Pick of the Pack

Despite the vinyl shortage, a steady outpouring of classical record reissues continues to flow, re-entering the musical mainstream in performances loftily described by such labels as great (Seraphim), legendary (Columbia) and even immortal (RCA). The reasons? The timeless appeal of genius is certainly one, but economics is a powerful factor too: it costs less to recycle a golden oldie than to make a new record. The following are among the best of the recent rereleases:

Dvorak: The Stokowski Sound ("New World" Symphony; RCA Red Seal; 2 discs; $6.98). This two-record set of the familiar Symphony No. 9 in E Minor comprises the 92-year-old maestro's 1973 taping at Walthamstow Town Hall outside London with the New Philharmonia and a reissue of the same symphony recorded in 1927 when he led the Philadelphia Orchestra. Both readings are dramatic, reflecting the vigorous personality of the conductor. The new recording differs chiefly in tempo. Even with two repeats omitted in the Scherzo movement, the symphony runs some 5 1/2 minutes longer, with a tediously extended line in the Largo. The last movement brims with robust cheer.

Jascha Heifetz: Sibelius: Concerto in D Minor (plus Tchaikovsky: Concerto in D Major) (London Philharmonic Orchestra; Seraphim; $3.98). Heifetz's emotional impact remains undiminished over nearly four decades. His playing is dictated by the mind, not the fingers. Sweeping all technical obstacles out of the way--the double stops, steep runs and three-octave leaps of the Sibelius--he makes sense of it all, minimizing the acrobatics and revealing the music's architecture.

Caruso: Tenor of the Century (RCA Red Seal; 4 discs; $23.92). There are many Caruso editions available, but this set is good value for the money because of the sound quality. In making the transfers from the original recordings, careful attention was paid to correct pitch, a task necessary because the speed of the old 78s varied among individual records. The collection, covering the years from 1906 to 1920, consists mainly of Italian and French opera and salon music, with half a dozen parlor songs sung approximately in English. "Vecchia zimarra, senti" the bass "Coat Song" from La Boheme, and "Magische Note," an aria from Goldmark's Queen of Sheba that contains a rare recorded example of Caruso's using falsetto, are the most unusual items. A pair of "Celeste Aidas" (1906 and 1908) raises the question of whether every performance even by the recording industry's first superstar deserves resurrection. In the earlier version tempi are sluggish, with a lugubrious beginning and general somnambulance that pervades until the final phrases. The voice, however, evolving from the seamless lyricism of youth to the huge golden sound of maturity, overcomes any serious complaints.

Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana (Jussi Bjoerling, tenor; Renata Tebaldi, soprano; Ettore Bastianini, baritone; Alberto Erede conducting the chorus and orchestra of the Maggio Musicale, Fiorentino; London; 2 discs; $13.96). Issued in 1959, a year before his death at the age of 53, this re-release also includes a program of arias by Bjoerling. He had little taste for histrionics; his approach was straightforward with a precise attack and a habit of singing strictly in time that left him enormous reserves of air. During Turiddu's final aria in Cavalleria, Bjoerling scarcely seems to breathe. His voice, at once virile and sweet, earned him the nickname "the Swedish Caruso." As he got older his sound grew richer and darker, but it never lost either its freshness or authority.

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