Music: Best Of 1980

CLASSICAL. Beethoven: Concerto No. 5, "Emperor" (Deutsche Grammophon). Maurizio Pollini's rendering is a model of vigor, precision and elegance.

Berg and Stravinsky: Violin Concertos (Deutsche Grammophon). Itzhak Perlman enhances two demanding works.

Brahms: Double Concerto (Angel). Perlman and Mstislav Rostropovich in a noble and ardent performance.

Debussy: Pelleas et Melisande (Angel, 3 LPs). Herbert von Karajan creates a lucid, lyrical recording. Frederica von Stade, as Melisande, stands out for her exquisite French style.

Mozart: The Magic Flute (Deutsche Grammophon, 3 LPs). Karajan, again, casting singers freshly and coming up with a reading that is both authoritative and sumptuous.

Ruggles: The Complete Music (Columbia, 2 LPs). All twelve bold works by Carl Ruggles, a master of dissonance.

Saint-Saens and Lalo: Cello Concertos (CBS Masterworks), The composers take a special taste, like orchids, but Yo-Yo Ma's playing is gorgeous.

Schoenberg: Gurrelieder (Philips, 2 LPs). Seiji Ozawa and the Boston Symphony perform up to the Berliozian dimensions of this modern oratorio.

Verdi: Rigoletto (Deutsche Grammophon, 3 LPs). In his first opera recording in a decade, Carlo Maria Giulini leads a performance that is a meditation on Verdi's musical drama.

Piano Music of the 20th Century (Deutsche Grammophon, 5 LPs). Pollini plays the best selection of modern classics available in one album.

ROCK. The Clash: London Calling (Epic, 2 LPs). Knockdown street anthems by the toughest band around.

Ry Cooder: Borderline (Warner Bros.). Restored Tex-Mex, revised rock and resurrected blues by an easygoing--and funny--virtuoso.

Ramones: End of the Century (Sire). Producer Phil Spector may have smoothed out this protopunk band, but their edges still cut and the humor strikes home.

Lou Reed: Rock and Roll Diary, 1967-1980 (Arista, 2 LPs). The full span and impact of a seminal career. Not quite a diary; more like rock notes from underground.

Smokey Robinson: Warm Thoughts (Tamla/Motown). Smooth as a satin sheet and far more sexy. Smokey's not just the soul master; he's the man who teaches the masters.

The Sheppards (Solid Smoke). Right out of the past (see above).

Bruce Springsteen: The River (Columbia, 2 LPs). "Is a dream a lie if it don't come true/ Or is it something worse?" No lie: rock as good as it gets.

Steely Dan: Gaucho (MCA). Arcane Southern California folkways and unsprung rhythms.

Pete Townshend: Empty Glass (Atco). In which the generative force of the Who covers matters sacred and profane with roughshod lyricism.

Stevie Wonder: Hotter Than July (Tamla/Motown). Stevie keeps things cooking over a high flame on an album that brings him back to basics.

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