Classical Records: Pick of the Pack

By William Bender

Beethoven: Bagatelles, Op. 33 and 126 (Glenn Gould, piano; Columbia, $6.98). Beethoven seized on these miniature piano pieces to perfect the art of compressing much into little. They could almost be called transistorized sonatas. Op. 126 especially finds the composer speaking with harrowing intensity and sharp intent. Gould, technically brilliant as ever, not only gets the point but conveys the intensity. The most eloquent disc performances of these works since Artur Schnabel set the standard in the 1930s.

Haydn: Symphonies Nos. 93-104 --"London Symphonies", Vol. 9 (Philharmonia Hungarica; Antal Dorati, conductor; London/Stereo Treasury; 6 LPs; $20.94). Dorati herewith completes his collection of all the Haydn symphonies, one of the most successful and rewarding projects in the history of recording. Along the way, Dorati has offered many a joy. Among them are the zestful accounts of Symphonies Nos. 36-48 (Vol. 6), notably including the somber "Trauer" (No. 44), the amusing "Farewell" (No. 45) and the radiant "Maria Theresia " (No. 48), a rich collection of middle-period Haydn. He has also offered an "appendix" album, with alternate Haydn versions of this or that movement, including the finale of No. 103 ("Drumroll"). The appendix shows that as fast and prodigiously as the composer worked, he was never too busy for probing second thoughts. In this concluding album, devoted to Haydn's last great symphonies, Dorati's brisk style does not quite capture all the nuance and power that lies in the music. Otherwise, the record is a commendable capstone to a proud job.

Mahler: Symphony No. 4 in G (Judith Blegen, soprano; Chicago Symphony; James Levine, conductor; RCA, $6.98). There appears to be little that James Levine, 31, cannot do, except perhaps play Scott Joplin on the tuba. The remarkable new music director of the Metropolitan Opera already has several superlative operatic recordings to his credit (notably / Vespri Siciliani on RCA and Joan of Arc on Angel). This version of Mahler's Fourth, a genial pastoral masterpiece, has a flowing line rarely matched in current interpretations and an intimacy that, comes close to Bruno Walter's incomparable recording of the 1940s. The formidable Chicago Symphony sounds somewhat more relaxed than it often does under its regular leader, Sir Georg Sold, but it plays every bit as attentively.

Mozart: Symphonies Nos. 29, 31, 34, 35, 36, 38-41, Overtures to Don Giovanni and The Marriage of Figaro (London Philharmonic; Sir Thomas Beecham, conductor; Turnabout/Vox; 5 LPs; $19.95). In his later years, the doughty Sir Thomas sometimes conducted Mozart in a cantankerous, self-indulgent way. But during the 1930s, when most of these London Philharmonic recordings were made, he displayed superb poise, control and mastery of the peculiar blend of fire and ice that lie at the heart of Mozart's music. Beecham's recording then of the euphoniously ethereal No. 39 in E-Flat Major, for example, was the first that could truly be called great. It remains splendid in this reissue.

Schubert: Trios, Op. 99 in B-Flat and 100 in E-Flat (Henryk Szeryng, violin; Pierre Fournier, cello; Artur Rubinstein, piano; RCA; 2 LPs; $16.98). Corraling a collection of virtuosos to record chamber music is not always a good idea. Having spent years alone in the spotlight, too many of them lack the knack of bobbing and weaving in rhythm with other minds and hearts. Szeryng, Fournier and Rubinstein rank high among the successful exceptions to this individualistic rule. In these trios, each player retains his own particular musical fist yet manages to fit it into his neighbor's glove. In perfect harmony, they play as if they were giving birth to true Schubertian miracles--which indeed they are.

Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 in E Minor (Moscow Radio Symphony; Gennadi Rozhdestvensky, conductor; Melodi-ya/Angel, $6.98). Who needs another recording of the Tchaikovsky Fifth? Listen and discover how exciting this music can be without the excessive retards and breakneck tempos that often pass for authentic Russian interpretation. Rozhdestvensky, a principal conductor of the Bolshoi Opera, plays the work straight. Yet in the way he builds his performance from the inside out, making sure that the smallest phrases are in place, he gives the impression of blissful discovery. Part of the conductor's complete cycle of the Tchaikovsky symphonies, this LP is highly recommended, even if it lacks the suavity of Lorin Maazel and the Vienna Philharmonic and even if the Moscow Radio Symphony is not quite the equal, say, of the Lenin grad Philharmonic.

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