soprano; Franz Klarwein, tenor; Hans Braun, baritone, and others; orchestra and chorus of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Dimitri Mitropoulos conducting; Cetra-Soria, 4 sides LP). This most strident of Strauss's operas is one of New York Philharmonic-Symphony Conductor Mitropoulos' old loves; here, guest-conducting at Florence's 1950 May Festival, he does it up, with competent help, in all its force and fury. Recording: excellent.

* Singing prone on the stage, Martinelli choked on a sudden swirl of dust.

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