June Records

Some phonograph records are musical events. Each month TIME will note the noteworthy.*

Symphonic:

Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade by Philippe Gaubert and the Paris Conservatory Orchestra (Columbia, $12)--An excellent recording of the popular picture-music based on the fantastic tales with which Scheherazade supposedly beguiled the Sultan Schahriar over a period of 1,001 nights.

Ravel's Bolero by Serge Koussevitsky and the Boston Symphony (Victor, 2 records, $2 each)--A highly charged reading of the season's symphonic sensation in Paris, Manhattan and Boston. The records, with Satie's placid Gymnopedie on the back of the second, are already best sellers.

Mozart's Concerto in A, No. 5 by Violinist Joseph Wolfstahl and Symphony Orchestra (Columbia, $8)--A splendid, made-in-Germany performance of the amazing product of a 17-year-old genius.

Chamber:

Brahms' Quartet in B Flat, 3rd Movement (Victor, $2)--One of the last releases of the old Flonzaley combination which has yet to be excelled.

Sonata:

Beethoven's Kreutzer Sonata by Pianist Alfred Cortot and Violinist Jacques Thibaud (Victor, $10)--The David and Jonathan of musicians play expertly the Sonata dedicated to the once eminent violinist, Rudolph Kreutzer. Later Tolstoy added to its lustre by using it as the kernel of his hotly-debated novel.

Piano:

Dohndnyi's Capricclo in F Minor and Liszt's Valse Oubliee by Vladimir Horowitz (Victor, $1.50)--One of the younger pianists plays the type of fireworks with which he built his box-office success.

St. Louis Blues and After You've Gone (Victor)--Distinguished jazz tunes revived in ingenious piano duets by Thomas Waller and Bennie Paine.

To My Mammy and Put tin' on the Ritz (Brunswick)--Paul Estabrook plays the latest Irving Berlin tunes for those who like occasional jazz undressed by orchestration.

Songs:

Kahn's Ave Maria and Rimsky-Korsakov's Nightingale and the Rose by Soprano Rosa Ponselle (Victor, $1.50)--A truly great voice exalts mediocre music.

Let Me Sing and I'm Happy and A Cottage for Sale (Columbia)--Another indispensable record for Ruth Etting libraries. In the first she does countless tricks with time and harmony.

My Lover and I Like to Do Things for You (Victor)--Grace Hayes' records are too few and far between. These are in her best submissive manner.

Thank Your Father and Without Love (Brunswick)--Harry Richman sings resonantly the best tunes from Flying High.

Ohio Prison Fire and Why Are the Young Folks So Thoughtless (Columbia)--Carson Robison drones two stories-with-morals to violin and organ accompaniment. The first ends "God don't want even convicts to die like rats in a hole."

They Cut Down the Old Pine Tree and Somewhere in Old Wyoming (Brunswick)--The first (by Dick Robertson, a male quartet and a jews' harp) should become a barber-shop classic.

Dance Records:

On a Blue and Moonless Night and Promises (Victor)--Victor wisely chose this as best of its June jazz crop, sent it to Record-of-the-Month Club members.

You Brought a New Kind of Love to Me and Livin' in the Sunlight (Columbia)--Paul Whiteman offers elaborate orchestrations of The Big Pond hits.

The Moon is Low and Montana Call (Victor)--George Olsen's saxophones are particularly mellow in these Montana Moon pieces.

Worryin' Over You and You Will Come Back to Me (Brunswick)--Abe Lyman and every instrument in his California Orchestra wring dry two of the month's best tunes.

Blue Is the Night and Whippoorwill (Columbia)--The Ipana (toothpaste) Troubadours play the first in the grand manner; Whippoorwill is inescapable in current popular releases.

I Like to Do Things for You and Happy Feet (Victor)--Leo Reisman present's smooth, teasing versions of the best tunes from King of Jazz.

Other good dance tunes: Ragamuffin Romeo and I Like to Do Things for You (Columbia), Reminiscing and The Verdict is Life (Victor), Alone with My Dreams and So Sympathetic (Brunswick), I'm in the Market for You and Just Like in a Story Book (Victor), Reminiscing and Telling It to the Daisies (Brunswick).

School Contest

A 700-piece orchestra, probably the largest ever gathered together, gave a concert in Lincoln, Neb. last week under Conductor George Dasch of the Chicago Little Symphony. It made a grand and noisy conclusion to the second annual national high school orchestra contest, held under the auspices of the National Society for the Advancement of Music. The players were high-school students from all over the U. S. who, prior to the amalgamation of their talents, had competed with the following results: Class A orchestras--Lincoln, first (Lincoln won also last year at the contest held in Iowa City); Hammond, Ind., second; the John Adams High School of Cleveland, third; Class B orchestras-- Dearborn, Mich., first, the Lew Wallace High School of Gary, Ind., second; Class C--Stanhope, Iowa, first; Partridge, Kan., second. Judges were Mr. Dasch, E. H. Wilcox of the University of Iowa, Carl Busch of Kansas City, Rudolph Ganz of Chicago, Will Earhart of Pittsburgh. They pricked their ears particularly at the playing of the Peru, Neb. orchestra which was conducted by a girl, Ruby Brown of Rockport, Mo. They found her band worthy of third place in the class C contest.

Philharmonic in London

The King was late and so was the Queen at London's Albert Hall one afternoon last week. Conductor Arturo Toscanini did the unprecedented, held the New York Philharmonic-symphony waiting for more than ten minutes. Then spying the sedate Queen entering the royal box, he struck up "God Save the King" (King George alone stayed seated), followed it with "The Star Spangled Banner'' (the King stood with the rest), a Rossini overture and a heavy Teutonic program. Never before (the verdict was unanimous) had Britishers heard such a concert. Ten thousand cheered after each number. During the intermission the King called Toscanini to his box to congratulate him. And tall George Bernard Shaw, who sat throughout the concert wrapped in a raincoat, rushed up to the little Italian afterwards, almost crushed him in a great hug. Asked by newsmen for an opinion, Shaw said: "Any article by me on Toscanini would be worth -L-5,000."

Chicago Newcomers

Most distinctive feature of the Chicago Civic Opera's past season was the increased excellence of its German performances. Reasons: Conductor Egon Pollak, Soprano Frida Leider, Contralto Maria Olszewska, Tenor Theodore Strack, Basso Alexander Kipnis. Last week President Samuel Insull returned from Europe, announced that there would be still greater improvement next year. Wagner's Meistersinger and Smetana's Bartered Bride will be added to the repertoire. Four famed European artists have been engaged--Soprano Lotte Lehmann of the Vienna Staatsoper, Soprano Maria Rajdl (Dresden), Baritones Rudolf Bockelmann (Hamburg) and Eduard Habich (Berlin). A fifth newcomer will be Contralto Sonia Sharnova, a native Chicagoan who has toured for two seasons with the German Grand Opera Company.

*Prices listed are for entire albums which include several records. Where the price is not given, it is 75-c-, standard price for popular 10-inch records.

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