New Records

Bach: Suites Nos. 4 & 5 (Lillian Fuchs viola; Decca). A rare chance to hear the darkling tones of the violin's big cousin played at its best. Violist Fuchs gives the unaccompanied works as much verve as if she were supported by a full symphony.

Bartok: Dance Suite (London Philharmonic conducted by Georg Sold; London). Composed 30 years ago to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the union of Buda and Pest, this six-part piece is full of earthy spirit. It is played expertly and enthusiastically.

Flemish Choral Music (Ghent Oratorio Society conducted by Marcel de Pauw; Esoteric). Thirteen delicately tinted songs for chorus, and two guitar interludes, all glowing with Old World warmth The 104-voice chorus sings with charm and intimacy.

Roger Goeb: Symphony No. 3 (Leopold Stokowski and his Symphony Orchestra; Victor). A busy modern score that has some attractive lyricism as well as its share of noisy climaxes; in a fine performance by Stokowski.

Martyn Green's Gilbert & Sullivan (Lehman Engel, conductor; Columbia). Sixteen favorite songs from eight of the famous operettas, sung in clipped accents by the ranking expert.

Mozart: Sonata in A Minor, K. 310 (Dinu Lipatti, piano; Columbia). Pianist Lipatti died two years ago at 33, but not before he made a series of recordings. His Mozart is water-clear; the briefest melodic line takes on significance, and sounds as easy as breathing.

Schoenberg: Piano Concerto (Claude Helffer; Paris' Orchestre Radio-Symphonique conducted by Rene Leibowitz; Period). A decade old, this piece is one of Schoenberg's definitive twelve-tone works. For all its hyper-complex rhythms and counterpoint, it has a richly romantic expression, and its solo part is a dazzling piece of virtuosity.

Other new releases: Nine Beethoven bympnomes (Victor), with Toscanini conducting the NBC Symphony (hand somely packaged at $52.40); Bach and Handel Arias (London), sung by Contralto Kathleen Ferrier with the London Philharmonic, conducted by Sir Adrian Boult; Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe--Complete Ballet (London), with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and the Geneva Motet Choir conducted by Ernest Ansermet.

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