New Records

Berg: Violin Concerto (Louis Krasner; Cleveland Orchestra conducted by Artur Rodzinsky; Columbia). One of the meatiest, most listenable concertos of the century, played by the man who introduced it in 1936. Written in the twelve-tone technique, it combines all the nervous subtleties of that idiom with the undeniable decadence of Berg's own style, but still appeals strongly to the ear. More complex (and less appealing) is the piece on the reverse side: another great modern

Violin Concerto, by Berg's teacher, Arnold Schonberg, which still has a reputation as the most difficult concerto of all. Both are on LPs for the first time.

Lehar: Land of Smiles (Elisabeth Schwartzkopf, Nicolai Gedda, Erich Kuntz; Philharmonia Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Otto Ackermann; Angel, 2 LPs). Lehar's famed oriental operetta (1931), which offers such grand old tunes as Yours Is My Heart Alone among its welter of melodies, gets what is probably its most elegant hearing with a first-rate cast and a luxurious recording.

Mendelssohn: Two-piano Concerto in E Major (Orazio Frugoni & Eduard Mrazek, pianists; Vienna Pro Musica Symphony conducted by Hans Swarowsky; Vox). A bright, attractive score written by Mendelssohn when he was only 15, and unperformed for more than a century. Pianist Frugoni, who tilted with a stubborn Soviet-zone librarian in Germany to bring the long-forgotten music to light (TIME, July 16, 1951), plays his part with high spirits.

Prokofiev: Violin Sonata No. 1 (David Oistrakh, violin, & Lev Oborin, piano; Vanguard). One of the world's finest fiddlers, Soviet Artist Oistrakh has never been recorded to better advantage. The subtlety of color, the sudden shock of ringing plucked strings, the driving intensity of dramatic episodes, all add up to the definitive recording of a major composition.

Rossini: II Signer Bruschino (Elda Ribetti, Luigi Pontiggia; Milan Philharmonic conducted by Ennio Gerelli; Vox). A delightfully melodious little one-act opera, full of musical fun, the usual incredible plot, and some remarkably attractive singing.

Schnabel: Piano Concerto (Helen Schnabel; Vienna Orchestra conducted by F. Charles Adler; SPA). An early (1901) composition by the late dean of pianists. Coming from the man who later favored an ultra-dissonant, involved style, this lilting, MacDowell-style score falls with strange grace on the ear. The performance (by Schnabel's daughter-in-law) is clean and loving.

Ben Weber; Symphony on Poems of William Blake (Warren Galjour, baritone; Leopold Stokowski and his Symphony Orchestra; Victor). Four poetic movements in the often unpoetic twelve-tone technique. While they do not immediately seem to evoke Blake's passionate poems, the mysterious and richly scored sounds make their own kind of appeal. Superior performance and recording.

Other notable new releases: Bach's St. Matthew Passion, sung by the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir and soloists under the direction of Sir Ernest MacMillan (Victor-Bluebird) ; Delius' A Mass of Life, performed by the Royal Philharmonic, with choir and soloists under Sir Thomas Beecham (Columbia) ; Mozart's Concerto in A Major, played by Clifford Curzon with the London Symphony under Josef Krips (London); Mozart's Symphony No. 40, played by the NBC Symphony under Arturo Toscanini (Victor).

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