New Records

Brahms: Symphony No. 4 (NBC Symphony conducted by Arturo Toscanini; Victor). The tenth recorded rendering of this old war horse in the last four years, and just about the best. Toscanini wrings out every possible ounce of brilliance and excitement, makes the familiar sound fresh.

Beethoven: "Emperor" Concerto (Vladimir Horowitz; RCA Victor Symphony conducted by Fritz Reiner; Victor). The glossy techniques of pianist and conductor make this an almost flawless performance, but the craggy spirit of the music is somehow missing.

Bruch: G Minor Concerto (Zino Francescatti; Philharmonic-Symphony conducted by Dimitri Mitropoulos; Columbia). Every violinist gets around to this one sooner or later; Francescatti warms it up with Latin fire. Jascha Heifetz also plays it (for Victor) with simon-pure tone and biting emphasis, but his interpretation is icy cold.

Griffes: Poem (Julius Baker, flute; orchestra conducted by Daniel Saidenberg; Decca). U.S. Composer Charles Griffes was influenced by both German and French romantic composers before he began to develop his own style, but he died in 1920 (at 36), before he reached full recognition. Poem, a high-flown fantasy of French impressionist extraction, gets a stunning performance from one of Manhattan's finest flutists.

Haydn: Arianna a Naxos (Jennie Tourel; Haydn Society). The Greek legend of Ariadne appealed strongly to Haydn. When he was 58 he wrote a short, melodious and seldom-heard solo cantata in which the abandoned princess bemoans her fate. Mezzo-Soprano Tourel sings it in warm Italian. The accompaniment is played by Ralph Kirkpatrick on a recreated 18th century piano.

Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 50 (Schneider Quartet; Haydn Society, 6 sides LP). The sixth release (16 more records to come) of the complete cycle of 84 quartets, as performed by this ensemble last season (TIME, May 19). The music is played with a gusto that takes some of the formality out of the 18th century style.

Mozart: Clarinet Concerto (Louis Cahuzac; the Danish State Radio Orchestra conducted by Mogens Woldike; Haydn Society). A straight-from-the-shoulder performance of Mozart's last major instrumental work. It has one striking advantage over other versions: the clarinet tone has a rich, woody quality that is usually smoothed over by U.S. soloists.

Purcell: Dido and Aeneas (Kirsten Flagstad, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Thomas Hemsley; members of the Mermaid Theatre, London, conducted by Geraint Jones; H.M.V.). A charming short opera by the finest English composer of all time. Its attractions include a witches' dance, a laughing chorus, a sailors' dance, a hunt scene (with thunderstorm) and, of course, love both requited and tragic. Highlight: Flagstad singing When I Am Laid in Earth.

Tchaikovsky: Pique Dame (soloists, chorus and orchestra of the Bolshoi Theater, conducted by S. A. Samosud; Colosseum, 8 sides LP). A complete recording of this melodious opera, reissued, boasts the manufacturer, from pirated Russian originals (TIME, Sept. 1). A good strong performance, with outstanding voices in virtually every role. Despite some shattering of tone in the choral passages, the recording is fairly good.

Other noteworthy new releases: Beethoven: Leonore No. 3, Egmont and Coriolanus Overtures (Joseph Keilberth conducting the Berlin Philharmonic and Bamberg Symphony Orchestras; Capitol-Telefunken); Liszt: Spanish Rhapsody (Miklos Schwalb; Academy); Mozart: Requiem (Hilde Gueden, Rosette Anday, Julius Patzak, Josef Greindl, Salzburg Dome Choir; Mozarteum Orchestra conducted by Josef Messner; Remington); Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade (Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra conducted by Antal Dorati; Mercury) ; Schubert: A Song Recital (Herman Schey, bass-baritone; Poly music); Tchaikovsky: "Pathetique" Symphony (Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Eugene Ormandy.)

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