Music: New Records, Apr. 5, 1948

Bach: Toccatas and Fugues, Volume 1 (Carl Weinrich; Musicraft, 8 sides). A re-issue of Princeton’s famed organist playing some of the best Bach properly—with the shapely lines of the polyphony brought out sharply. In another good Bach album out this month (Technichord, 8 sides), Organist Ernest White plays the eight “Little” Preludes and Fugues. Recordings: good.

Britten: Peter Grimes Excerpts (The Concertgebouw Orchestra, Eduard van Beinum conducting; Decca Record Co. Ltd., 6 sides). Amsterdam’s orchestra, possibly Europe’s best, puts salt and spray into the four sea interludes and passacaglia from Britten’s opera (TIME, Feb. 16). Performance: excellent.

Brahms: String Quartet No. 3 (Guilet String Quartet; Vox, 8 sides). Brahms, writing of this unusually sparkling quartet to Violinist Joachim, boasted: “You probably did not credit me with such finesse.” Performance: good; recording: fair.

Delius: Society Set (Betty Beecham, piano, the Luton Choir, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Thomas Beecham conducting; Victor, 12 sides). Delius, like Sibelius, is more highly thought of in England than in the U.S. In this English recording, his foremost champion has put together the C Minor Piano Concerto, the Marche Caprice and the soaring Song of the High Hills. Performance: excellent.

Menotti: The Telephone and The Medium (Marilyn Cotlow, Frank Rogier, Marie Powers, Evelyn Keller, Beverly Dame, Catherine Mastice, with orchestra conducted by Emanuel Balaban; Columbia, 20 sides). Menotti’s two chamber operas, surprise hits on Broadway last year, have been recorded by the original casts—and hold their original charm and power. Recording: excellent.

Mozart: Symphony in G Minor, No. 40 (K.550) (The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Fritz Reiner conducting; Columbia, 6 sides). Pittsburghers may gnash their teeth for letting Fritz Reiner go (TIME, March 8) after hearing this splendid performance of a great symphony. Recording (Columbia’s first on Vinylite): excellent.

Handel: Messiah (Elsie Suddaby, soprano; Marjorie Thomas, contralto; Heddle Nash, tenor; Trevor Anthony, bass; Luton Choral Society and Special Choir, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Thomas Beecham conducting; Victor, 42 sides). Sir Thomas has here equaled—and the recording has surpassed—his great performance of the Messiah recorded over 15 years ago.

Stravinsky: L’Histoire du Soldat; Octet for Wind Instruments (Members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Leonard Bernstein conducting; Victor, 10 sides). Stravinsky’s seldom-heard 1918 setting of the old Russian tale of a soldier, his violin and the devil ranks among his masterpieces. L’Histoire sounds almost like a full orchestra; actually only seven instruments are used, but used for all they’re worth. Recording: excellent.