Mark A. Schubart reviewed the new classical musical albums of the week and, like his fellow critics, gave pride of position, if not his total enthusiasm, to three new recordings of Russian music. He thought both Prokofieff and Stravinsky composed "music for effect," however Prokofieff's "Scythian Suite" Op. 20, as performed by Desire Defauw and Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and Stravinsky's "Le Chant du Rossignol" by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra under Eugene Goossens were both well-performed. He went further in his praise for Vladimir Horowitz's recording of Prokofieff's "Seventh Piano Sonata" Op. 83., writing that Horowitz's "recent piano recordings are among the finest so far."
His highest praise went to Beethoven's "Leonore Overture" No. 3, recorded by Arturo Toscanini and NBC Symphony. It was "a brilliant and impassioned performance of one of Beethoven's greatest masterpieces" that he recommended without reservation. On the other hand he dismissed Ferde Grofe's "Grand Canyon Suite" also by Arturo Toscanini and NBC Symphony Orchestra. Schubart was puzzled why Toscanini was a consistent champion of this work which the reviewer wrote "despite its slick orchestration, is a sadly unimaginative piece." Grofe, a New Yorker who had moved to Hollywood in 1945 to compose film scores, was also an arranger, having done the orchestration for Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" and jazz arrangements for Paul Whiteman.
Other Reviews:
Schubert's "Symphony No. 8" (Unfinished)- Serge Koussevitzky and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. An "eloquent performance."
Ravel's "Bolero"- Andre Kostelanetz and the Robin Hood Dell Orchestra-"competent, though not unusually exciting."
"Chopiniana" - the latest effort to transpose Chopin's piano work to orchestra that was only partially successful. Dimitri Mitropoulos and the Robin Hood Dell Orchestra.