CLASSICAL DISCS and TAPES (Nov. 1977)

Reviewed by: RICHARD FREED, DAVID HALL, GEORGE JEll INEK, PAUL KRESH STODDARD LINCOLN, ERIC SALZMAN

J. S. BACH: Symphonic Bach (see Collections-Boston Pops)

BEETHOVEN: Octet in E-flat, Op. 103; March in B-flat (WoO 29); Rondino in E-flat (WoO 25); Sextet in E-flat, Op. 71; Quintet in E-flat. Netherlands Wind Ensemble. PHILIPS 9500.087 $7.98.

Performance: Trim

Recording: Excellent

Oboes, clarinets, bassoons, and horns in pairs form the ensemble for this octet and rondino, with oboes omitted for the march and sextet.

The quintet fragment was put into perform able shape by Viennese publisher Leopold Alexander Zellner, who extrapolated from the materials at hand the missing portion of the first movement. The scoring is for the odd combination of oboe, three horns, and bas soon, though the autograph score does contain an indication-but no music-for clarinet. Despite the opus numbers, the octet, rondino, and sextet all date from the late 1790's and all provide amiable easy listening, with some virtuoso horn work in the end movements of the octet. The rondino is endowed with something of the same lyrical appeal as Beethoven's popular Fur Elise.

The Netherlands players are both elegant and virile in their approach to the music and have the benefit of first-rate recorded sound.

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Explanation of symbols:

= reel-to-reel stereo tape

= eight-track stereo cartridge

= stereo cassette El = quadraphonic disc

= reel-to-reel quadraphonic tape

= eight-track quadraphonic tape Monophonic recordings are indicated by the symbol

The first listing is the one reviewed; other formats, if available, follow it.

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If the $7.98 price tag seems a bit stiff, London Stereo Treasury series STS 15387 has Jack Brymer and the London Wind Soloists in the identical repertoire, minus the quintet fragment, at half the price.

- D. H.

BEETHOVEN: Piano Concerto No. 5, in E-flat Major, Op. 73 ("Emperor"). Alfred Brendel (piano); London Philharmonic Orchestra, Bernard Haitink cond. PHILIPS 9500.243 $7.98, 7300.542 $7.98.

Performance: Easy

Recording: Darkish

BEETHOVEN: Piano Concerto No. 5, in Major, Op. 73 ("Emperor"). Rudolf Serkin (piano); New York Philharmonic, Bruno Walter cond. ODYSSEY 10 Y-34607 $3.98.

Performance: Genial

Recording: Good old mono

These performances, separated by a good chunk of time and distance, are actually quite a bit alike. Both are genial rather than imperial, with a sensitivity to mood and tempo changes that is, I think, effective in this music. Serkin and Walter are wonderful in the first two movements but become a bit sluggish in the last-which, together with the difference in sound quality (you really do hear more on the newly recorded Philips disc), proves that older records are not always better. Bren del and Haitink provide much the same pleasure and in somewhat greater measure. But if you prefer a big, heroic Beethoven style, look elsewhere. - E.S.

RECORDING OF SPECIAL MERIT

BEETHOVEN: Sonatas for Cello and Piano Nos. 1-5, Opp. 5, 69, and 102. Lynn Harrell (cello); James Levine (piano). RCA ARL2-2241 two discs $15.98.

Performance: Special

Recording: Nice sound

Lynn Harrell and James Levine-both products of Juilliard, the Aspen Festival, and the Cleveland Orchestra (the former was principal cellist and the latter an assistant conductor under George Szell)-have been collaborating for many years on various musical matters and make a superb chamber-music team. The five Beethoven sonatas are, of course, at the core of the solo cello repertoire. Beethoven obviously liked the cello-piano combination, and these works, which span a good chunk of the composer's creative life, contain wonderful music of a particular kind. It is "playing" music in the best sense-the scope of thought is always Beethovenian, but so are the exceptionally good spirits, humor, fluency, and warm feelings throughout. Music like this is made for youthful, exuberant performers like Harrell and Levine, and in their hands it be comes wonderful "listening" music as well.

Their pleasure in playing it is transmitted in a most dynamic way in these excellent new recordings from RCA. -E.S.

BERLIOZ: Lino, or the Return to Life, Op. 146. Nicolai Gedda (tenor), Lelio; Charles Buries (tenor), Horatio; Jean van Gorp (baritone), Brigand Captain; Jean Topard (narrator). French National Orchestra and Chorus, Jean Martinon cond. ANGEL 0 SQ-37139 $7.98.

Performance: Good

Recording: Excellent

As a not inconsiderable pendant to a distinguished and wholly authentic realization of Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique, the late Jean Martinon has also left us a recording of the amazing concoction Berlioz dreamt up and flung together as a sequel to it. In this vo cal and instrumental work, the young artist is depicted as awakening from his nightmarish narcotic slumber and treating us not only to a lengthy spoken confession but also to a kind of variety concert of works from his desk drawer, ranging from a song setting with piano accompaniment of Goethe's Der Fischer (in French) to a full-scale choral-orchestral Fantasy on Shakespeare's Tempest. The recall at the beginning and end of the idie fixe motif of the Beloved from the Symphonie Fantastique and the narrative and commentary between and during the musical numbers hold the whole business together--a business intended by Berlioz to be a stage presentation, not a concert item.

In 1969 Pierre Boulez--with John Mitchinson, John Shirley-Quirk, Jean-Louis Barrault as narrator, and the London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus--gave us the first stereo recording of Lino. I was disturbed then by a sharp contrast between the dead studio ambiance accorded Barrault's narration and the spacious acoustics of the musical numbers. In the initial entrance of the chorus and orchestra, however, the change in ambiance makes an enormous dramatic effect. This effect is not realized in the Martinon recording, but the overall contrast between narrator and performing musicians is less disturbing.

As narrator, Barrault is an older and perhaps somewhat embittered protagonist, whereas Jean Topard is very much the young poet-composer, hopelessly enamored of his beloved and of his music. Martinon's tenors, Gedda and Buries, are both superior to the rather dry-voiced Mitchinson, and Martinon creates a somewhat more poetic atmosphere than Boulez.

Personally, I'd be very happy to have the Tempest Fantasy as a separate piece and to/ chuck the rest of Lelio. It's a fascinating and important period piece, but not one to live with unless you are or a Berlioz "freak" who has to have everything.

-D.H.

BRAHMS: Alto Rhapsody, Op. 53 (see WAGNER)

BRAHMS: Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Handel, Op. 24; Variations on a Theme of Paganini, Books I and U , Op. 35. Garrick Ohlsson (piano). ANGEL 0 S-37249 $7.98.

Performance: Big and bluff

Recording: Close-up

In my review of Van Cliburn's very appealing recording of the Handel Variations (RCA ARLI-2280) last October, I mentioned that "the final fugue might have done with a bit more robustness, as in Agustin Anievas' highly competitive version (Seraphim S-60049)." Well, robustness seems the dominant factor in Garrick Ohisson's performance: he takes a broad-scaled, rather earthy view of the work and builds to greater and greater climaxes. I wonder if the end of the final variation, just before the fugue, ought to be quite so shattering. I wonder too if Ohlsson really meant Variation IX to be quite so stolid; here both Cliburn and Anievas let the music take wing, and in the very first variation both of them (Anie vas especially) provide a sense of lift and exhilaration that Ohlsson seems deliberately to eschew, as he does in some of the later variations in which wit is indicated-as if to insist that this is Brahms and so ought not to show any trace of the elfin character we associate with Mendelssohn. Little is left in reserve by the time we get to the fugue, which comes off as rather matter of fact, with the counter-melody in its opening bars all but inaudible.

The same big and bluff quality characterizes the over-side performance of the Paganini Variations, and the close-up recording gives it further gratuitous emphasis. Actually, there is much to enjoy on both sides (in a live recital either of these performances would surely bring the audience to its feet), but there is little of the poetry Ohlsson has shown in his exemplary Chopin and Liszt-except, curious ly, in Book H of the Paganini Variations, in which his playing demonstrates exactly what one has missed in the preceding side and a half. Anievas' similar coupling remains for me the most satisfying such package listed in Schwann, and at the Seraphim price it is a genuine bargain.

-R.F.

BRIDGE: Phantasm, Rhapsody for Piano and Orchestra. Peter Wallfisch (piano); London Philharmonic Orchestra, Nicholas Braith waite cond.

MOERAN: Rhapsody in F-sharp Major for Piano and Orchestra. John McCabe (piano); New Philharmonia Orchestra, Nich olas Braithwaite cond. HNH 4042 $7.98 (from HNH Distributors, Ltd., P.O. Box 222, Evanston, Ill. 60204).

Performance: Very good

Recording: Very good

Here are two double novelties: not only are they virtually unknown to American listeners, but they are English music that doesn't sound particularly English in any conventional sense. Moeran's Rhapsody is a terribly eclectic affair, which here and there suggests certain French likenesses, or Spanish music filtered through a French medium, or even the Gershwin of the Concerto in F, as well as displaying the Delian strain that shows itself in other works of Moeran's (the Rhapsody was composed in 1943, seven years before his death). Frank Bridge's Phantasm, completed in 1931, has even stronger hints of Gallic influences and still more surprising evocations of early Schoenberg, yet it manages to project a greater individuality and is of a substance that easily sustains its greater length (the dramatic contrasts between episodes help too). Both works are far from uninteresting, though the Moeran may be a bit of a letdown for listeners expecting the standard of his Symphony in G Minor to be upheld. The Bridge, however, like that composer's Third and Fourth String Quartets (played by the Allegri Quartet on Argo ZRG-714), is good enough to make one wonder why his music is so little known here.

Both performances strike me as fully commit ted as well as technically expert, and the sound is very good indeed.

-R.F.

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HEINRICH SCHIFF--- Sensational

HEINRICH SCHIFF is an Austrian cellist who had won a number of major competitions by the time he was twenty. He is now only twenty-five, and on the basis of a debut re cording that offers three French works for cello and orchestra he must be judged a sensational talent. His technical security alone would command respect, but he also displays a big, handsome tone and a most sensitive feeling for the individual character of the different pieces. No new cellist since Rostropovich was first heard from has even suggested the sort of excitement Schiff generates on this disc. Conductor Charles Mackerras, the New Philharmonia Orchestra, and the Deutsche Grammophon engineers all acquit themselves nobly as well.

The Lalo concerto, the Saint-Satins Concerto No. 1, and the Faure Elegy are all popular works often programmed together on records. But no account of any of them currently listed in Schwann is as satisfying as those Schiff gives us here. Outside of Schwann, there is a pairing of the two concertos, without the Faure, on Musical Heritage Society MHS 3023 that yields still more magic. Andre Navarra (who was one of Schiff's teachers) and conductor Charles Munch project a greater feeling of spontaneity and fluidity in their reading of the Lalo, which I have always felt was in a class by itself. Hearing it again after this splendid new DG version (with which it is still sonically competitive, as well as cheaper) reconfirms that impression. On the other hand, the Schiff/Mackerras Saint-Satins is not only equal to the Navarra/Munch but comparable in elegance to the regrettably deleted versions by Starker and Giulini and by Rostropovich and Sargent. As a whole, this new release offers nothing but pleasure, and it is a stunning introduction to an obviously important musician whose further recordings must be awaited most eagerly.-Richard Freed

LALO: Cello Concerto in D Minor.

SAINT SAENS: Cello Concerto No. 1, in A Minor, Op. 33.

FAURE: Elegy for Cello and Orchestra in C Minor, Op. 24. Heinrich Schiff (cello); New Philharmonia Orchestra, Charles Mackerras cond. DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON 2530 793 $7.98.

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CAGE: 27'10.554" for a Percussionist (see DU-CHAMP) CHABRIER: Joyeuse Marche; Le Roi Maigre lmi-Fete Polonaise and Danse Slave; Hoban-era; Espaha; Suite Pastorale. Paris Opera Orchestra, Jean-Baptiste Mari cond. ANGEL 0 S-37424 $7.98.

Performance: Spirited

Recording: Good

Listening to a good record of Emmanuel Chabrier's orchestral music is about the surest thing I know to drive away the blues. With Angel's new disc, offering spirited conducting by Algerian-born Jean-Baptiste Mari, there are now four outstanding Chabrier collections from which to choose. All of them overlap in repertoire to a greater or lesser degree. Ansermet's London disc lacks only the innocuous Habanera and has by and large the most polished (but not necessarily the most vital) performances and the richest sound. Pierre Dervaux's budget-price Seraphim collection, which gives us the rather bloated Gwendoline Overture in place of the Suite Pastorale, contains a stunning choral-orchestral version of the Fite Polonaise, but the sound is a trifle raw. Paul Paray's Detroit recordings for Mercury include all but the Habanera and have the best combination of spirit and sonics.

This new release falls somewhere in the middle as far as performance goes. Mari's Paris Opera players perform well, if not with all the hair-trigger precision demanded by the rowdy syncopations of the Joyeuse Marche, and the ambient four-channel sound is most agreeable. I would not be without the Dervaux disc, simply because of the Fete Polonaise, and I prefer Paray's Suite Pastorale over all the others, but for the other works I lean toward the Mari versions. -D.H.

DIAMOND: Quintet for Clarinet, Two Violas, and Two Cellos (see HARRIS) DUCHAMP: The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even (Erratum Musical). CAGE: 27'10.554" for a Percussionist. Donald Knaack (percussion). FINNADAR SR 9017 $6.98.

Performance: Clever

Recording: Excellent

Although it is not very well known, it seems that Marcel Duchamp invented aleatory or chance music-in 1913! Ironically, only now, years after John Cage (perhaps partly under the influence of Duchamp) reintroduced the notion, has anyone attempted to realize Du-champ's scheme. Scheme is the right word: little numbered balls representing pitches or tone colors are sent down a funnel into little wagons, which stand for intervals of time.

From these operations a score is constructed that is meant to be realized on a player piano, mechanical organ, or some new mechanical instrument. Donald Knaack, the talented young percussionist on this release, did not really follow Duchamp's requirement for a mechanical instrument-which Duchamp wanted in order to "suppress the virtuoso intermediary"-but he did come up with new ones. He constructed twenty-four glass instruments, mostly of indefinite pitch, out of which he coaxes various pleasing sounds.

The Cage work--the title is of course its length-was conceived in 1956, the "classical" period of chance music. Cage specifies four categories of percussion instruments: metal, wood, skin, and anything else--as well as generous dollops of silence. Once again Knaack has more or less invented his own in struments. The "anything else" is skillfully blended electronic percussion sounds, and the silences are some very quiet disc surfaces.

Since Cage's silences are intended to provoke awareness of the outside world, I'm happy to report that in my listening his silences were filled by the very lovely sound of a gentle summer rain.

- E.S.

ELGAR: Cello Concerto in E Minor, Op. 85; Enigma Variations, Op. 36 (see Best of the Month, page 82) GLAZOUNOV: Piano Sonata No. 1, in B-fiat Minor, Op. 74; Theme and Variations, Op. 72. Richard Tetley-Kardos (piano). ORION ORS 76233 $7.98.

Performance: Conscientious

Recording: Good

GLAZOUNOV: Piano Sonata No. 2, in E Mi nor, Op. 75. MEDTNER: Piano Sonata No. 5, in G Minor, Op. 22. Emil Gilels (piano). ODYSSEY Y 34611 $3.98.

Performance: Brilliant

Recording: Soviet Fifties mono

Of all the unlikely piano repertoire to turn up at the same time, the Glazounov piano sonatas stand pretty much at the top of my list! Both date from 1901 and show the once-brilliant prodigy well into the epigonic Liszt-Schumann musical language of his later years.

The craftsmanship is brilliant and unfailingly fluent, but the music offers genuine substance only in fits and starts, as in the slow movement of the First Sonata and in the first movement and final pages of the Second (which strikes me as the better of the two). The Theme and Variations is more Slavic in tone than the sonatas but, like them, offers highly effective keyboard writing. The variation treatment, however, is either decorative-melodic or of the genre type (the waltz in No. 8 and the lullaby in No. 9).

West-Coast pianist Richard Tetley-Kardos works his way through the variations and the First Sonata in conscientious if not always technically impeccable fashion, and the re cording is respectable enough. However, a far more persuasive case for the music is made by the Viennese-born Canadian virtuoso Anton Kuerti on the small Acquitaine label (based in Don Mills, Ontario). The reverse side of that disc offers a dazzling reading of the Liszt B Minor Sonata, and in general the recorded sound is superior to that of the Orion release.

The young Emil Gilels is heard in peak form on the Odyssey disc of the Glazounuv Second Sonata (first issued here in 1955 on Concert Hall CHS 1311), and the fine Nikolai Medtner G Minor Sonata (issued not long after that by Westminster and evidently still part of the Westminster Gold series). The Gilels reading of the Glazounov remains a classic of its kind, equaled only by the pre-LP discs done by Benno Moiseiwitsch in his prime.

Columbia's transfer of the Russian Melo diya tapes is generally decent, though it pre serves the somewhat glassy piano sound char acteristic of Magnetophone tapes of the period and despite tiny fluctuations of pitch, most audible near the end of the first and the beginning of the second movements of the Glazou nov sonata. Be this as it may, the disc is first rate as a document of post-nationalist Russian piano music and of brilliant piano performance. At $3.98 it is also a good buy.

- D.H.

GRIEG: Peer Gynt, Suites Nos. 1 and 2, Opp. 46 and 55; Fra Monte Pincio, Op. 39, No. 1; En Svane, Op. 25, No. 2; Verdens Gang, Op. 48, No. 3; Princessen; Jeg Elsker Dig, Op. 5, No. 3. Elisabeth Soderstrom (soprano); New Philharmonia Orchestra, Andrew Davis cond. COLUMBIA M 34531 $6.98.

Performance: Efficient Peer Gynt, affecting songs

Recording: Full-bodied

There are seven songs on this disc: not only is the vocal part included in Solvejg's Song at the end of Suite No. 2, but Solvejg's other song, the Lullaby, is inserted between the second and third movements of that suite.

Both are sung most affectingly by Elisabeth Soderstrom, as are the five other songs, and Andrew Davis' own orchestrations of Ver dens Gang (The Way of the World) and Prin cessen are similarly appealing. As for the seven non-vocal sections of the Peer Gynt music, they are all very brilliantly executed, but with little of the distinction such conductors as Beecham, Barbirolli, Fjeldstad, and Willem van Otterloo have brought to this material.

There is no feeling of repose in Morning, no sinuousness in Anitra's Dance, and the phrasing in In the Hall of the Mountain King suggests efficiency rather than diablerie on the part of the trolls. The recording is quite rich and full, but Soderstrom's voice seems a bit over-amplified in relation to the orchestra. Bi lingual texts are provided. -R.F.

RECORDING OF SPECIAL MERIT

HARRIS: Concerto for Piano, Clarinet, and String Quartet.

DIAMOND: Quintet for Clarinet, Two Violas, and Two Cellos. Lawrence Sobol (clarinet); Peter Basquin (piano); Carol Webb, Ira Weller (violins); Louise Schulman, Linda Moss (violas); Timothy Eddy, Fred Sherry (cellos).

GRENADILLA GS 1007 $6.95 (from Grenadilla Records, Inc., P.O. Box 289, New York, N.Y. 10010).

Performance: Splendid

Recording: Very fine

Roy Harris, like the young Brahms, came into serious composing with a fully formed musical language, one that has become more refined and sometimes more elaborate through the years, but which really has not ...

------ ROY HARRIS: undeniable rhythmic power and expressive content

... changed appreciably over the span of half a century. Like that of Brahms, the work of Roy Harris cannot be mistaken for anyone else's. The same devices encountered in the later Harris pieces are found in the four movements of the concerto: contrast between song and dance elements woven into an often modal harmonic texture, considerable use of fugal and variation technique, and a continual searching out of long melodic lines. There are elements of clumsiness and sprawl in this music by the twenty-nine-year-old Harris, who was then still studying with Nadia Boulanger, but there are also undeniable rhythmic power and expressive content presaging much of what was to come in later years, most notably in his Third and Fifth Symphonies.

David Diamond also had a spell of post graduate study with Boulanger, and, like Harris, he has been an extremely prolific composer. In his forty years of composing, Diamond has worked in a variety of styles, from the open diatonic manner of the deservedly popular Rounds for String Orchestra (regrettably not currently available on records) to the dense post-I3artokian language of the Fourth String Quartet (once available on Epic). After a long hiatus, Diamond's work again seems to be finding its way onto discs.

The quintet on this new release was put to paper just before the Fourth String Quartet and clearly shows, in its use of such devices as snap-pizzicato and pizzicato-glissando, the influence of the Bartok quartets Diamond, had been restudying at the time. As Diamond points out in the sleeve notes, scoring for violas and cellos instead of the usual string quartet was intended to darken the string texture--and in consequence, I might add, throw the clarinet into higher relief. While the end movements are fairly dense in texture and need repeated listening for full assimilation, ...

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Rostropovich Conducts the Tchaikovsky Symphonies

MSTISLAV ROSTROPOVICH, one of the world's most admired cellists for nearly three decades, was virtually unknown as a conductor until 1970, when Angel released his recording of Tchaikovsky's opera Eugene Onegin (SRC-4115). After making his American conducting debut in an all-Tchaikovsky program with the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington on March 5, 1975, he was invited to succeed Antal Dorati as music director of that orchestra, and he has now be gun his first season in that position. His conductorial discography has so far included only four entries in addition to Onegin: an Angel disc on which he is both soloist and conductor in a pair of Haydn concertos with the Acade my of St. Martin-in-the-Fields (S-37193), a smooth but not especially distinguished re cording of Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade with the Orchestre de Paris (Angel S-37061), an unfortunate version of Puccini's Tosca (Deutsche Grammophon 2707 087), and an impassioned, downright magnificent one of Shostakovich's Symphony No. 14 (Columbia/Melodiya M 34507). Now Angel has brought out a seven-disc set of all the Tchaikovsky symphonies (Nos. 1-6 plus Manfred) played by the London Philharmonic under Rostropovich, and on these fourteen sides all the elements alluded to above are present polish, passion, idiosyncratic indulgences, and also magnificence. The proportions in this mixture will seem different to different listeners, but anyone with ears will find the set intriguing, and parts of it are a good deal more than that.

IN comments printed in the annotative booklet with the set, Rostropovich tells us that it is Tchaikovsky whose music he loves best (al ways an unfashionable notion, but one that will endear him to those of us lucky enough to cut our musical teeth on Tchaikovsky), and also that he is against "computer-like interpretations" and in favor of individuality and the expression of the interpreter's personality. There is nothing "computer-like" in his readings, to be sure; they are individualistic and they exude a strong personality. There is also nothing the least bit superficial in Rostropovich's view of these symphonies, nor any suggestion of difference for the sake of difference. There is a great feeling of involvement-one might even say immersion-and the kind of intensity that ignites an audience in the concert hall; whether these are performances to live with over the long pull is another question.

The strongest performance in the set is that of the greatest of the seven works, the Pathetique (the vehicle, incidentally, for Rostropovich's U.S. conducting debut). It is obviously deeply felt and enormously forceful, but also astonishingly refined, with the musical values never subverted for the sake of drama. Tempos are virtually ideal, phrasing is firm and unfussy, and episodes come together to form an arch-like sequence. The march, all too often set forth with ceremonial deliberate ness, is fleet and flaming, almost frightening in its sweep, charged with spontaneity but never slapdash, perhaps the closest rival yet to what Karajan achieved in his old Viennese recording on Columbia. In the finale Rostropovich gets every drop of real pathos without distorting the line or stretching the rhythm: there is dignity here as well as intensity and great conviction.

At the other end of the spectrum in terms of persuasiveness is Rostropovich's account of the Fifth, which is off-putting in the extreme because of the maddeningly slow tempos in the first two movements and in the introduction and coda of the finale. "I interpret the music in this way," Rostropovich says, "because it is the interpretation I choose--not be cause I am ignorant." One would never suggest ignorance on the part of so obviously accomplished a musician, but his view of the Fifth is one that I suspect will not go down well with most listeners, for all the beautiful playing and attention to detail. (It must be said that throughout the set the London Phil harmonic sounds every bit the virtuoso ensemble it was under Beecham in the 1930's, and the sound is the most gorgeous Angel has given us since the label began pressing in this country-equally impressive, I think, in two channels and in four.) BETWEEN these two extremes are brilliant, powerful, and poetic realizations of the Fourth Symphony and Manfred, both perhaps on the same level as the fine realization of the Pathetique, and accounts of the three early symphonies which, if less than ideal, reflect respect for the not inconsiderable substance of these works as well as their charm and the fairy-tale quality that links them with Tchaikovsky's great ballet scores. Of the early works, the First comes off most successfully, the only disappointment being Rostropovich's failure to delineate the melody of the big waltz in the third movement sharply enough (the tempo itself is perfect). The reading is very much like Bernstein's, but even more affectionate and much more sumptuously re corded. Very much like Bernstein's, too, is Rostropovich's handling of the Third, in which an unconvincingly slow tempo for the second movement mars an otherwise most at tractive presentation.

In the Little Russian, surely the finest of the early symphonies, there is no problem with tempos-they are exceptionally well judged in all four movements--but there is a lot of fussing with dynamics, and I miss the impish ness and sizzle various other conductors have brought out in the finale. If the ideal performance of this adorable work seems elusive, the one recorded by Igor Markevitch and the London Symphony Orchestra was surely nothing less than that; whatever possessed Philips to delete it (835.390LY) I can't imagine, but I would urge anyone who wants to enjoy the work to the fullest to scour the cutout bins for a copy.

Markevitch, in fact, is the one conductor whose complete Tchaikovsky cycle has struck me as not only attractive but indispensable. His aristocratic Fifth (Philips 802.703LY) and Sixth (835.126AY) are still listed in Schwann, but I understand they may be hard to find. His Little Russian was the performance of a lifetime, his First and Third hardly less, and all of his Tchaikovsky ought to be made available again. Among current alternatives to the Rostropovich set, Dorati's recently reissued set of Nos. 1, 2, and 3 with the London Symphony Orchestra (Mercury SRI 3-77009) lacks the sonic brilliance of some later productions, and his tempo for the waltz in No. 1 is curiously slow; but the healthy solidity, elegant good humor, and all round professionalism of his performances make one happy to return to them. Of the last three symphonies, of course; there are recordings to every conceivable taste, and more than a few now of Manfred. When Angel gets around to making the Rostropovich discs available singly, I would recommend his Manfred as at least the equal of any other available now, his Pathetique for consideration beside those of Markevitch, Abbado, and Karajan, and Nos. 1 and 4 as also worthy of consideration in fields by no means small. Taken as a whole, the Angel set offers more rewards than disappointments (anyone who buys it, though, would probably want an additional version of No. 5), and it serves to validate Rostropovich's credentials as a conductor of seriousness and skill as well as making a case for an exceptionally intense, personal approach. His first American recording, scheduled for taping in Washington in mid-November, is more Tchaikovsky-the Violin Concerto with Isaac Stern for Columbia. But it will be interesting to hear later what he and the orchestra Dorati built can accomplish together in a broader repertoire.

-Richard Freed

TCHAIKOVSKY: Symphony No. 1, in G Minor, Op. 13 ("Winter Dreams"); Symphony No. 2, in C Minor, Op. 17 ("Little Russian"); Symphony No. 3, in D Major, Op. 29 ("Polish"); Symphony No. 4, in F Minor, Op. 36; Symphony No. 5, in E Minor, Op. 64; Symphony No. 6, in B Minor, Op. 74 ("Pathetique"); Manfred, Op. 58. London Philharmonic Orchestra, Mstislav Rostropovich cond. ANGEL OSGE-3847 seven discs $39.98.

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... the bitter-sweet scherzo and eloquent adagio speak very well for themselves on the first hearing.

With this first in a series of discs by musicians of the Long Island Chamber Ensemble of New York, Grenadilla Records has made a most auspicious start, not only in the choice of repertoire, but also in the performance and recording. This is just what unfamiliar music needs to become familiar.

-D.H.

RECORDINGS OF SPECIAL MERIT

LISZT: Annies de Pelerinage-Première Annie: Suisse. Gyorgy Cziffra (piano). CONNOIS SEUR SOCIETY CSQ 2141 $7.98.

LISZT: Annees de Pe lerinage-Deuxu me Annie: Italie. Gyorgy Cziffra (piano). CONNOIS SEUR SOCIETY CSQ 2142 $7.98.

LISZT: Armies de Pi lerinage--Troisu me Annie; Venezia e Napoli. Gyorgy Cziffra (piano).

CONNOISSEUR SOCIETY CSQ 2143 $7.98.

Performance: Grand

Recording: Very good

Cziffra's discography now includes a good deal of Liszt, but in none of his other recordings does the combination of composer and interpreter seem so nearly ideal as in this grand realization of Liszt's epic travelogue in its entirety. In both style and technique the performance is consistently fascinating and convincing throughout the six sides. At every point the poetry, the fantasy, the flair and vastness of Liszt's inspiration are fully projected, making what is surely the strongest case for this cycle in recorded form to date, and for most of the individual numbers as well. The expansive Vallee d'Obermann, in the first book, may not boast the last degree of aristocratic understatement brought to that piece by Claudio Arrau (Philips 802.906LY), but it hangs together beautifully, reaching its dramatic crest with a convincingly natural momentum. Comparisons with Cziffra's own Philips recordings of the Sonetto 123 del Petrarca (from the second book) and Tarantella (from Venezia e Napoli) illustrate the progress he has made in terms of subtlety and refinement in the new complete recording of the Annees: while both pieces are actually played a little faster and are more tightly controlled in the new versions, the overall effect is of greater freedom and fluidity. But everywhere one feels the real Lisztian character in full bloom--plenty of color, flexibility, and apparent freedom (a downright improvisatory feeling at times) based on scrupulous control and regard for both technical and expressive detail. The series is a winner, there are no two ways about it. The sound (barring a bit of tape hiss in the Dante Sonata) is good in either two-channel or four-channel (SQ) playback, and Royal S. Brown's notes are a further enhancement to a notable release.

- R. F.

RECORDING OF SPECIAL MERIT

LISZT: Piano Concertos No. 1, in E-Hat Major, and No. 2, in A Major. Emil von Sauer (piano); Paris Conservatoire Orchestra, Felix Weingartner cond. TURNABOUT THS 65098 $3.98.

Performance: Impressive

Recording: Good old sound

Why do the covers of historical recordings so generally lack the information we really want? Emil von Sauer and Felix Weingartner were almost exact contemporaries (Sauer, born in 1862, was a year older than Weingartner; both died in 1942). Instead of the standard Grove's Dictionary liner-note stuff, I would like to know why this Teutonic two some was in Paris recording the Liszt concertos with the Paris Conservatoire Orchestra in December 1938-almost on the eve of Hitler's invasion of France! Whatever the circumstances, this is an impressive pair of recordings. Liszt's expansive orchestrations are a little cramped sonically, but, even so, the orchestra has plenty of pres ence. Anyway, the piano sound and the piano playing are what carry the day. Sauer was one of those big-time Lisztian pianists of the old school, and the scope of his playing comes through magnificently without any phony or phonographic rhetoric. E. S.

MAHLER: Symphony No. 2, in C Minor ("Resurrection"). Marilyn Horne (mezzo soprano); Carol Neblett (soprano); Chicago Symphony Chorus; Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Claudio Abbado cond. DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON 2707 094 two discs $15.96.

Performance: Fiery

Recording: Resplendent

But for two considerations, this album would have rated a "Special Merit" tag. First, the playing surfaces of my review pressings were afflicted with an ungodly amount of grit and swish. Second, the off-stage band in the final movement is distant to the point of virtual inaudibility.

These complaints aside, however, this is...

------ INGRID DINGFELDER: First-rate flute in Martia and Rorem.

... yet another remarkable recorded perform ance of Mahler's Resurrection Symphony.

The opening movement is imbued with a Toscaninian fierceness and a taut discipline in performance that matches Solti's yet doesn't sound quite so up tight-there is just a shade more air between the notes. The Landler is exquisitely detailed in its realization, with a fine flexibility of phrasing. Great care is taken in the phrasing of the scherzo and in the minutest details of contrapuntal interplay that separate the full orchestral outbursts. Marilyn Horne may not achieve quite the rapt quality of Janet Baker in Urlicht, but she comes very close in the nuanced delicacy of feeling that she displays. Abbado has the great sprawling finale under superb control from beginning to end (except for the apparent miscalculation with placement of the off-stage band), but it is the vocal portion of the rendition that is truly outstanding. Not only does Carol Neblett perform beautifully in the soprano part-both solo and with Marilyn Horne--but Margaret Hillis' Chicago Symphony Chorus does itself proud from the hushed opening to the great male-choir summons, "Bereitedich ... !" I trust that the final production pressings of this recording are better than what I received, for otherwise this set ranks with the finest.

Prospective purchasers are going to have a very hard time choosing even the best two re corded performances of this score, let alone the best one.

-D. H.

MARTINU: Trio for Flute, Cello, and Piano. Ingrid Dingfelder (flute); Jerome Carrington (cello); Anita Gordon (piano). ROREM: Book of Hours. Ingrid Dingfelder (flute); Martine Geliot (harp). CRI SD 362 $6.95.

Performance: First-rate

Recording: Very good

Bohuslav Martina's warmhearted trio, one of his most ingratiating works, has not been available on records for nearly a decade; it is especially welcome in this first-rate performance by Dingfelder, Carrington, and Gordon, who sound as if they have been playing it together all their lives and long ago fell completely in love with it. Dingfelder and Geliot have been playing Rorem's Book of Hours all of its life: they commissioned the work, introduced it in New York in February 1976, and recorded it three days after the premiere. The title, as the headings of the eight subdivisions indicate ("Matins" through "Compline"), alludes to the canonical hours of Catholic worship; Rorem refers to the work as "songs-without-words about memories of the Roman Church which, having been taboo to my Protestant childhood, always vaguely gave off a sense of sin." This performance must be regarded as uniquely authoritative and is unquestionably committed. Both sides benefit from fine sound.

- R.F.

MEDTNER: Piano Sonata No. 5, in G Minor, MOERAN: Rhapsody in F-sharp Major for Piano and Orchestra (see BRIDGE)

MOZART: Flute Concerto No. 1, in G Major (K. 313); Flute Concerto No. 2, in D Major (K. 314); Andante in C Major for Flute and Orchestra (K. 315). Eugenia Zukerman (flute); English Chamber Orchestra, Pinchas Zukerman cond. COLUMBIA M-34520 $6.98, MT-34520 $6.98.

Performance: First-rate

Recording: Troublesome

These are first-rate performances; the soloist's contributions are as good as the best, arid the orchestral playing is especially refined.

The sound quality of my copies was disappointing, however, with a suggestion of back ground waver and uncomfortable highs. As it happens, RCA has released two similar pack ages recently in which the performances yield even deeper pleasure and the sound is down right sumptuous: one by Jean-Pierre Rampal (whose cadenzas Zukerman plays) with Theodor Guschlbauer conducting (FRL1-5330) and the other by James Galway with Rudolf Baumgartner (ARLI-2159).

- R.F.

MOZART: Concerto No. 10, in E-flat, for Two Pianos (K. 365); Piano Concerto No. 20, in D Minor (K. 466). Andre Previn (piano); Radu Lupu (piano, in K. 365); London Symphony Orchestra, Andre Previn cond. ANGEL 11 SQ-37291 $7.98.

Performance: Two pianos better

Recording: Excellent

Among the nine current recorded versions of Mozart's lightweight but altogether enchanting Two-Piano Concerto, this one ranks with the best. Radu Lupu is one of the best young Mozartians at the keyboard today, and Previn is a first-rate craftsman both at the piano and conducting. The composer's own cadenzas are used in the end movements.

In the great D Minor Concerto, Previn as soloist is fine in the end movements but a bit heavy-handed in the central Romance. (He uses the Beethoven cadenza for the first movement and his own somewhat more elaborate one for the finale.) Either Serkin/Szell on Columbia MS-6534 or Rubinstein/Wallenstein on RCA LSC-2635 offer both a lighter hand and more just pacing. Angel's recording job is excellent throughout, especially in the work. D.H.

MOZART: Sonatas for Violin and Clavier in F Major (K. 376), E Minor (K. 304), and E-flat Major (K. 380). Sonya Monosoff (violin); Malcolm Bilson (fortepiano). PLEIADES P 104 $7.98 (from University of Southern Illinois Press, Carbondale, Ill. 62901).

Performance: Fine

Recording: Dry

Here is a good opportunity to hear two splendid artists performing Mozart sonatas on instruments from the collection of the Metropolitan-Museum of Art. Sonya Monosoff is armed with a violin by Antonio Stradivari ( Cremona, 1692) and Malcolm Bilson plays a fortepiano attributed to Johann Schmidt ( Salzburg, ca. 1790-1795). The Stradivari instrument is a lovely one, and Miss Monosoff sounds at ease with it. It is a treat to hear her sensitive phrasing and lyrical sound, and her fine discrimination between those sections in which she functions as soloist and those in which she is the accompanist deserves applause. Mr. Bilson seems to be handicapped by the Schmidt fortepiano, however. In allegro movements and rapid passage work he sounds his usual brilliant self, full of sparkle and wit, but in the slow movements his treble line is too dry. The instrument simply does not have the sustaining power or presence required in the melodious slow movement of the F Major Sonata or the poignant minuet of the E Minor Sonata. Under ordinary circum stances Mr. Bilson is extremely wary of the sustaining pedal. Perhaps a more generous use of it here would have dispelled some of the dryness. Certainly the trio of the E Minor Minuet cries out for more pedal in order to flatter the repeated chords. Nonetheless, the performance is a good one considering the difficulties involved in performing on old instruments, especially those harbored in museums where the performers scarcely have time to become familiar with them before they begin recording. S. L .

MOZART: Songs (see JILL GOMEZ, Best of the Month, page 84)

NIELSEN: Clarinet Concerto, Op. 57; Flute Concerto; Violin Concerto, Op. 33; Symphonic Rhapsody (see Best of the Month, page 81)

OFFENBACH: La Grande Duchesse de Gerolstein. Regine Crespin (soprano), Grand Duchess; Alain Vanzo (tenor), Fritz; Charles Buries (tenor), Prince Paul; Claude Meloni (baritone), Baron Puck; Robert Massard (bar itone), General Boum; Francois Loup (bass), Baron Grog; Mady Mesple (soprano), Wanda; Tibert Raffali (tenor), Nepomuc; others. L'Orchestre et Choeurs de Toulouse, Michel Plasson cond. COLUMBIA M2 34576 two discs $13.98.

Performance: Lively and idiomatic

Recording: Good

La Grande Duchesse de Gerolstein is prime Offenbach, and an up-to-date version idiomatically performed by an expert cast is, of course, most welcome.

This is a good performance, but I have some reservations. Regine Crespin would have been ideal in the title role ten to fifteen years ago. Her characterization of the eternally flirtatious Grand Duchess, who delivers outrageous lines with childlike innocence, is virtually perfect. Her spoken delivery is, in fact, a triumph of insinuating Gallic sexiness.

Vocally, alas, much of her singing is labored and unsure in intonation, and it sometimes borders on Wagnerian heaviness.

The supporting roles are in excellent hands, and with artists of the caliber of Mady Mesple and Charles Buries in relatively minor roles the casting is almost luxurious. Robert Massard imparts a dashing profile to General Boum, whom I have always regarded as a buffo character. The results are questionable dramatically but unexceptionable vocally.

Michel Plasson obviously has the skill to serve up Offenbach with spirit and style, but he does not yet have the flair to make the music sparkle with irresistible zest. Nor is this performance a model of choral and orchestral precision, though the offenses are never too damaging. The album comes with full text, translation, and unusually informative anno tations by Richard Traubner. - G.J.

RECORDING OF SPECIAL MERIT

PALESTRINA: Missa Aeterna Christi Munera; Oratio Jeremiae Prophetae; Sicut Cervus Diserat; Super Flumina Babylonis; 0 Bone Jesu. Pro Cantione Antigua, London, Bruno Turner cond. DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON AR CHIV 2533 322 $7.98, 3310 322 $7.98.

Performance: Unworldly

Recording: Beautiful

This is one of the most beautiful performances of Palestrina ever to reach records. It is sober and somber in its evenly paced tempos yet at the same time reveals an inner glow through phrasing and word expression. The Mass Aeterna Christi Munera, one of Palestrina's finest, is sung by only nine singers. The

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Quintessence: a Rich Lode of Reissues

MONTEUX: especially welcome Debussy; STOKOWSKI: sensationally attractive Liszt; BEECHAM: a place of honor on any list.

The surfaces are, for the most part, exceptionally silent about five years ago the Pickwick la bel served as a vehicle for reissues from the Capitol catalog. But now Pickwick Inter national has come up with a new assortment of recordings from various sources, and R. Peter Munves (formerly marketing director for Columbia Masterworks, more recently head of RCA's Red Seal) has created a new label for them-Quintessence-with a list price of $3.98 per disc. Of the twenty-two discs in the initial Quintessence release, half come from RCA and almost as many are drawn from the intriguing series RCA produced for Reader's Digest between 1962 and 1968. A collection of music by Julius FuZik ( 1872-1916) comes from Supraphon by way of Telefunken, and a Beecham overture package is an EMI production that Pickwick circulated earlier (as SPC-4035) after its deletion as Capitol SG-7251. A few of the RCA items are of pre-stereo vintage, but among those as well as the later recordings there are some exception al performances, and the loving care that has gone into their preservation becomes more stunningly evident as one proceeds from one disc to another.

Especially welcome is Monteux's Debussy, and no matter that La Mer is not genuine stereo; it is too good a performance to be lost.

The Nocturnes, in a most successful early stereo recording, are also outstanding. The third of Barbirolli's three recordings of the Sibelius Second is not only his best, but by all odds one of the finest versions of that much-recorded work ever committed to tape.

All of the Horenstein material is worth while. The Dvorak at last supersedes Horenstein's memorable 1952 version for Vox; the straightforward, patrician Brahms and the brilliant Rachmaninoff with Earl Wild are among the best at any price, and the Tchaikovsky Fifth is gratifyingly sensible and dramatic. Neumann's performance of Funk's The Entry of the Gladiators can only be com pared with Toscanini's of The Stars and Stripes Forever. The tuneful Marinarella Overture and Donausagen Waltz and the humorous piece called The Old Bear with a Sore Head are delightful discoveries on this disc.

Fiedler's Johann Strauss assortment, originally called "Mr. Strauss Comes to Boston," is notable for the otherwise unrecorded Jubilee Waltz, which ends with a citation of The Star-Spangled Banner. Stokowski's Swan Lake is rather faded now, but his Enesco/ Liszt package is sensationally attractive, and Sir Thomas Beecham's overtures collection commands a place of honor on any list.

it may seem odd that RCA has ceded the Digest material to Pickwick instead of issuing it on its own Gold Seal label as it did in Britain (the Brahms Fourth under Fritz Reiner issued here on AGL 1-1961 is from this source), and even more curious that some of the items on Quintessence continue to be available elsewhere--Boult's Marche. Slave on Odyssey 32 16 0238, Beecham's Gazza Ladra and Corsaire overtures on Seraphim S-60134 and S-60084, respectively-but such things need not trouble us. What may annoy some shoppers is the misleading nature of some of the puffery on the jackets. "As happy a record as you will ever find," reads the streamer on Boult's Tchaikovsky ballets, but the November 1975 Gramophone, listed as the source of that line, contains no mention of this recording. A closer reading reveals that the quotation is from a review of a different Boult re cording of a different Tchaikovsky work.

There is also a generous sprinkling of mis spelled names and titles, and for some curious reason the Brahms First and the Berlioz and Mendelssohn overtures are the only works identified by opus number. The annotation for the Hungarian Rhapsodies implies that the one listed as "No. 2" is indeed the orchestral No. 2 ("that is, No. 12 in the keyboard edition"), but it is in fact the one that is really "the most celebrated of all," properly orchestral No. 4 but invariably designated by its original position as No. 2 in the enumeration of the piano series.

These documentary lapses are probably no worse than what happens on most labels these days, and in the more important matter of what is in the grooves this is an extremely worthwhile series. Whoever did the remastering deserves congratulations for a superb job.

Martinon's excellent L'Arlesienne (now minus the first three movements of Suite No. 2) sounds much smoother than in its previous in carnations on RCA, and the aforementioned Berlioz and Rossini under Beecham show an even more dramatic improvement over the still-current Seraphim editions. The surfaces, too, are for the most part exceptionally silent.

No timings are printed, but dates are given for many of the recordings.

By the time these words appear in print there will have been subsequent Quintessence releases; if the high standards of these first discs are maintained, the label should be a safe bet for good listening.

-Richard Freed

QUINTESSENCE: INITIAL RELEASE

[All recordings are true stereo except for Monteux's La Mer and the recordings con ducted by Stokowski (with members of the NBC Symphony) and by Fiedler, which are in artificial stereo. Each disc is $3.98.]

BIZET: L 'Arlesienne, Suites Nos. 1 and 2 (excerpts). Chicago Symphony, Jean Martinon cond. Carmen, Suites Nos. I and 2. Orchestra, Morton Gould cond. PMC 7024.

BRAHMS: Symphony No. 1, in C Minor, Op. 68. London Symphony, Jascha Horenstein cond. PMC 7028.

DEBUSSY: La Mer; Nocturnes. Boston Sym phony, Pierre Monteux cond. PMC 7027.

DVORAK: Symphony No. 9, in E Minor, Op. 95 (" New World"). Royal Philharmonic, Jascha Horenstein cond. PMC 7001.

ENESCO: Roumanian Rhapsodies Nos. 1 and 2, Op. 11. LISZT: Hungarian Rhapsodies Nos. 1, 3, and 4. Members of the NBC Symphony, Leopold Stokowski cond. PMC 7023.

FUCIK: Marches, Waltzes, etc. Czech Phil harmonic. Vaclav Neumann cond. PMC 7038.

GRIEG: Peer Gynt, Suites Nos. 1 and 2, Opp. 46 and 55. Oslo Philharmonic, Odd Gruner Hegge cond. Norwegian Dances Nos. 2 and 3, Op. 35; Symphonic Dance No. 3, Op. 64. Orchestra, Morton Gould cond. PMC 7016.

OFFENBACH/ROSENTHAL: Gatte Pari sienne, Suite. CHOPIN/FISTOULARI: Les Sylphides. Royal Philharmonic, Anatole Fis toulari cond. PMC 7029.

RACHMANINOFF: Piano Concerto No. 2, in C Minor, Op. 18; Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini, Op. 43. Earl Wild (piano); Royal Philharmonic, Jascha Horenstein cond. PMC 7006.

RESPIGHI: The Pines of Rome. R. STRAUSS: Don Juan. Royal Philharmonic, Rudolf Kempe cond. R. STRAUSS: Salome, Dance of the Seven Veils. Royal Philharmonic, Antal Dorati cond. PMC 7005.

SIBELIUS: Symphony No. 2, in D Major, Op. 43. Royal Philharmonic, Sir John Barbirolli cond. PMC 7008.

SIBELIUS: Finlandia; The Swan of Tuonela; Valse Triste; Pohjola's Daughter; Lemminkainen's Return. Orchestra, Morton Gould cond. PMC 7022.

J. STRAUSS, JR.: Favorite Waltzes. Boston Pops, Arthur Fiedler cond. PMC 7015.

TCHAIKOVSKY: Piano Concerto No. 1, in B-flat Minor, Op. 23. Earl Wild (piano); Royal Philharmonic, Anatole Fistoulari cond.

FRANK: Symphonic Variations. Earl Wild (piano); Philharmonic Symphony of London, Massimo Freccia cond. PMC 7003.

TCHAIKOVSKY: The Nutcracker, Suite, Op. 71a; Swan Lake, Op. 20 (excerpts). New Sym phony Orchestra of London, Sir Adrian Boult cond. PMC 7010.

TCHAIKOVSKY: Swan Lake, Op. 20-Acts U and HI. Members of the NBC Symphony. Leopold Stokowski cond. PMC 7007.

TCHAIKOVSKY: Symphony No. 5, in E Mi nor, Op. 64. New Philharmonia, Jascha Horenstein cond. Marche Slave, Op. 31. London Philharmonic, Sir Adrian Boult cond. PMC 7002.

BEECHAM'S FAVORITE OVERTURES.

Rossini: La Gazza Ladra; La Cambiale di Matrimonio. Mendelssohn: The Fair Melusina; Midsummer Night's Dream. Berlioz: Le Corsaire. Royal Philharmonic, Sir Thomas Beecham cond. PMC 7004.

FIEDLER'S FAVORITE OVERTURES. Rossini: William Tell. Suppe: Light Cavalry. Herold: Zampa. Thomas: Mignon. Offenbach:

Orpheus in Hades. Nicolai: The Merry Wives of Windsor. Boston Pops, Arthur Fiedler cond. PMC 7013.

CLAIRE DE LUNE AND OTHER CLASSICS IN A ROMANTIC MOOD. Orchestra, Morton Gould cond. PMC 7025.

JALOUSIE AND OTHER CLASSICS IN A LATIN MOOD. Boston Pops. Arthur Fiedler cond.; orchestra, Morton Gould cond. PMC 7018.

HALLELUJAH AND OTHER FAVORITE CHORUSES. Orchestra and Robert Shaw Chorale. Robert Shaw cond.; Norman Luboff Choir and New Symphony Orchestra of Lon don, Leopold Stokowski cond.; Cleveland Orchestra and Chorus, Robert Shaw cond. PMC 7019.

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... use of countertenors rather than boy sopranos or women for the treble line produces a rich, velvety timbre, and the purity of the voices maintains the clarity of the part writing. The motets are sung by combinations of from four to six voices. Everything is heard but everything blends. This is a model performance of vocal chamber music. S.L.

PROKOFIEV: The Gambler. Vladimir Makhov (tenor), Alexis; Nina Poliakova (soprano), Pauline; Anna Matiushina (mezzo soprano), Blanche; Gennady Troitsky (bass-baritone), the General; Andrei Sokolov (tenor), the Marquis; other soloists. Chorus and Orchestra of the All-Union Radio, Gennady Rozhdestvensky cond. COLUMBIA / MELODIYA M3 34579 three discs $20.98.

Performance: Strong

Recording: Very good

Prokofiev wrote The Gambler in Russia in 1916 on the very eve of the Revolution. The story, from Dostoevsky's novel, takes place at a Central European gambling spa where decadent aristocrats pursue their pleasures mainly gambling and women. Prokofiev's musical setting, though very much in the old Russian tradition of the novel-turned-opera, was long considered ultra-modern and dissonant, and it is only recently that the work has gained any kind of foothold in the repertoire.

It hardly seems far out today, but it is still strong stuff, composed-perhaps over-com posed-in a hard-driving, intense idiom that mirrors the inner turmoil of the idle rich in a disintegrating society where personal indulgence is the rule. The panorama of the music lifts up the unsympathetic characters and creates a kind of anti-epic very much in the Russian mode.

The work is through-composed at a very high level of intensity that doesn't really hold up at all points (it's a pity that Prokofiev didn't use a more formal structure of set-num bers in his operas, as it would have suited his style so much better). Nevertheless, The Gambler is a powerful opera, and it is good to have a Russian-made version of such a Russian work. I would characterize the singing in this performance as strong, not beautiful, but very idiomatic; the playing, direction, and sound are similarly satisfactory. Try the gambling scene and the subsequent final scene for some of the best dramatic music Prokofiev ever wrote. E.S.

RECORDING OF SPECIAL MERIT

RACHMANINOFF: Francesca da Rimini.

Makvala Kasrashvili (soprano), Francesca; Vladimir Atlantov (tenor), Paolo; Yevgenu Nesterenko (bass), Lanciotto; Mikhail Maslov (baritone), Shade of Vergil; Alexander Laptev (tenor), Dante. Bolshoi Theater Orchestra and Chorus, Mark Ermler cond. VLADIMIR ATLANTOV. Aria Recital. Napravnik: Dubrovsky: Vladimir's Recitative and Romance. Borodin: Prince Igor: Vladimir's Recitative and Cavatina. Tchaikovsky: Pique Dame: Arioso, Act I; Forgive me, heavenly creature; What is life? It is a game! Vladimir Atlantov (tenor); Bolshoi Theater Orchestra, Mark Ermler cond. COLUMBIA/MELODIYA MS 34577 two discs $15.98.

Performance: Good

Recording: Good

There are only three Rachmaninoff operas, and, with Francesca da Rimini (his last opera, composed in 1904), we have them all on disc.

Concise to the point of being underwritten, this is by no means a great opera. And yet, what is captured in its sixty-five minutes is decidedly worth hearing. Rachmaninoff handled both vocal and orchestral elements masterfully. The Prologue is reminiscent of the turbulent Tchaikovsky tone poem in both mood and musical detail to the point of outright imitation, but the richness and aptness of the writing cannot be denied. Lanciotto's declamatory music, full of menace, is supported by a passionate orchestral underpinning. The love music is as torrid as the situation calls for. Rimsky-Korsakov's complaint that "the dense orchestral sound stifles the voices" (quoted in the annotation) appears totally unjustified from our historical vantage point.

The music is very effectively paced by the experienced Mark Ermler: he slights neither voices nor orchestra, though the engineering fails to create a truly impressive ambiance for the infernal Prologue. Lanciotto is the only character in this opera who comes across with some dimension, and Yevgenu Nesterenko portrays him vividly, menacingly, and with powerful vocal resources. Vladimir Atlantov's pealing tones suggest a Russian Franco Corelli in his prime, and Makvala Kasrashvili creditably copes with Francesca's difficult, high-lying part. Baritone Mikhail Maslov also makes a worthy contribution. I suppose the shaky tone of tenor Alexander Laptev is the price we have to pay for the rest.

On side four of the set, Atlantov performs five standard Russian tenor arias in his characteristically robust style. More subtlety and tonal variety would be welcome, but the ten or's forthright manner, vigorous tones, and imposing breath support, as well as the sheer visceral excitement he communicates, are not commodities to value lightly. G.J.

RACHMANINOFF: Piano Concerto No. 3, in D Minor, Op. 30. Minas Vasary (piano); London Symphony Orchestra, Yuri Ahronovitch cond. DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON 2530 859 $7.98, 3300 859 $7.98.

Performance: Eloquent

Recording: On the dry side

Tamas Vasary's earlier Chopin recordings for Deutsche Grammophon, especially his Debussy collection on 139 458, identified him as a musician with first-rate technical equipment at the service of an elegant and poetic nature.

It is good to find him actively recording again, particularly when well-partnered, as he is here by the sensitive Yuri Ahronovitch in their Rachmaninoff cycle. This eloquent (and uncut) performance of the Third Concerto, like those of the First and Second on DG 2530 717, is conceived and executed on the highest level and in its own right would seem to call for a "Special Merit" heading. But it is out shone by the no less eloquent and appreciably more powerful one by Vladimir Ashkenazy with Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra on RCA ARL1-1324, which benefits, too, from richer sound. DG's piano sound is dryer and steelier than it ought to be, and the violins are a little pinched in some passages. While the new disc offers a great deal of pleasure, those interested in supplementing the Ashkenazy/Ormandy with a second stereo version might do well to wait for the Berman/Abbado recording, due about now from Columbia.

- R.F.

REVUELTAS: Janitzio; Caminos; Redes; Sensemaya; Itineraries. New Philharmonia Orchestra, Eduardo Mata cond. RCA ARL1-2320 $7.98.

Performance: Good to excellent

Recording: Not enough presence

Not since the demise of the MGM classical series has it been possible to obtain on a single disc a decently representative selection of the music of the gifted Mexican composer Silvestre Revueltas (1899-1940). If you can imagine Chabrier and Bartok combined, musically speaking, into a single colorful Mexican personage, you will have a rough idea of what Revueltas' music is all about. The Chabrier aspect comes out in the brilliant, garish picture-postcard pieces like Janitzio and Caminos (a first recording here). The Bartokian side comes through in the great Homenaje a Garcia Lorca (not currently available on records) and the "geometric dance" Pianos (once recorded on MGM). Having worked in theaters in the U.S., Revueltas well under stood the requirements of the film and wrote a fine score for Paul Strand's The Wave, depicting life among impoverished Baja California fishermen, from which Redes (Nets) was extracted. The incantatory Sensemaya (Song to Kill a Snake) and the darkly brooding Itinerarios (Routes) display yet another facet of this remarkable musical creator. I would go so far as to guess that Aaron Copland, who spent much time in Mexico during the early 1930's, would not have written certain things into his Short Symphony or El Salon Mexico without some exposure to the work of Revueltas.

The performances here are well conceived and vital, but they lack impact because of a microphone placement that deprives Revue tas' ferocious rhythms and rowdy disso nances of the necessary cutting edge. Janitzio and Caminos suffer most, Redes and Itiner arios fare best. But don't let my reservations deter you. Revueltas' music is fascinating, and this disc is a good starting point.

-D.H.

ROREM: Book of Hours (see MARTINO)

RECORDING OF SPECIAL MERIT

SCHMELZER: Sacro-profanus Concentus Musicus (1662). Concentus Musicus of Vienna, Nikolaus Harnoncourt cond. TELEFUNKEN 6.42100 $7.98.

Performance: Very good

Recording: Excellent

Here is an excellent group of nine middle-Baroque sonatas that are more akin to the patchwork canzonas of Frescobaldi than to the comparatively clear-cut church and chamber sonatas of Corelli. Made up of dramatically contrasted little sections, they are the very devil to hold together. Perhaps the most fascinating feature of these works is the marvelous sonorities they call for. The sonatas range from orchestrally conceived pieces contrasting three different choirs of instruments to so loistic works that approach the late-Baroque trio sonata.

Using original instruments, the Vienna Concentus Musicus produces a wide range of unusual and arresting timbres. There is not only a wonderful blend of pithy Baroque sounds, but also a wide variety of solo playing by Alice Harnoncourt on the violin, Don Smithers on the zink, and Otto Fleischmann on the dulzian. Despite some problems of intonation on the part of the brass, the historical style of playing of the Concentus Musicus is perfect for this music. One feels, in fact, that there is some kind of spiritual kinship be tween this Viennese group and this early Viennese composer.

- S.L.

NIKOLAUS HARNONCOURT: A Viennese understanding of Viennese music.

SCHMIDT: Piano Quintet in G Major; Variations on a Theme by Josef Labor. Vienna Philharmonia Quintet. LONDON STS 15401 $3.98.

Performance: Comfortable

Recording: Very good

The Vienna Philharmonia Quintet would appear to be as flexible in its make-up as the Vienna Octet: Eduard Mrazek is the pianist in both works here, but in the Labor Variations second violinist Alfred Staar is replaced by clarinetist Alfred Prinz, the other strings being Wolfgang Poduschka (violin), Josef Staar (viola), and Wolfgang Herzer (cello). Poduschka, in his annotation, gives a very clear background for the music: Schmidt had not written much chamber music for the piano until he was prevailed upon by his friend Paul Wittgenstein, the famous one-armed pianist for whom Ravel, Strauss, Prokofiev, and others composed various works. Schmidt decided that the restrictions implicit in one-handed playing gave the strings a better chance of balancing against the piano and he turned out some lovely works, including this piano quintet and two other quintets with clarinet in stead of second violin, one of the latter being the source of the variations recorded here.

After the Nazi takeover Wittgenstein could no longer perform in Austria, and Friedrich Wuhrer arranged these works for two-handed performance; Wuhrer's arrangements are followed in the performances recorded here.

While neither work is especially remarkable, both are quietly and intimately attractive.

"Agreeable" is probably the most fitting adjective for the quintet; the variations come across as a somewhat stronger work, but no less endearing, with reminders of Schubert and Brahms in the ingratiating theme itself, in the expansive nature of the five variations, and in the gorgeous writing for the clarinet.

Both works receive comfortable, affectionate performances and benefit further from an exceptionally rich sonic frame. R.F.

RECORDING OF SPECIAL MERIT

SCHUMANN: Album for the Young; Kinderszenen. Alexis Weissenberg (piano). CONNOISSEUR SOCIETY CS2-2110 two discs $15.96.

Performance: Affectionate

Recording: Excellent

As David Hall points out in his copious notes for this album, there are two types of children's music: the kind that is meant to remind us of children and perhaps also to afford pleasure to young listeners, and the kind com posed specifically for children to perform.

Both are to be found here. First come the thirteen pieces known as the Kinderszenen.

These familiar melodic treasures, with their tonal pictures of hobby-horses, flickering fire light, games of hide-and-seek, and the popular Traumerei, were written to evoke the special moments and moods of childhood. The Al bum for the Young, on the other hand-at least the first eighteen of the forty-three miniatures in the series-was written specifically for seven-year-old Marie Schumann, one of the composer's three children, to encourage her to practice. But you don't have to be seven years old to enjoy listening to the Album for the Young. It abounds in small-scale de lights: marches for toy soldiers, humming songs, spring songs, harvest songs, a sprightly number called Echoes from the Theater, a spooky episode called Bogey Man, and so on.

Alexis Weissenberg plays all of this with a tender affection and an alertness to shifting moods, making the long program seem less long than it is. Every once in a while, too, when the opportunity arises, he comes out with one of those bursts of pianistic power that have made his reputation. Best of all, he is never the least bit sloppy or sugary, which could be fatal to the pristine beauty of these musical moments.

- P.K.

SCHUMANN: Piano Sonata No. 1, in F-sharp Minor, Op. 11; Piano Sonata No,. 2, in G Minor, Op. 22. Lazar Berman (piano). COLUMBIA/MELODIYA M 34528 $6.98.

Performance: High Romantic

Recording: Good

Lazar Berman captures splendidly the nervosity and violent mood contrasts in Schumann's fast movements. His interpretations are in the high-Romantic manner, without going overboard into mere mannerism. Perhaps the recording is to blame, but I would have liked a bit more warmth of tone in the slow movements; certainly there is no lack of warmth in his phrasing, either in the charming aria of Op. 11 or in the "song without words" andantino of Op. 22. Berman does a marvelously mercurial job with the scherzo of Op. 22, by the way. I am not myself a passionate enthusiast of the Schumann piano sonatas, finding the terse Op. 22 by and large the most successful of the three, but it should be noted that this is the only currently available single disc that pairs Op. 11 and Op. 22, certainly a logical coupling.

-D.H.

SHOSTAKOVICH: String Quartet No. 14, in F-sharp Major, Op. 142; String Quartet No. 15, in E- flat Minor, Op. 144. Taneyev Quartet. COLUMBIA /MELODIYA M 34527 $6.98.

Performance: Russian

Recording: Excellent

Shostakovich's last string quartet, which consists of six adagios, is a stark, death-obsessed work. This is grim stuff: no ray of light, no redemption, no affirmation of the spirit. How ironic that the greatest Soviet composer...

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Finzi---The Delights of Gerald Finzi

FROM the British Lyrita catalog HNH Records has secured a lovely collection of concerted works by Gerald Finzi (1901-1956), heretofore known chiefly for his songs and the exquisite cantata Dies Natalis. Combine the English folk quality of the George Butter worth orchestral rhapsodies with the arioso lyricism of early Baroque music and you will have some idea of the tonal language of the music on this disc. The Eclogue, dating from the Twenties, is a beautifully executed neo Bach essay. The Grand Fantasia and Toccata begins with an extended piano solo--a kind of take-off on the Bach Chromatic Fantasy--and then launches into a contest of free contrapuntal fun and games with the orchestra.

The 1949 Clarinet Concerto is sheerest delight from beginning to end,-with a contrast of assertive and idyllic elements in the first movement, intense lyricism in the second, and qui et exuberance in the finale. The performances are the last word in elegance and the recording is faultless, as are the playing surfaces (mirabile dicta!).

-David Hail

FINZI: Concerto for Clarinet and String Orchestra, Op. 31; Grand Fantasia and Toccata for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 38: Eclogue for Piano and String Orchestra, Op. 10. John Denman (clarinet); Peter Katin (piano); New Philharmonia Orchestra, Vernon Handley cond. HNH 4031 $7.98 (from HNH Distributors, Ltd., P.O. Box 222, Evanston, Ill. 60204).

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... should produce a work of such gloom and negativity despite the optimism that "socialist realism" presumably demands. In this case, I'm afraid I must line up with the socialist realists and, for all the power of the work, reject the gloom and defeatism of a dying man. I find it unhealthy music by any standard.

The Fourteenth Quartet is a different sort of work-only one adagio surrounded by two allegrettos!-and it even has a bit of humor here and some lyricism there. It is, in fact, also an eccentric work, but it is one of considerable character.

The performances by an outstanding Russian quartet bring to this music the particular virtues of Russian string playing-not sloppy Slavic but a modern, intense kind-and they are very well recorded. E.S.

SIBELIUS: Symphony No. 2, in D Major, Op. 43. Boston Symphony Orchestra, Colin Davis cond. PHILIPS 9500.141 $7.98, 7300.518 $7.95.

Performance: Good

Recording: Un-spacious

Davis is becoming a more persuasive Sibelian as his recorded cycle of the symphonies progresses. This is quite a good account of the Second, with well-judged tempos, unfussy phrasing, and an altogether fine sense of the organic whole, as well as a most alert response from the orchestra. The scherzo, which I've always felt to be the least attractive section of the work, here shows an un usually convincing sense of natural momentum; the beloved finale has ample breadth and real dignity. Philips has not provided here anything like its current best in recording, and it may well be that the sound, neither as spacious nor as finely detailed as in several earlier recordings of this symphony, militates against the effectiveness of Davis’ performance. But the music-making itself seems to lack the spontaneity and undercurrent of subdued nervousness that vivify the most memorable versions, such as those of Koussevitzky, Szell, and Monteux.

-R.F.

RECORDING OF SPECIAL MERIT

R. STRAUSS: Burleske for Piano and Orchestra; Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op. 8. Malcolm Frager (piano); Ulf Hoelscher (violin); Staatskapelle Dresden, Rudolf Kempe cond. ANGEL S-37267 $7.98.

Performance: A-1!

Recording: Superb!

Little by little the remarkable Richard Strauss cycle that Rudolf Kempe committed to tape before his untimely death is finding its way onto the Angel label, and each new release reveals his superb attributes as a Strauss interpreter. It is no easy matter to achieve com plete communication in the Burleske, which tends to be long for its content, but here thanks to Malcolm Frager's fleet fingers and Kempe's fine conducting-the work emerges as the mercurical romp Strauss surely meant it to be.

The Violin Concerto, composed when Strauss was still in his teens, is in some ways a tougher proposition, for it is not characteristically Straussian except in a few isolated pas sages that point the way toward the mature lyric master. If we take the piece on its own terms, however, dismissing Bruch, Goldmark, and Mendelssohn from our minds, we find that the young Strauss produced a very effective virtuoso vehicle, and Ulf Hoelscher with his big tone and nimble fingers is able to make much more of it than his precedessors on disc.

The recording is a model of fine balance be tween soloist and orchestra, and in four-channel playback it delivers a most realistic fac simile of the concert-hall listening experience.

D.H.

R. STRAUSS: Songs (see WAGNER) STRAVINSKY: Petrouchka. Tamas Vasary (piano); London Symphony Orchestra, Charles Dutoit cond. DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON 2530 711 $7.98, 3300 711 $7.98.

Performance: Heartless

Recording: Wonderful

This recording of Stravinsky's Petrouchka has the distinction of featuring a piano solo ist-and a noted one at that. Petrouchka was originally conceived as a work for piano and orchestra and was only later converted into the ballet score. As a result it has a few prominent solo piano passages-mostly in the second scene. It is no concerto, though, and Vasary's contributions here, exciting though they are, don't help matters much. This is a brilliantly played, fabulous-sounding, precisely conducted, strait-jacketed performance that I find ugly. I don't think the ugliness is accidental; it sounds to me as though Dutoit wants Petrouchka to sound like age-of-steel modern music and knows just exactly how to go about getting it to happen. Not even Stravinsky himself, with all his supposed bloodlessness, ever succeeded in making his early ballets sound so heartless. Wonderful sound in a bad cause. E.S.

VIVALDI: The Four Seasons, Op. 8, Nos. 1-4. Zagreb Soloists, James Galway cond. RCA LRL 1-2284 $7.98.

Performance: Efficient

Recording: Excellent

Here is another performance of The Seasons to add to the already formidable catalog listing of that work. But this one has a new twist: the solo part is taken by flute, not violin. In defense, James Galway rightly points out in the notes that there is a long tradition of transcription: Bach himself transcribed Vivaldi string concertos for harpsichord and organ, Beethoven arranged his violin concerto for piano, and so on through the ages to the present day. Some pieces were transcribed for study purposes, some out of performing necessity; some transcriptions work, some do not. To day, in fact, with our virtuoso performers and highly sophisticated instruments, it is possible for virtually any instrument to play virtually any music.

Despite all this, however, it seems questionable to transcribe or arrange Vivaldi. The Venetian master was a pioneer in idiomatic writing for specific instruments. In composing for an instrument, he caught its very essence and based his writing on a subtle interplay be tween technique and inherent timbre. To substitute a flute for the violin specified in The Seasons is to deny the listener one of the work's basic strengths. Compared with the violin the flute is glib and facile; the ruggedness of the solo writing by strings, the violin weaves in and out of the texture, now blending with the ensemble and now leaping out of it in a display of dazzling pyrotechnics. The flute, in contrast, always stands out, so the interplay effects of a string concerto are missing.

This is a brilliant performance. Unfortunately, brilliant is all that it is. The Baroque spirit is entirely lacking, for Galway uses a nineteenth-century legato that negates the clarity of small but essential articulations.

Also lacking is the ornamentation in the slow movements that Vivaldi counted on the so loist to furnish. The Seasons has an indestructible charm no matter how one tinkers with it, but I would still recommend one of the other recorded versions.

-S.L.

WAGNER: Wesendonk Songs.

BRAHMS: Alto Rhapsody, Op. 53.

R. STRAUSS: Liebeshymnus, Op. 32, No. 3; Ruhe, Wine Seele, Op. 27, No. 1; Das Rosenband, Op. 36, No. 1; Mutter ndelei, Op. 43, No. 2. Janet Baker (mezzo soprano); John Alldis Choir; London Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Adrian Boult cond. ANGEL O SQ-37199 $7.98.

Performance: Wagner, Brahms best

Recording: Very good

Wagner's lush, lovely settings of five poems by Mathilde Wesendonk, with their Tristanesque overtones, have not gone begging for distinguished recorded performances, whether with the original piano accompaniments or with Felix Mottl's expert orchestrations. Dame Janet Baker's rendition belongs right up there with the best, which is to say with the likes of Flagstad and Tiana Lemnitz.

Brahms' deeply affecting Goethe setting has likewise had memorable recorded perform ances from Marian Anderson and Kathleen Ferrier, and more recently from Aafje Heynis and Christa Ludwig. Dame Janet's comparably fine interpretation has been available since 1971 as a filler on the Adrian Boult disc of the Brahms Second Symphony. Heard against the Heynis and Ludwig recordings, hers emerges as the most effective in emphasizing dramatic detail, as in the stress she puts on "Menschenhass" (the key word in the second verse of Goethe's text and one which the two other singers throw away). In all the Richard Strauss songs but the Liebeshymnus, how ever, Dame Janet finds herself in direct com petition with Elisabeth Schwarzkopf (Angel S-36347, S-36643), and her more heavy-bod ied voice is no match for Schwarzkopf's in the expressive flexibility and mercurial agility this music calls for. Sir Adrian Boult is, as always, the ideal artistic collaborator, and the recorded sound is altogether superb.

-D.H.

RECORDINGS OF SPECIAL MERIT

WEBER: Symphony No. 1, in C Major, Op. 19 (J. 50); Symphony No. 2, in C Major (J. 51). Prague Chamber Orchestra, Dean Dixon cond. SUPRAPHON 1 10 1635 $7.98.

Performance: Expansive

Recording: Warm

WEBER: Symphony No. 1, in C Major, Op. 19 (J. 50); Symphony No. 2, in C Major (J. 51);

----------------- DEAN DIXON (1915-1976): expansive, ingratiating Weber symphonies

Turandot, Op. 37 (J. 75), Overture and March. London Symphony Orchestra, Hans-Hubert Schonzeler cond. Piano Concerto No. 1, in C Major, Op. 11 (J. 98); Piano Concerto No. 2, in E-flat Major, Op. 32 (J. 115). Mal colm Frager (piano); North German Radio Symphony Orchestra, Hamburg, Marc Andreae cond. RCA CRL2-2281 two discs $8.98.

Performance: Crisp and affectionate

Recording: Very good

The late Dean Dixon left us few recordings, and none other as rewarding as this lovely valedictory disc. "Ingratiating" would seem to be the operative term here, for Dixon's expansive approach stresses the Schubertian qualities in the music (written before Schubert reached his tenth birthday, when Weber himself was only twenty), and it is aptly complemented by the Czech engineers' warm, if not particularly bright, sonic frame. Like Vic tor Desarzens and Wilfred Boettcher before him, Dixon paces the andante of the First Symphony more like an adagio, and the broader tempo seems to suit the texture of the piece more effectively than Schonzeler's true andante-which, curiously, makes for heaviness. Both conductors are abetted by fine playing from their respective associates.

Dixon's expansiveness serves the Second Symphony less well; except for the slow movement, Schonzeler's greater drive and crispness are more fetching. In the menuetto Dixon is simply too slow, as if perhaps he felt the proportions of that tiny movement had to be enlarged. Schonzeler, using his own edition of the score (Eulenburg, 1970), takes a different tack, performing the menuetto very briskly and proceeding to the finale without pause. He gives his reasons for the attacca and they make sense, though I can't see that it makes a great deal of difference one way or the other. What will make a difference, in terms of swaying a decision to buy, is the additional material in the specially priced RCA set. The overture and march from Weber's in cidental music for Schiller's Turandot are both built on the theme Hindemith used in his Weber Metamorphosis, and Weber's own use of it proves to be no less enchanting. And there is the Frager disc of the concertos.

Malcolm Frager is one of the very few pianists active now, and probably the only one of his stature, to include the Weber concertos in his repertoire. He has been playing them for years (the tasteful cadenza in No. 2 is his own) and has shown himself a spirited and affectionate advocate. Here he enjoys first rate collaboration from the North German Radio Orchestra under Marc Andreae, and the recording itself, originated by SEON, is richer than the bright but hard sound RCA pro vides for Schonzeler's symphonies. I would not want to be without Dixon's warm-hearted realization of the First Symphony, but Frager's concertos and the Turandot items make the RCA set quite irresistible.

-R.F.

COLLECTIONS

VLADIMIR ATLANTOV: Aria Recital (see RACHMANINOFF) BOSTON POPS ORCHESTRA: Symphonic Bach. Toccata and Fugue in D Minor; Fugue a la Gigue; Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring; Easter Oratorio, Sinfonia; Violin Partita No. 3, Praeludium and Gavotte; Violin Sonata No. 3, Adagio; Sheep May Safely Graze; Little Fugue in G Minor. Boston Pops Orchestra, Arthur Fiedler cond. DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON 2584 001 $7.98.

Performance: Fast but felicitous

Recording: Excellent

The weary old argument about whether the works of Johann Sebastian Bach should be transcribed for the modern orchestra or played only on the instruments indicated by the composer would seem to be outmoded by now. You can have your Bach on records these days however you prefer him, and for those of us who relish those supposedly inappropriate transcriptions by Stokowski and others this album of "Symphonic Bach" is bound to be enjoyable. Actually, Stokowski was more faithful than most arrangers when it comes to respecting the effects Bach wanted, as in his famous version of the Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, originally for organ.

Hoist's string treatment of the Fugue a la Gigue, in contrast, lends the music a distinctly English accent, while Lucien Cailliet's setting of the Little Fugue in D Minor sounds rather Gallic in style. The garb in which Sigismund Bachrich clothes passages of works for violin strives to evoke the period without really succeeding, and Walton's arrangement of Sheep May Safely Graze, drawn from his ballet score The Wise Virgins, speaks in Walton's own idiom with little of the Baroque texture.

No matter. Bach's perfectly proportioned inventions sound good wearing almost any thing, and the Boston Pops is at its brisk perhaps too brisk-best in these lively performances under Arthur Fiedler, whose hall mark, as usual, is the vital sheen he manages to cast over all the music. Not for purists, certainly, but a pleasant program from start to finish. P.K.

A CONTEMPORARY ELIZABETHAN CONCERT. Dowland: Five Dances. Williams: Sonata in Imitation of Birds. Purcell: Chaconne. Paisible: Sonata for Four Recorders. Vaughan Williams: Greensleeves; Suite for Pipes. War lock: Capriol Suite, Bransles. Rubbra: Medi tazioni. Richardson: Beachcomber. Anon.: Greensleeves to a Ground. Early Music Con sort of London, David Munrow cond. ANGEL.S-37263 $7.98.

Performance: Delightful

Recording: Clarion clear

Despite the misleading album title (for "Elizabethan" read "English" and extend "contemporary" to include a span from Dowland to Vaughan Williams), this is a delightful collection of original music and arrangements for recorders, alone and supported by piano, lute, or harpsichord. Perhaps the most attractive feature is the solo recorder playing of the late David Munrow, which is characterized by an utter purity of sound, precision of pitch and rhythm, appropriate ornamentation, and sub tle expressive nuance. His style was simple and straightforward, rigorously avoiding the "cute" frills so often applied to this instrument and its repertoire. The miracle is that Munrow was able to instill this style in his colleagues, so that his spirit is always present in their playing.

Munrow sounds best here accompanied by harpsichord or lute. Particularly enjoyable are the rare and charming sonatas by William Williams and James Paisible, both fine composers who bridged the gap between Purcell and Handel's arrival in England. When Munrow is playing over the thick modern piano writing of Ralph Vaughan Williams and Edmund

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THE ART OF LOTTE LEHMANN

SERAPHIM'S "The Art of Lotte Lehmann" is the most generous collection ever assembled-in the U.S., at least-of, well, the art of Lotte Lehmann (1888-1977). It is still far from being truly representative, with its emphasis heavily slanted toward opera, but for a singer of Lehmann's exceptional versatility and abundant recorded legacy, anything on a broader scale would require several volumes.

The recordings included here cover the period from 1916, when Lehmann joined the Vienna Opera after six successful seasons at Hamburg, to 1933, the year before her Metropolitan debut. These were certainly among her peak years vocally, and these recordings already display the cherished earmarks of her interpretive style as well.

Perhaps the first quality that emerges from hearing the entire sequence is Lehmann's un erring command of style: her Mozart was as distinctively right as was her Wagner or Massenet. That virtually all the selections are rendered in German does not seem to matter.

Lehmann's way of singing was not particularly Germanic; rather, it was-if such a word may be applied-humanistic. A classic legato was its underlying strength, assuring a smooth joining of notes and phrases. But there was also the very personal way she attacked a note, her special way of rolling or leaning on consonants for emphasis, and her way of handling recitative passages to make them not only clear but poetic.

Besides the unique warmth and humanity that shine through these brief characterizations of Agathe, Eva, Sieglinde, Mignon, Charlotte, and other long-admired roles in her repertoire, we rediscover Lehmann's special brand of femininity and her total involvement in the characters she portrayed. Her "Adieu, notre petite table" from Manon is delivered through audible tears that can no longer be fought back at the final phrase. Remarkable, too, is the "Dahin, dahin meichr ich" passage in Mignon's "Kennst du das Land," in which a childlike character seems to awaken to ma ture womanhood. It should be added that those who cherish memories only of Lehmann's final performing years, when she sang with undiminished art but fading vocal re sources, may be surprised at the tonal freedom and security of the younger Lehmann the high tessitura of Eva's "0 Sachs, mein Freund" is only one example.

There are a few duplications here of earlier LP releases (Seraphim 60060 and Angel COLO 112, deleted), but also several LP firsts. Neither "Du bist der Lenz" (Die Walkure) nor the two Marschallin monologues (Der Rosenkavalier) come from the respective complete recordings, but were made several years earlier. Two rare duets are also included. The one from Die Meistersinger's second act, dimly recorded in 1916, combines Lehmann's coquettish Eva with the wise and jovial Sachs of the colorful and at times irrepressible Michael Bohnen. The duet from Tosca's third act (recorded in 1927) is perhaps the weakest entry in the lot: Lehmann's contribution is merely routine, and Jan Kiepura's Cavaradossi is opulent but undisciplined.

The vocal richness noticeable in the operatic recordings is apparent in the songs too. Un fortunately, following the quaint preferences of the period, these are accompanied by a trio (piano and strings) or a string ensemble--very discreet, to be sure, but still objectionable.

The recorded sound is acceptable; I doubt the fairly primitive masters could have yielded anything better. John Coveney has supplied affectionate recollections of Lehmann in the notes, and the listings, for once, include the recording dates. A fine tribute indeed.

-George Jellinek

THE ART OF LOTTE LEHMANN. Arias from The Marriage of Figaro (Mozart); Der Freischlitz (Weber); Tannhauser, Lohengrin, Die Walklire, Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg (Wagner); Mignon (Thomas); Faust (Gounod); The Tales of Hoffman (Offenbach); Andrea Chinier (Giordano); Jocelyn (Godard); Die Tote Stadt (Korngold); Die Fledermaus (Johann Strauss); ManOn, Werther (Masse net); Manon Lescaut, La Boheme, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, Turandot (Puccini); Der Rosenkavalier, Arabella (Richard Strauss).

Songs by Richard Strauss, Brahms, Schu mann, and Schubert. Lotte Lehmann (soprano); various orchestras, ensembles, and conductors. SERAPHIM IB-6105 two discs $7.96.

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Rubbra, however, his instrument seems weak and overshadowed. All in all, though, the pro gram is well balanced and the music is beauti fully performed.

- S.L.

JILL GOMEZ: French Songs; Mozart Songs (see Best of the Month, page 84)

GREAT SOPRANOS OF THE CENTURY. Bato: Mefistofele: L'altra notte (Claudia Muzio). Canteloube: Chants d'Auvergne: Lo Fiolaire (Madeleine Grey). Debussy: Green (Maggie Teyte). Meyerbeer: Dinorah: Ombra leggiera (Luisa Tetrazzini). Puccini: Madama Butterfly: Un bel di (Toti dal Monte). Schubert: Ave Maria (Elisabeth Schumann). VaI. verde: Clavelitos (Conchita Supervia). Aida: O patria mia (Eva Turner). Un Ballo in Maschera: Morro, ma prima in grazia (Maria Caniglia). La Traviata: Ah, fors'e lui ... Sempre libera (Nellie Melba). Wagner: Traume (Kirsten Flagstad). Tristan and Isolde: Liebestod (Lotte Lehmann). Die Walkure: Hojotoho! (Frida Leider). Gerald Moore (piano); various orchestras and conductors. SERAPHIM In 60274 $3.98.

Performance: Irresistible

Recording: Varied

This collection is a worthy counterpart to Seraphim's "Great Tenors of the Century" (60206), though the selections are less imaginatively chosen. In fact, they are all drawn from various Angel discs once available in the "Great Artists of the Century" series. No matter. Every one of these singers qualifies as "great," though not all of them are sopranos-Conchita Supervia was a mezzo.

Characteristic samples of the art of the legendary divas Luisa Tetrazzini and Nellie Melba illustrate the exuberance and glittering technique of the former and the somewhat mechanical perfection of the latter. Neither was noted for faultless musicality, but theirs.

was a tolerant age in such matters. I would have welcomed a musically more substantial memento of Frida Leider's art, but what is offered is good for what it is. The Maria Caniglia and Toti dal Monte offerings come from still-available complete recordings (this is what I mean by little imagination) and reveal tonal imperfections along with intense, com mitted, and exciting dramatic gifts.

The rest is unmitigated joy for the vocal connoisseur: exquisite Schumann, deep-felt and poetic Lehmann (in a Liebestod that is in describably moving), plush-toned Turner, gripping Muzio, voluptuous Flagstad, sensitive Teyte, unique Grey, and inimitable Supervia. The technical quality varies-recording dates range from 1904 to 1948-but the totality is irresistible.

- G.J.

ANNA MOFFO: Coloratura Arias. Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor: Il dolce suono ... Ardon gl'incensi. Rossini: The Barber of Seville: Una voce poco fa. Bellini: I Puritani: Qui la voce . . . Vien diletto. La Sonnambula: Ah! non credea mirarti ... Ah! non giunge. Verdi: Rigoletto: Caro nome. La Traviata: Ah, fors'e lui . . . Sempre libera. Anna Moffo (soprano); Philharmonia Orchestra, Colin Davis cond. SERAPHIM S-60281 $3.98.

Performance: Lovely

Recording: Good

This record (a reissue of Angel 35861, deleted) captures the Anna Moffo of 1961, an exceptionally attractive vocalist destined for bright stardom. The repertoire is familiar, and Moffo brings no revelatory insights to it, but she does offer an abundance of vocal charm, tenderly spun phrases, and a vocal quality that is often haunting. Her phrasing is sensitive, her attention to textual nuances note worthy, and her intonation unwaveringly true. There is a certain caution in her singing when dealing with passages calling for agility: the notes are there, but the carefree abandon suggested by the texts is sometimes missing. This could be ascribed to the conducting of Colin Davis, who provides neatly executed accompaniments but whose true métier lies elsewhere.

- G.J.

JOAN PATENAUDE: Songs of the Great Opera Composers. Saint-Sains: L'Attente; Aim ons-nous; Pourquoi Rester Seulette? Massenet: Crepuscule; Premiere Danse; Le Poete et le Fantome; Ouvre Tes Yeux Bleus; Le Sais tu?; Serenade. Bizet: Pastorale; Ouvre Ton Coeur; Vielle Chanson; Chanson d'Avril. Joan Patenaude (soprano); Mikael Eliasen (piano). MUSICAL HERITAGE SOCIETY MHS 3433 $4.95 (plus 95V handling charge, from Musical Heritage Society Inc., 14 Park Road, Tinton Falls, N.J. 07724).

Performance: Good

Recording: Good

This is a thoughtfully planned and useful disc: the three opera composers represented here were masters of the milodie, but recorded documentation in that category is far from adequate. The songs chosen for the present program are all brief, graceful, elegantly turned-and largely unknown. Indeed, the only familiar item here is Bizet's Ouvre Ton Coeur, but this edition of it is unfamiliar to me, as usually rendered.

Canadian soprano Joan Patenaude brings to all these songs impressive vocal gifts and a refined stylistic command. One could wish for a more pointed enunciation and perhaps more dynamic variety, but both singer and accompanist offer too much laudable artistry to undergo more hairsplitting criticism.

-G.J.

TOMMY REILLY: Music for Harmonica and Orchestra. Moody: Little Suite. Jacob: Five Pieces. Tausky: Concertino. Vaughan Williams: Romance. Tommy Reilly (harmonica); Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Neville Marriner cond. ARGO ZRG 856 $7.98, KZRC 856 $7.98.

Performance: Airily attractive

Recording: Excellent

Tommy Reilly (in company with others) has been trying for years to gain respectability for the harmonica as a solo instrument. In the course of this crusade he has been able to persuade some fine composers to write works especially for him. This is a program made up of some of them, with a strong reliance on sensuous sound and charm rather than adventurous experiment. James Moody's Little Suite for Harmonica is a breezy, ingratiating work in the impressionist tradition. Gordon Jacob's Five Pieces are also light in mood, ranging from a touching cradle song to a bustling Russian dance. Vilem Tausky's Concertino is more solemn and doesn't work as well, though it's cleverly arranged. The most substantial item on the program is Vaughan Williams' pastoral Romance, written originally for Larry Adler. By and large, Reilly is a magician with his instrument who can indeed make it sound like a legitimate member of the woodwind family, and the program, with Neville Marriner drawing exquisite sounds from his Academy of St, Martin-in-the-Fields, works in his favor. What might have been a reedy bore becomes, thanks to agile team work, a real musical experience.

-P.K.

WHERE HOME IS: Life in Nineteenth-Century Cincinnati, Crossroads of the East and West. Root: Where Home Is. Root/Grannis: The Old Canoe. Morris/Russell: A Life in the West. Peters (attrib. or arr.): Old Rosin the Bow; Frankfort Belle; Louisville March and Quick-Step. Larcom/Pease: Ho! For Kansas. Howard: You Never Miss the Water Till the Well Runs Dry. Holman: Wake Up Jake. Bliss: Sounds of the Singing School. Fillmore: Ohio; The Blessed Bible; Henry; Firmament. Oves: Ives. Murray: Galop; Who'll Buy (Temperance). Anon.: Sweet Home; The Jovial Farmer Boy. Clifford Jackson (baritone); John Aler (tenor); Peter Basquin (piano, harmonium); Harmoneion Singers, John Miner cond. NEW WORLD NW 251 $6.98.

Performance: Splendid

Recording: Excellent

What was life like in nineteenth-century Cincinnati, Ohio? Maybe you'd rather not know, but you may enjoy this album of period songs gleaned from the musical past of that city any way. If you really care, it comes with profuse socio-historical notes by Kathryn Kish Sklar, a history professor at UCLA, and a long essay on the music itself by Jon Newsom of the Library of Congress. Neither makes for light reading. If the accompanying prose makes for heavy going, though, the music on the record is easy enough to take. In those days music was something the whole family took part in, gathering around the family piano. A good tune was highly prized, and most of these are good.

Cincinnati was considered a part of the West, yet the works of its songwriters reflected a yearning for further frontiers and some of the songs its citizens sang, such as A Life in the West and Ho! For Kansas, glorify wide open spaces and the life of the soil as com pared with that of the claustrophobic city. But home--which meant home with your family where you belonged-is strongly celebrated in the ballads Where Home Is and Sweet Home (both variations on Home, Sweet Home). The hardened modem listener is liable to feel stifled just thinking about it, but, again, these are good tunes. Other ballads concern the pleasures of paddling canoes, tilling the soil, abiding with Jesus, and staying away from strong drink. The key item in the collection is Rowland Howard's You Never Miss the Water Till the Well Runs Dry, which is at the same time an admonition to "waste not, want not" and an encouragement to be bold and take risks in seizing economic opportunities-practically a little musical handbook for the aspiring businessman. Everything here is splendidly sung and played with a firm sense of style, and complete texts of the songs are supplied.

-P.K.

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Stokowski’s Wagner

LEOPOLD STOKOWSKI (1882-1977)

STOKOWSKI'S Wagner! What a thrill!

The late maestro's programs and recordings of excerpts from the music dramas introduced a whole generation of Americans to the German master's fire and poetry. I remember a 78 of the Tristan music that enthralled me long be fore I could or would have been able to get into an opera house. Stokowski was often criticized for his musical infidelities, his emphasis on lush sound, his romanticism. But Wagner was, of course, the man who introduced that kind of music-making; he is said to have been the first to conduct rubatos (and in Beethoven, no less). There never was any question in my mind about the Tightness of Stokowski's kind of Wagnerism.

Well, Stoky was still at it right up to the end, and I am happy to report that it sounds as right as ever. Time, taste, and, no doubt, RCA did not permit him to indulge himself in one of his old "symphonic syntheses"; except for the Meistersinger sections, which are interwoven, these are straight-up excerpts and choice ones they are. Working with top English musicians, Stokowski is here as good at Tristanesque passion as he is in the cornball thriller music of Rienzi. Best of all is the Act III Prelude from Die Meistersinger, music associated with Sachs' world-weary resignation. It is exquisitely rendered here with all of Stoky's magic. This is orchestral sound and phrase in the service of a very humanistic poetry. It might almost serve as a monument to the late conductor-had not so many fine ones already been raised in the past.

-Eric Salzman

WAGNER: Rienzi: Overture. Die Walkure: Magic Fire Music. Die Meistersinger: Prelude to Act III; Dance of the Apprentices; Entrance of the Meistersingers. Tristan and Isolde: Prelude and Liebestod. Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Leopold Stokowski cond. RCA ARL 1-0498 $7.98, ARS1-0498 $7.98, ARKI-0498 $7.98.

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