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CIRCLE 42 ON READER SERVICE CARD2 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

July 1973VOL. 23 NO. 7

music and musiciansLeonard Marcus, Edward Greenfield

HOROWITZ'S COLUMBIA FAREWELL . . . PFITZNER'S PALESTRINABehind the Scenes in New York, Munich, and London

Gene Lees YOU WANT U.S. JAZZ RECORDINGS? TRY TORONTOThe jazz revival is alive and doing business north of the border

Caine Alder THE RECORDINGS OF VLADIMIR HOROWITZIncluding all his commercial albums from piano rolls to still unreleased tapes

Winthrop Sargeant DON'T SPEAK ILL OF THE GREAT CLASSICSSome perspectives on music criticism from the New Yorker's Critic Emeritus

Royal S. Brown A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC IN THE STUDIOBehind the Scenes at a smash Broadway show recording

12

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audio and videoTOO NOT TO HANDLE 22

NEWS AND VIEWS 24Sony's cost-cutting ICs . . A stylus for 78s

EQUIPMENT IN THE NEWS 26

EQUIPMENT REPORTS 31Sony STC-7000 tuner . . Shure V-15 Type III cartridge

Audioanalyst A-100 speaker system . . . Yamaha TB -700 cassette deckSherwood S -8900A receiver . . . Thorens TD -125 Mk. II turntable

Dynaco A-10 speaker system . . . Pioneer SA -9100 amplifierRobins R47002 enhancer . . . Scotch Extended Range cassette tape

TDK Krom-02 cassette tape

record reviewsDavid Hamilton THE MET'S CARMEN UNDER BERNSTEIN 67

Horne, McCracken, et al. re-create last season's big hit

Royal S. Brown A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC ON RECORDS 70The original cast album captures musical theater at its finest

Paul Henry Lang PURCELL'S FAIRY QUEEN 73Clifford F. Gilmore PURCELL'S CEREMONIAL MUSIC 74

Two fine recordings show the baroque master's genius

CLASSICAL 76Bruckner from Barenboim and Haitink . . . Crawford Seeger's string quartet

Abram Chipman BRAHMS SYMPHONIES BY FOUR 78Fine interpretations from Haitink, Ormandy, Sanderling, and Sawallisch

IN BRIEF 102Robert Long FOUR -CHANNEL DISCS AND TAPES 104Playing Vanguard's Dolbyized open reels-how and wh,ch

LIGHTER SIDE 106Chet Atkins . . Bill Quateman . . . Sha Na Na

JAZZ 109Art Tatum . . . New England Conservatory Ragtime Ensemble

R. D. Darrell THE TAPE DECK 114Some not -very -daring adventures outside the standard repertory

etc.LETTERS 6

Spinning with the rock groups . . . Shreveport bites back

PRODUCT INFORMATIONAn "at home" shopping service

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072High Fidelity is p birthed monthly by Billboard Publications Inc al 1 Astor Plaza.New York Nei. York 10036 Copyright 9 1973 by Billboard Publications. lac The

design and conterls are hilly protected by copyright and must not be reproduced inany manner Second class postage paid al New York. New York and at additional mailing officesAuthorize' as second class mai by the Post Office Department Ottawa and for payment ol postagein cash Yearly subscription ir U S A Possessions, and Canada 9795. in Pan American Union39 95 elsewhere 99 95 Singi copies 751 Indexed in Read., s Guide to Periodical literatureChange dl address notices an. undelivered comes (from 3579) 'hold be sent to High Fidelity.Subdue/ion Department, P.O.Bes 14156, Cincinnati, Ohre 45211. Please date both old and newultimo. when requesting cbinge. S

Current and back copies of High Fidelity and High Fidelity and Musical

18 Amerila are available on microfilm from University Microfilms, Ann

99 Arbor, Michigan 48106. Microfiche copies of these magazines (1973forward) are availabh through Bell & Howell Micro Photo Division,

98 Old Mansfield Road, newsier, Ohio 44691.

Maxell is happy to announcethat the little pad that

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We wanted to make some really bigimprovements to our Ultra Dynamic cas-sette. But there just weren't any bigimprovements left to make. So we madea lot of little improvements.

Our little pad won't come unstuck.Other cassettes keep their pressure

pads in place with glue-or rather don'tkeep their pressure pads in place withglue. So we've designed a little metalframe that holds the pad in a grip ofsteel. With the result that you don't needto worry about signal fluctuations orloss of response any more.

More hertzes.We've also improved our tape.

We've increased the frequency responseto 22,000 Hz so you get even higherhighs. The signal-to-noise ratio's now8dB more than ordinary cassettes-which means you get less noise andcleaner sound. And the dynamic rangeis wider so you can turn the sound uploud enough to disturb the neighborswithout worrying about distortion.

An improvementyou can see but can't hear.

The first five seconds of our newUD cassette is a timing leader. Andwe've marked the place where it startswith three little arrows so you'll alwaysknow exactly where you are.

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Our new long-playingcassette is shorter.

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And that's our new improved UltraDynamic cassette.

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The answer to all your tape needs.Me ',ell Corporation nl Amrnr a, 110 Vve+t Commercial Avenue. Moonachie. N J 07074

CIRCLE 64 ON READER -SERVICE CARD

LEONARD MARCUSEditor

NORMAN EISENBERGExecutive Editor

WAYNE ARMENTROUTManaging Editor

KENNETH FURIEMusic Editor

ROBERT LONGAudio -Video Editor

SHIRLEY FLEMINGEditor, Musical America Section

EDITH CARTERAssociate Editor

VIOLA MATSONAssistant Editor

WILLIAM TYNANSpecial Projects Editor

ROY LINDSTROMArt Director

ROBERT MADDOCKSAssociate Art Director

MORGAN AMESROYAL S. BROWNR. D. DARRELLPETER G. DAVISHENRY EDWARDSALFRED FRANKENSTEINHARRIS GOLDSMITHDAVID HAMILTONDALE HARRISMIKE JAHNMILES KREUGERPAUL HENRY LANGGENE LEESROBERT C. MARSHH. C. ROBBINS LANDONContributing Editors

STANLEY BINDERCirculation Manager

CLAIRE N. EDDINGSAssociate Publisher andDirector of Advertising Sales

WARREN B. SYERPublisher

ADVERTISINGMain Office: Claire N Eddings. The Publishing House.GreatBarrington. Mass 01230. Telephone 413-528-1300New York: 1515 Broadway (1 Astor Plaza). New York.N Y 10036 Telephone. 212-764-7385 Seymour Resnick.Eastern Adv Mgr.New England: The Publishing House, Great Barrington.Mass 01230 Telephone: 413-528-1300. Russell GilchristChicago: Billboard Publications. Inc.. 150 North WackerDr . Chicago. III 60606 Telephone- 312-236-9818Leonard Levine.Los Angeles: Billboard Publications. Inc . 9000 SunsetBlvd Los Angeles. Calit 90069 Telephone 213-273-7040. Andrew Spanberger.Nashville: Billboard Publications. Inc.. 1719 West EndAve.. Nashville, Tenn. 37203 Telephone. 615-329-3925.Robert Kendall.London: 7 Carnaby St . London W.1. England Telephone.(01) 437-8090 Andre de Vekey.Frankfurt/Main: Eschersheimer Landstrasse 69. Frank -I urt Main. West Germany. Telephone- (0611) 590805-6.Walter B Rios.Milan: Piazzale Loreto 9, Milan 20131, Italy. Telephone:28 29.158 Germano Ruscitto.Tokyo: Japan Advertising Communications. Inc . NewGinza Bldg_ 7-3-13 Ginza. Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104. JapanTelephone 103)571-8748 Shigeru Kobayashi president

111.11-1)

4 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

Never beforehas this little noiseaccompanied this

much music.If you're sophisticatedenough to be readingthis magazine, you'reprobably familiar withthe two maincharacteristics ofcassette decks: hiss andnonlinear frequencyresponse. 7C

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Signal-to-noise (unweighted) is -58 dB with Dolby and-70 dB in the audible hiss level above 4,000 Hz. Thefrequency response curve is essentially flat from less than 30to beyond 15 kHz, -±1.5 dB, with Cr02 tape. (This curve isdue largely to the way we drive our heads. Instead of theconventional constant voltage drive to the head, theHK -1000 is designed for constant current drive. Manystudio model reel-to-reel decks are designed the same way.)

Because of a new low in noise and a new wide infrequency, the HK -1000 brings you a new clarity in musk:.

Ours is the first cassette deck designed formaximum phase linearity. Square waveresponse is better than every othercassette deck and even someexpensive reel-to-reel decks. Andthe better the square waves, thecleaner and more transparent themusic.

Discriminating audiophiles willalso appreciate the wide selection ofcontrols to take control of. There are two"peak -reading" VU meters; automaticshut-off in all transport modes; separatecontrols for recording playback and microphonelevels; a "memory" rewind feature that lets you keya selection to the exact start location; a Dolby testoscillator; both record and Dolby playback calibrationadjustments on the top panel; and so on.

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*Distributed in Canada by Harman/Kardon of Canada, Ltd., 9429 Cow de LICSSe Rd.. Montreal '61). QuellmCIRCLE 23 ON READER -SERVICE CARD

Jun, 1973

letters

Supergroups

You are probably receiving scores of letterscorrecting Henry Edwards' mistake ("TheRock Group Spinoff." April 19731 in renam-ing Jim Messina "Dan." though you did get itright in the discography.

More irritating is a factual error: Of the fourBuffalo Springfield albums listed. Jim Mes-sina performed on only two-"Last TimeAround" and "Retrospective." Since "Retro-spective" is just a collection of previously re-leased cuts. and Messina performs on only thethree from "Last Time Around." his contribu-tion to the Buffalo was relatively small. He re-placed Bruce Palmer (the bass player on "Buf-falo Springfield" and "Again") shortly beforethe group's demise.

ii, Joe GallagherElwood. Nebr.

".I lie Rock Group Spinoff"' was a good back-ground piece for getting to know several of thecurrent big -name musical combinations, atleast for nonrock buffs, but the Jim Messinadiscography omits an amusing and historicallyinteresting album: "The Dragsters, Jim Mes-sina and His Jesters" (Audio Fidelity DFS7037. 1964 -still available). The cover showsMessina and crew, properly short -haired.dressed in matching blazers and ties, posingwith their white Fender guitars amidst sportscars. The contents are c. 1964 surf/drag-racingmusic. Good nostalgia.

Richard P. BellSyracuse. N.Y.

1 felt that the comments about Poco were un-fair. Citing Rusty Young's steel -guitar anticsas proof of a deficiency in the group's music issomewhat like saying that Jimi Hendrixplayed his guitar in many positions because hecouldn't play it standing still. While I can un-derstand that technically it may be true thatsuch dramatics do not necessarily make forbetter music, it is unfair to cite them as proofthat nothing else is really going on.

Sharon McCarrellWestminster, Calif.

Mr. Edwards implies that the work of Poco isinferior to that of Loggins and Messina. andsuggests that Messina "must certainly be gladhe left Poco." Poco's music is not inferior, andMessina has stated that he left Poco becausehe was getting married and did not want to beseparated from his wife, as touring with Pocowould have required.

Poco did not try to capture the sound of theBuffalo Springfield. as Mr. Edwards claims.Richie Furey played down the ties toSpringfield. wanting Poco to succeed on itsown musical merits (which it has done). Norwas Poco side-tracked into Latin rock. Just be-cause the group made the song Mr. Edwardsmentioned, it does not mean that they ever leftthe music they do best, country -rock. I haveseen Poco live, and it does not "rely on cheaptheatrics to fill musical gaps." All of the bandmembers are excellent musicians and they

really give a good show-the audience gets itsmoney's worth.

Stephen DowningHempstead. N.Y.

Classical Music in Shreveport

It came as quite a shock to me when I read Pe-ter G. Davis' description ("The Classical Up-surge," April 19731 of our operation ("If youwalk into Stan's Music Shop ... you will notfind one classical disc-not even a 'greatesthits' assemblage....").

Stan's carries a complete line of classicalmusic. New -release mailers go out weekly toeach account we service over a twelve -statearea. so that all accounts are constantly awareof what we have to offer in all types of music.If Mr. Davis visited our downtown location, itis quite possible that he could not find a classi-cal album in our shelf stock. But our ShreveCity and Southfield locations offer a completeclassical line. In each of our six shops. we carrythe line or lines of music people in that areaprefer. All a customer has to do is place an or-der for the record of his choice and it will bewaiting for him at the store in his vicinity thenext day. We heavily advertise the locationsthat carry a classical line so that the buyingpublic is aware of its availability.

If Mr. Davis is in our area again. I hope hewill drop by and let us show him the vastnessand variety of our operation.

Stanley J. LewisPresident. Stan's Record ServiceShreveport. La.

As a member of the board of the Shreveport

Jim Messina -.his spin corrected.

Symphony I can attest to the fact that we enjoyapproximately a twelve -per -cent oversell forour entire concert season plus individual ticketsales. Our 1972-73 season, for example. con-sists of nine pairs of concerts plus six NationalEndowment concerts, a thriving junior sym-phony orchestra, and a comprehensive pro-gram for children in our public schools. Fea-tured artists this season include Jose Ferrer.Radu Lupu, Stan Kenton, and Van Cliburn.Roberta Peters will appear here soon with theCivic Opera Association. Combine this withthe Community Concerts series, Civic OperaAssociation, Gilbert and Sullivan Society-allproviding live performances-and you willfind that we have a rather healthy cultural at-mosphere in Shreveport. Throw in five ama-teur drama groups and some outstanding artgalleries, notably the R. W. Norton Gallery,and you get an entirely different picture fromthat drawn by Mr. Davis.

I am proud of my city and the cultural activ-ities available here.

Joe MiotShreveport, La.

Mr. Davis replies: My apologies to Mr. Lewisfor misrepresenting Stan's Record Service. Myvisit was indeed to the downtown store, where 1was told that classical records were not to behad. Since no information was forthcoming re-garding shops in the outlying suburbs, 1 with-drew, nursing the obvious conclusion. Frankly,the depressing vista of Shreveport's downtownarea, like so many smaller American cities to-day, gives every indication of advanced urbandecay. Clearly the town's thriving cultural ac-tivities are now located in more prosperous sur-rounding communities, which 1 unfortunatelydid not see. And although 1 did not comment onShreveport's live cultural events. it is encour-aging to hear from lir. Miot that they are pros-pering.

Columbia and the BSO

I enjoyed Robert Long's interesting account("Behind the Scenes," April 19731 of LeonardBernstein's recording of Oedipus Rex with theBoston Symphony. There are, however, acouple of inaccurate statements:

"Columbia had never before recorded theBoston Symphony Orchestra." Early in 1934Columbia recorded Koussevitzky and theBSO on the stage of Carnegie Hall in a per-formance of the Symphony 1933 by Roy Har-ris. (This was during the period 1931-35. whenthe BSO's recording contract with Victor hadbeen allowed to lapse.) This recording. backedwith the Ormandy/Philadelphia Orchestrarecording of Harris' Seventh Symphony, isavailable from Columbia Special Products(CML 5095).

Columbia "had recorded in Symphony Hallonly once." In addition to the Bernstein/NewYork Philharmonic Shostakovich Fifth, Co-lumbia also made the mono Ormandy versionof the Saint-Saens Organ Symphony (withBiggs and the Philadelphia) in SymphonyHall. And during the 1950s Columbia re -

6 4Id HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

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World all your ownPut on Koss PRO-4AA Stereophonesand you're in a world all your own.Immersed in Brahms' First orBeethoven's Fifth . . . or turned onto the Moody Blues. Patented fluid -filled ear cushions seal in the soundand seal out the unwelcome noise.So nobody disturbs you . . . and youdon't disturb anybody else.You hear more with KossYou'll hear more of Brahms' First thefirst time you put on Koss Stereo -phones than you've ever heard withspeakers. Because Koss mixes thesound in your head instead ofscrambling it on your walls. The

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Worth hearingWhy should the Koss PRO-4AAStereophone be so superior? Be-cause it contains the first driver de-signed exclusively for Stereophones.A unique diaphragm with 4 squareinches of radiating area. And an ex-tra large 1 -inch voice coil that's vir-tually "blow out" proof. In other

words, the Koss PRO-4AA wasdesigned from the start to pro-vide the finest sound everachieved in a dynamic head-phone. And it does . . . with aclean, uncolored response 2 -fulloctaves beyond the range of other

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range of 10-20,000 Hz. In fact, HighFidelity Magazine rated the PRO-4AA a "superb" headphone. Butthen, everyone who has heard theSound of Koss rates it superb.

Enjoy a new music libraryTake your favorite tape or record toyour Hi-Fi Dealer and listen to itthru a pair of Koss PRO-4AA Stereo -phones. The extra sound you get inthe Sound ofKoss will amazeyou. In fact,you'll hearso muchmore fromyour musicthat buyinga Koss PRO-4AA Stereophone is like getting awhole new music library.

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corded a whole series of Biggs discs in Sym-phony Hall, with Richard Burgin conductingmembers of the BSO. Included in the serieswas a marvelous mono recording of the Pou-lenc Organ Concerto and some fine discs ofmusic for organ and brass by-among others-Bach and Gabrieli.

Martin BookspanNew York, N.Y.

Our thanks to all the readers who caught theseslips.

Song 0' My Heart

Conrad L. Osborne, Miles Kreuger, and theJohn McCormack Association of GreaterKansas City will be interested to know that theFox studio prints of the film Song 0' My Heartare now on deposit in the UCLA Film Ar-chive.

The Archive has not only the "minus -dia-logue" version referred to in Mr. Osborne's re-view of the soundtrack disc [February 1973], italso has the full -dialogue version in 35mm.The 70mm Grandeur version is not in the Ar-chive's possession, but it is doubtful that itwould have had better sound quality than theextant 35mm versions. because the track di-mensions and playing speed were exactly thesame as those of 35mm film. Today's 70mmprocesses run at a higher linear speed than theGrandeur process did (and use magneticsound vs. Grandeur's optical), which is prob-ably where the misconception originated.

Garry MargolisLos Angeles, Calif.

Rachmaninoff. Please

1973 is the centenary year of Rachmaninoff.This is a plea for recordings of many works notavailable at the moment: most of the songs;the Trio elegiaque, Op. 9; the six choral songs,Op. 15; the six Moments musicaux, Op. 16; theChopin Variations, Op. 22; the opera Fran-cesca da Rimini, Op. 25; the Liturgy of St. JohnChrysostom, Op. 31; the Vesper Mass, Op. 37.

I also hope that RCA will reissue its Rach-maninoff archives, and perhaps Horowitzcould be persuaded to record another Rach-maninoff album. Finally I ask Angel to keepan eye on Russian Melodiya records, on whichthere will no doubt be more Rachmaninoff re-leases. The best available versions of manyRachmaninoff items are on Melodiya/Angel.

Alberto D. FajardoWashington, D.C.

RCA has announced plans to issue five three -disc sets containing all of Rachmaninors re-cordings including "at least thirteen items"never before released.

Inspired Travesty?

What an inspired idea to have Jan Meyerowitzdo a satire on all the third-rate critical drivelabout the basic validity of Puccini's musicbased on Puccini's character. "The Objection-able Appeal of Giacomo Puccini" [May 1973]was a masterpiece of travesty; he hit all thehigh points of the usual critical arsenal, bring-ing in each one with the skill of a master con-trapuntalist, weaving them into a hilariouswhole. It will be a long time before anyonedares to raise these subjects again seriously,for fear of another blast of parody from Mr.Meyerowitz. It did seem to me though that itmay still be too close to World War II for us to

8 CIRCLE 58 ON READER -SERVICE CARD-*.

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accept Mr Meyerowitz' experiences in Ger-many in a comic article like this.

Perhaps next we can ask for a satire on theusual tripe about "Meaning in Mozart's Op-eras"?

Edward ForemanGeneral Editor, Pro Musica PressMinneapolis, Minn.

A Tip for Radio Stations

Classical -music radio stations could make asignificant contribution to the classical -recording market (apropos of the excellentpieces by Leonard Marcus and Peter Davis inyour April issue) by taking a cue fromWUHY-FM, a listener -supported station inPhiladelphia. Along with the identification ofselection and performers following each work,WUHY announcers usually (I wish I could sayalways) mention the label and catalogue num-ber of the recording.

The practice takes no more than a few sec-onds of air time per hour, but I believe itwould boost record sales. I am certainly moreinclined to buy records I have heard on the airand liked, and this would save me the botherof searching out the record title and number.

David HoekemaPrinceton, N.J.

Beverly Wolff on Records

John Yeager ("Letters," March 1973] can hearthe magnificent voice of Beverly Wolff on atleast three readily available recordings: Rb-berlo Devereux (Audio Treasury), Julius Cae-sar (RCA), and the Rossini Slabat Mater (Co-lumbia). She also sang in Bernstein's Troublein Tahiti, last available on Heliodor. I've beenfortunate enough to hear Miss Wolff in Deve-reux and Caesar here in Los Angeles. A treatindeed!

Brian D. MelliesGlendale, Calif.

CorrectionIn the article "Warranties," which ap-peared in our May issue, the warranty termfor free labor on KLH turntables waslisted incorrectly. KLH offers threemonths' free labor on its turntables.

High Fidelity, July 1973. Vol. 23. No. 7. Pub-lished monthly by Billboard Publications. Inc publisherof Stereo. Stereo International. Modern Photography.American Artist. Billboard. Vend. Amusement Business.Merchandising Week. Music Labo. Photo Weekly.Gilt & Tableware Reporter, Record 8 Tape Retailer.Record Mirror, Discografia Internazionale. WorldRadio TV Handbook

High FldelltyiMusical America. Edition publishedmonthly. Member Audit Bureau of Circulations

Editorial correspondence Should be addressed to TheEditor. High Fidelity, Great Barrington. Mass. 01230.Editorial contributions will be welcomed Payment forarticles accepted will be arranged prior to publication.Unsolicited manuscripts should be accompanied byreturn postage.

Subscriptions should be addressed to High Fidelity.2160 Patterson St. Cincinnati. Ohio 45214 Subscrip-tion rates' High Fidelity Musical America' In the U.S.A.and its Possessions. 1 year $14; elsewhere. 1 year $15National and other editions published monthly. In theU.S.A. and its Possessions. 1 year $7.95 Subscriptionrates for all other countries available on request.

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In a corner of the recording room, Horowitz is picked up by two banks of microphones ano monitored over four speakers in the control room.

NEW YORK

Horowitz Finishes Up His Columbia Contract

"For me the most important thing is dy-namics and color," Vladimir Horowitzexplained at Columbia's East 30th Streetstudio. "This piano has better dynam-ics-more piano, more forte." He was let-ting me know why he was retapingmaterial I had heard him record twoWednesdays earlier, on January 10, asession that had been plagued by a trou-blesome piano. (Columbia had beenreserving the studio every late Wednes-day afternoon for Horowitz's final ses-sions under his Columbia contract-which he was not planning to renew.)

On the previous occasion I had en-tered the control room about fifteenminutes after the session had gotten un-derway. Producer Dick Killough was sit-ting next to the control board presidedover by engineer Ray Moore. Neither,frankly, seemed to have much to do.Through the control room window, farinto a corner of the huge recording room,I could make out the distant figure of thepianist. He was playing excerpts fromBeethoven's Waldstein Sonata, patchingup spots that apparently hadn't goneexactly to his liking on a mid -DecemberWednesday three weeks earlier, whenthe sonata had been recorded.

My original invitation had been to

that December taping, but at the last mo-ment Dick had phoned me to askwhether I could please make a sub-sequent session. Horowitz's piano-Steinway No. 186, which he had been us-ing since 1965-was no longer playableand the pianist would rather initiate anew instrument without any curious lis-teners observing his midwifery.

After about five minutes more ofWaldstein-patching, Horowitz got downto the music scheduled for the day: fourSchubert Impromptus. First came theOp. 142, No. 2. It started off beautifully,as though the performer were making itup as he went along-that incredible im-provisatory quality that few musiciansare able to bring off. Then, suddenly, anote failed to sound. Horowitz, unfazed,without even breaking the metric pulse,repeated the offending measure. A fewminutes later, during the fiendish Op. 90,No. 4 Impromptu, it happened again.The tape just kept rolling; a razor blade,I figured, would do the appropriate ex-cising in an editing cubicle at some laterdate. In general the virtuoso's jackham-mer fingers were performing their usualwizardry, but after a few more rapid pas-sages that needed repeating I becameuneasy. Horowitz missing notes? The lasttime I had heard him, at his East Sidetown house, was a year earlier, and hehad been magnificent, tossing off the

most fiery passages-from the composerwho for some time had captured his pas-sion, Muzio Clementi-as easily asthough they were the C major scale.(Yes, Virginia, Clementi was a greatcomposer of passionate Romantic pianomusic, not just the writer of your studentpiano pieces.)

To be sure, he was not now reallymissing notes, or hitting wrong keys; itwas just that some notes in the faster pas-sages weren't sounding. And then a newproblem arose: When Horowitz used thesoft pedal, the A above middle C wentout of tune. He would have to repeat theentire work. But first, the piano wouldhave to be retuned.

Standing by, to anticipate any suchcontingency, was a representative fromSteinway. While he fixed the instrumentI entered the hornlike recording roomand got a chance to greet the musician.He sat down on a cot that had beenplaced near the piano.

"You know," he said, "this is such abig room-look how high the ceiling is-that I keep feeling the sound isn't gettingthrough. But in the control room they tellme it's fine."

I assured him that the sound in thecontrol room was indeed powerful.

"That's what they keep telling me. Inhere you don't hear the same thing. Andthe piano is stiff. It was fine for the

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From his cot Horowitz discusses his recalcitrant piano withproducer Dick Killough as a Steinway representative triesto fix it. Right, Mrs. Horowitz on her own self -assembled cot.

Waldstein. But they just kept it here fornearly a month without anybody playingit, and it simply gets stiff this way. Youknow my old piano, 186." He was talkingof it as of an intimate, personal friend."It simply went berserk. They tried to fixit up last summer but it died. That was abeautiful piano. So now I don't haveone. Oh, I have a piano in my house.That's also a beautiful piano. And there'smy other beauty in Connecticut. (TheHorowitzes have a house in New Mil-ford.) But I don't have one to play pro-fessionally. Next week Steinway will sitme in front of five or six pianos and I'lljust play them and choose one. This one,the notes don't come up fast enough."

I mentioned the muffed passages."The piece is not difficult." he ex-

plained. (Op. 90, No. 4 not difficult!?)"It's just that the notes don't come up."He rose from the cot, walked over to thepiano, and played a single note in rapidmachine-gun fashion. Some of the notesmisfired. "Look! You see? But I'll haveto do it over anyway because the pianowas out of tune."

As the tuner continued his work. Hor-owitz turned to Dick Killough. "Are yousure it's coming out strong enough? Ikeep feeling that I have to push more."

"No, it's fine," Dick replied. "Just playit as you feel it."

"It's amazing what they can do in thecontrol room," the pianist said to me. Ididn't bother explaining that they didn'tseem to be doing anything in the controlroom except listening to the great manplay. There was nothing to do; he wasdoing it all himself.

When the session continued it waswith the Impromptus Op. 142, No. I andOp. 90, No. 2.

I don't know whether Steinway eversat Horowitz in front of a battery of pi-anos or not, but when I attended the Jan-

uary 24 session two weeks later the dif-ferent instrument in the studio was notfrom Steinway's basement. Horowitzwas re-recording the entire quartet ofImpromptus on his own piano, whichColumbia had brought in from his Con-necticut house. The previous session'stapes would be scrapped. Hearing himnow, on his "beauty," I could only thinkof New York Times critic Harold Schon-berg's phrase for Horowitz: "still thechamp." For this session Mrs. Horowitz,the daughter of Arturo Toscanini, was inthe control room. She was leaning backin one chair, eyes closed, feet on anotherchair, listening to her husband record.Pinned to her dress was a name tag thatread "Exhibitor-Wanda Horowitz."She opened her eyes as she heard me en-ter and beckoned me to sit next to her.

"I'm a working girl today." she whis-pered with a smile, pointing to herbadge. "A friend of mine from Connecti-cut has an antique shop and is exhibitingin the Antique Show over at the Armory.I'm helping her out." The smile broad-ened. "A funny thing happened at theexhibit today. A woman came up to me.looked at my badge. which could be thebadge of any suburban Jewish house-wife, and said, 'Wanda-that's an un-usual name. A cousin of mine had thatname-Wanda Landowska.' "

A different engineer, Buddy Graham.was at the control board this time, andDick Killough was nowhere to be seen.He was in fact running around the build-ing turning off the air-conditioning sys-tem, which had developed a buzz thathad ruined takes of Op. 142, both No. 1and No. 2. When Dick returned. Horo-witz, far from being the temperamental.easily annoyed artist that legend mistak-enly has it. simply replayed the workslike the consummate professional thathe is.

Photos by Leonard Marcus

"How do you like this piano?" Dickasked me. "You know, before webrought it here, we delivered it to Car-negie Hall so that he could try it outthere. Now word has gotten around thathe was playing privately in CarnegieHall and everybody is asking when he'sgoing to return to the concert stage."Horowitz has not given a concert sinceOctober 1969.

"I've been trying to get him to returnto the stage," added Mrs. Horowitz."And now he really is thinking about itagain."

I noticed that there were two banks ofmicrophones by the piano. Dick ex-plained: "We're set up for two differentperspectives. In one, we use the fourfront mikes alone. In the other, we mixthe four front mikes into two channelsand use the two back mikes for the othertwo channels. Which perspective wechoose depends on the piece. This is justfor stereo, although the second setup willwork for quad as well. The back mikesreally aren't back too far but they're asfar as we can put them without pickingup too much reverberation from this bigroom."

The session went beautifully and at itsconclusion Horowitz was in an extraor-dinarily buoyant mood.

"It was good today. Now we can gohome. Home is a nice place. Home is anice place for all of us." We all laughedin agreement.

As he greeted me, I asked him abouthis plans for a concert. He had been tell-ing me about his hopes for it for over ayear and how, of course, "when I give myconcert. I'll put in some Clementi. Ah,what a composer." The plans were stillnot settled.

Why hadn't he been recording any ofClementi's music? "That will have tocome a little later. Columbia wants bet -


ter sellers. And with what they're payingme, I generally let them have their wayon the type of repertoire they can sell.I've just finished the Moonlight and Ap-passionata-and of course the Waldstein.But now, after the Schubert, I have justone other side to make for them beforemy contract is over. I have some Chopinin the icebox and will finish up a Chopinalbum." He would record six mazurkasin February. (See story and discographystarting on page 48.) "Then I can recordfor anybody. I'll be a free-lancer. Andthen, maybe Clementi. But in my concertI'll certainly play some Clementi."

"Why not a whole Clementi concert?""Oh, nobody would come to hear a

whole evening of Clementi."Actually, of course, "they" hardly

come to hear a whole evening of pianoplaying any more. What they'd come foris to hear an evening of Horowitz-evenif he just played Chopsticks.

LEONARD MARCUS

MUNICH

Pfltzner's Metaphysical Palestrina

Deutsche Grammophon's recordingschedule listed no fewer than twenty-fivesessions for a 195 -minute (four -disc) op-era, Hans Pfitzner's Palestrina. If anyonewonders why such a lavish productionshould be undertaken just when the fa-bled 1964 Vienna broadcast featuringFritz Wunderlich is to be issued com-mercially. he need only look at the corre-spondence columns of the Germanrecord magazines. Where British read-ers, for example, constantly urge record-ings of the lesser works of Delius. ArnoldBax, or even Granville Bantock, for Ger-man record collectors Palestrina has be-come the operatic rarity most asked for.

In my two days of sessions, I managedto hear most of the first act, and I can cer-tainly confirm the attractions of the mu-sic: constant and strong echoes of Meis-tersinger and Rosenkavalier (oftentogether, strangely enough) but withmarkedly less striking melodic inspira-tion. As usual for its sessions with the Ba-varian Radio Symphony Orchestra, DGwas using the Herkulessaal in the atmos-pheric Residenz palace. On stage when Iarrived were no fewer than ten soloists-not only Palestrina himself (recogniz-able as that most versatile of tenors, Ni-colai Gedda) but nine Masters, the spirit-ual dignitaries who listen to Palestrina'sarguments on polyphony and religiousdogma and make their comments. Withsuch a situation it is perhaps surprisingthat Pfitzner managed to avoid copyingWagner's Masters as much as he did.There is no Beck messer. but at one pointthe nine old men utter a series of "Hms"that is one of the most original vocalsounds in opera.

At first, recording manager Hans We-ber and the engineers under Heinz Wild-hagen thought they would "disembody"the Masters' comments, recording themin a separate studio. But the technicalproblems were too great, and with a fewtransparent screens to prevent excessiveovertones from such powerful singers asKarl Ridderbusch and Gerd Nienstedtthe final recording layout in situ workedvery well in spite of the crowding onstage-Gedda on the conductor's right,the others in three trios, each to a music.stand, on his left.

Until the last minute. conductor Ra-fael Kubelik had been suffering acutepain in the arm from rheumatism; younever would have known it from hisequable manner throughout the twogrueling days I witnessed. ThoughKubelik has never conducted Palestrinain the theater, it is an opera he has longbeen fond of. Where else, he asks rhetor-ically, do you find an opera that dealswith metaphysics? Resisting the tempta-tion to ask what other composer wouldhave wanted to put metaphysics on thestage (Pfitzner wrote his own libretto). Iwould just observe that this is plainly anopera that will work better on disc thanin the house, though it has remained inthe repertory in Vienna, Berlin, andMunich (scene of its 1917 world pre-miere).

Gedda has never sung Palestrina onstage, but he had recently sung the bigAct I scene in concert in New York. Itwas an extra challenge to him that he fi-nally recorded almost half his music in asingle day. His scene before the Masterstook up the first two of the three sessionsin the day. I saw Kubelik analyzing a fulltake before his ten soloists, directingthem like the most efficient of committeechairmen. In the Residenz. the DG engi-neers and artists have the advantage of aroom of their own (a luxury virtually un-known to British engineers), and verycomfortable it is-though with typicalGerman thoroughness the central heat-ing is so intense that even in winter thewindows are usually wide open (untilsome singer worried about his throat sur-reptitiously closes them). The controlpanel is raised on a stage, and the twomain loudspeakers were placed very pre-cisely on lines of yellow tape stuck to thecarpet. No one seemed to take much no-tice of two speakers behind the panel,but I cannot believe that quadraphonywas being forgotten. On the playback,with all ears alert, we came to the placewhere Palestrina asks starrily: "Whenwill the time come ..." "At half pastsix," Karl Ridderbusch answered, eyeson the clock.

In fact the Masters were free well be-fore then, and they departed like Wag-ner's Nurembergers rather than priestsof Rome, shaking hands amiably withone another.

Gedda Outdoes Himself. Gedda was lefton stage for the final hour's recording ofthe day. and there followed one of thoseoccasions I love in the studio when im- .possible demands prompt artists to riseto their highest peak. Already Geddahad been the focus of the day's work,showing no signs of tiredness, but at thispoint he was asked to try his big medi-tation aria from Act I. His first attemptwas more than creditable, but the secondtime through-with just seconds to sparebefore 6:30-had all the depth of concen-tration, a genuine sense of a master inmeditation that had one hanging on thenotes from whispered half -tone to full-throated fortissimo. Gedda was as de-lighted as Kubelik.

That left the following day for record-ing the opening scene of the opera, be-tween Palestrina's son Ighino (sopranoHelen Donath) and his favorite pupilSilla (mezzo Brigitte Fassbaender). Itwas uncanny in this long dialogue howoften the women seemed to be echoingthe music of Sophie and Octavian inRosenkavalier. For all the difference ofsubject matter and Pfitzner's metaphysi-cal preoccupation. the actual idiom ofPalestrina could hardly be more secular,with only an occasional hint of po-lyphony.

Once again Kubelik's method was torehearse in detail for the longest possibletime and then do a complete take of anextended passage. In this instance it wasa full eighty minutes before the record-ing light went on for the first time. butthen. with the briefest pause in themiddle, the take lasted well over twentyminutes. It was a tribute to everyoneconcerned that music so tricky in itsrhythm and ensemble was played andsung so confidently at once. Fassbaenderhad one passage that in rehearsal keptworrying her, but with her superblystrong mezzo she finally polished it off.

And if anyone is wondering how Pol-ydor can afford so expensive a set of ses-sions for such an opera (Fischer-Dieskauamong others in the cast), the answer isthat once again the Bavarian Radio hasprovided some of the money-a fruitfulpartnership. EDWARD GREENFIELD

LONDON

Margaret Price Takes UpMozart's Gauntlet

It was good fortune that RCA's record-ing sessions with the young Welsh so-prano Margaret Price came just beforeCovent Garden called her in at the lastminute to take over as Fiordiligi in Mo-zart's Cosi fan tutte. In fact, though, shehad already recorded the part complete(with Klemperer for EMI, reviewed inMay 1973). But here RCA was challeng-ing her still further, with the widest pos-

JULY 1973 15

sible range of Mozart arias: three fromFigaro (one each of the Countess, Su-sanna, and Cherubino), Constanze's"Martern aller Arten" from Die Entfuh-rung, Elettra's "Idol mio" from Ido-meneo, Anna's "Non mi dir" from DonGiovanni, as well as arias from Ii Re pas -tore, Mitridate, and La Clemenza di Tito.

Price-whom I have long consideredone of the clear candidates among Brit-ish singers for international acclaim-isthe opposite of temperamental. Listen-ing to her playbacks, she studied herachievement each time with the coolnessof a practiced recording artist, happilytaking surprisingly sharp criticism fromconductor James Lockhart, who has

played an important part in her successso far. They would discuss in detail whatpointing should be given to a particularornament, judging the result each timewith clinical care.

I went to the EMI studio on the thirdof three days of intensive work, but Pricewas still as fresh as ever, completely un-daunted by the terrors of "Non mi dir."Shoulders back, hands on hips-the lookwas stalwart to say the least-she ranthrough her final take, and only when atone point she came perilously near torunning out of breath (or so she told usafterward) did her expression lose itsphlegm and acquire the agonized lookone knows so well with other singers. At

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the end, the appreciative players of theEnglish Chamber Orchestra rattled theirbows enthusiastically on their stands inacknowledgment.

Previn's Shostakovich Cycle. For EMI,the most active conductor of recentmonths has been Andre Previn-withBritish music to the fore. Sir WilliamWalton was in England (his home is inIschia) and he attended the sessions ofhis Second Symphony, a work that-asPrevin appreciates all too well-wasplayed supremely well on record byGeorge Szell's Cleveland Orchestra. Thecoupling will be Walton's Scapino Over-ture and Constant Lambert's colorfuljazz -inspired Rio Grande, a work thatWalton has been urging on Previn forsome time.

Previn and his wife, Mia Farrow, havealso been recording together. The actresscame to the studio to narrate Prokofiev'sPeter and the Wolf The coupling will bethe usual: Britten's Young Person'sGuide to the Orchestra. But this timethe speaker-in a narrative slightlyamended, with the composer's ap-proval-is Previn himself. He recordedthe narration not only in English but inFrench and German too. Being born inBerlin and passing through Paris on hisway to an American education obviouslyproved useful.

Of all the new Previn recordings themost important is Shostakovich's EighthSymphony-still absurdly neglected,even though in London it has now be-come a repertory favorite with a special-ized audience. Immediately before theEMI studio sessions Previn had directedthe LSO in a dedicated performance atthe Royal Festival Hall. There wereslight but conscious differences: For ex-ample, Previn attempted a tempo for thescherzo which, as he said, he wouldnever have dared in a live concert. How-ard Snell, the orchestra's virtuoso firsttrumpet (and the self-governing orches-tra's chairman) was lip -perfect, an-nouncing afterward, "It wasn't too diffi-cult." Ultimately those who faced theworst problems were not the musiciansbut the engineers, who had to cope withthe brutal fortissimos, which Previnwanted to make as cutting as possible incontrast with the "gray ice" of the Passa-caglia. The transfer engineers may haveeven worse problems fitting the tape ontwo LP sides, what with a first movementlasting twenty-five minutes, a secondmovement lasting six, and the last three(continuous) movements totting up tomore than half an hour-with fortissimosin all the most difficult places. But theyare confident of squeezing the result inthe most sensible way onto two sides.This incidentally is planned as the firstinstallment of a complete Shostakovichsymphony cycle from Previn and theLSO. E.G.


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IGHFIDELITYReader Service 73P.O. Box 14306Annex StationCincinnati, Ohio 45214

NewEquipment

1973

.11.1111W1111

HIGHFIDELITYHow to Make Your Record -Playing

Components Compatikle

For the full story of music andmusic makers today, be sure toinclude MUSICAL AMERICA aspart of your HIGH FIDELITY sub-scription.

In 32 sparkling pages, MUSICALAMERICA covers the live musi-cal scene completely. You'll getnews, reviews and reports of im-portant musical events all overthe world-written by critics whoknow the score and how to writeabout it with wit as well as au-thority. You'll meet today's out-standing conductors, composersand performers... learn how theywork and live .. . what they thinkand say about music-and abouteach other.

MUSICAL AMERICA adds a newdimension to HIGH FIDELITY-and to your enjoyment of music.Usethe postage -free card to startcopies coming yourway regularly.

(MUSICAL AM ERICA isavailableonly by subscription .. . and onlywith HIGH FIDELITY. It is notsold on newsstands. Another im-portant reason for you to use thesubscription card now.)

Your records represent a major investment.Does your record player protect it?

According to surveys by the majormusic magazines, the average musiclover owns more than 200 records.

If you're typical, a little mathwill tell you that your recordcollection has already cost you overa thousand dollars. And will cost evenmore as you continue to buy records.

With that much money involved,it's certainly worth your while toconsider how to protect that investment.Especially since the soft vinyl record isso vulnerable to permanent damagefrom the unyielding hardness of thediamond -tipped stylus.

What can do the damage.As soon as the stylus touches down

in the groove, a running battle begins.The rapidly changing contours of therecord groove force the stylus to moveup, down and sideways at great speeds.To reproduce a piccolo, for example,the stylus must vibrate about fifteenthousand times a second.

The battle is a very uneven one. Ifthe stylus can't respond easily andaccurately, there's trouble. Especiallywith the sharp and fragile curves whichproduce the high frequencies. Insteadof going around these peaks, the styluswill simply lop them off. The recordlooks unchanged, but with those littlebits of vinyl go the lovely high notes.

It's all up tothe tonearm.

Actually, no damageneed occur. Your recordscan continue to soundnew every timeyou play them.

Duu

It all depends on the tonearm, which isto the stylus as the surgeon's hand isto the scalpel.

Basically the tonearm has just

three jobs to perform. It must apply justthe right amount of pressure to thestylus, keep this pressure equal on bothwalls of the groove, and follow thestylus without resistance as the groovespirals inward.

Today's finest cartridges aredesigned to track optimally at very lowpressures (one gram or less). So you

can appreciate how important it is forthe tonearm settings to be accurate anddependable. And for the friction in thebearings to be extremely low.

Yet the difference in cost betweena turntable with a precision -balancedtonearm and one with a less refinedtonearm can be as little as $50. (Thecost of only a dozen records.)

Dual: The choice ofserious record collectors.For these reasons and others,

Dual automatic turntables have longbeen the choice of serious music lovers.

And for years, readers of heleading music magazines have boughtmore Duals than any other make ofquality turntable.

We think these are impressiveendorsements of Dual quality. But if you

Dual 1214

Dual

Dual 1215S

would like to know what independenttest labs say about Dual, we'll send youcomplete reprints of their reports. Plusan article on what you should look forin record playing equipment.

Or, f you feel ready to invest in aDual, just visit your franchised UnitedAudio dealer for a demonstration.The dividends will start immediately.

r --

How Dual prDtects your records.

Unlike conventionaltonearms, the 1213and 1229 track rec-ords ct the originalcutting angle. The

1229 tonearm parslels s ngle records;

moves up to paral lechanger stack. In

the 1218, a similaradjustment is

provided in thecartridge housing.

The tonearms ofthe Dual 1218 and1229 are mountedn roscopic

gimbals, the bestknown scientificmeans for balanc-ing a precisioninstrument thatmust remainbalanced in allplanes of motion.

In all Dual models,stylus pressure isapplied around thepivot, maintainingperfect dynamicbalance of thetonearm.

For perfect tracking)glance in each wall of

the stereo groove,separate anti -skating

:al ibrations 'or conicaland elliptical styli areprovided on all Duals.

Dual 1229

United Audio Products Inc. 120 So. Columbus Ave., Mt. Vernon, N.Y. 10553

on4-brie

CIRCLE 14 ON READER -SERVICE CARDJtrt 1973

19

You Want U.S. JazzRecords? Try Toronto

THE ADDRESS -893 Yonge St., Toronto 5,Canada-has become known to jazz fansall over the world.

It is famous for three things: It is thehome of the Sackville record label; it isthe address of the Jazz and Blues RecordCenter; and it is the home of Coda maga-zine, a small publication (present circu-lation: 2,800) whose influence is out ofall proportion to its size. Perhaps oneshould say it is famous for four things:It's also the business address of JohnNorris, instigator and proprietor of theaforesaid three enterprises. For jazz fansand many musicians, Norris hasemerged in recent years as some sort ofsaint. Yet few of them know anythingabout him.

Norris, a six-foot, youthful thirty-nine -year -old Englishman with reddishbrown hair, persisted in believing in themusic even during the 1960s-"the darktime," as Oscar Peterson calls it. Andnow Coda, his nonprofit (it solicits no ad-vertising) labor of love, is picking upabout another 100 readers a month aspeople discover it in hotbeds of jazz likeJapan. His record store-his only realsource of income-is handling mail or-ders from all over North America andEurope; and the Sackville label, whichrecently issued the Jay McShann Manfrom Muskogee album that so impressedJohn S. Wilson in the May issue of thismagazine, is starting to thrive.

"More and more people are coming toour store from the States," Norris says,taking a breath after returning from atrip to Canadian Customs, where he hadextricated several boxes of Americanjazz albums from the toils of the bureau-crats. Ironically, many of them willpromptly be mailed back south to jazzfans who can't find them in their localshops. "That's a total reversal of the situ-ation when I came to Canada in 1956. I

used to go to New York to shop at theJazz Record Center.

"When you have people in New Yorkspending $100 a month-one man spendsabout $150-to buy jazz records from usin Toronto, you can see what the situ-ation is in the American record industry.

"Besides our mail-order business, wehave more and more people who makedetours on their vacations to come intothe shop."

Norris is disgusted by the way Ameri-can record companies have treated ma-jor American artists. When Norris' littlecompany has to bring the legendary JayMcShann to Toronto from Kansas Cityto make his first album in years. the in-dustry's irresponsibility toward Ameri-can music leaps into sharp relief. Nor isthe Norris example the only one: ManyAmerican jazz artists, unable to get con-tracts at home, record for the MPS labelin Germany. (The Jay McShann album.by the way. was made in four -and -a -halfhours, and is every bit as good as JohnWilson said it is.)

"There is definitely a jazz revival,"Norris continues. "But right now, it's arevival only in the sense that we're sell-ing a lot of jazz records and an incrediblenumber of young people want to knowabout and understand jazz. It is not arevival in the sense that there's morework for musicians. There aren't enoughjazz nightclubs, and the big labelshaven't caught on to what's happening.

"When Stan Getz was here a fewweeks ago, it was mostly young peoplewho went to hear him. More than halfthe people who come into our store areunder thirty, and many are under twenty.

"But it's hard to translate this intosomething that's going to benefit every-body, because radio, television, and therecord industry are still ignoring it. Mostof the people I know in the business pri-vately like jazz, but they say 'Jazz doesn'tsell.' Well it does, when it gets thechance.

"When television occasionally doestry to present jazz, they screw it up.There have been two classic examples inthe last year. One of them was the "Li-onel Hampton and Friends" special,which was done here in Toronto. It was adiabolical disaster. They booked somany people, nobody got a chance toplay. The other was that recent Duke El-lington special which, as far as I was con-cerned, was a black Ed Sullivan show.All that saved it was the quality of thesingers and the fact that they sang DukeEllington songs."

What is the answer? Norris doesn'tknow. But he knows what isn't the an-swer. So far, he has resisted offers fromAmerican labels to distribute Sackville."We tried that once and it didn't work.We find we're better off shipping directlyto independent distributors, and work-ing through mail order.

"Look at this Jay McShann record. Ithas the potential to be a monster album,if it's handled right. But the big corpora-tions don't have the foggiest idea whatjazz is. The problem in the States is get-ting the music to the people who want tobuy it."

Norris got hooked on jazz when hewas a teenager, first by hearing imitationjazz on the radio, and then by seeing themovie New Orleans, with Louis Arm-strong and Billie Holiday. "The next dayI went out and bought my first jazzrecord. I was seventeen."

Norris eventually went to work for theShell Oil Company in London. "I gotbored. I couldn't see myself getting to beforty and living like all those people inCroydon. henpecked and phoning theirwives every day to talk about the grocer-ies. I had a chance to go to work in thecolonies for Shell, but I couldn't see my-self as the pucka sahib, either. So Ithought about emigrating to Canada orAustralia. I chose Canada because, if Ihated it, it would be cheaper to get homethan from Australia, and because Can-ada was right next to the United Statesand all that great jazz." He reached Can-ada with his record collection and $300-which he promptly spent on a recordplayer. Now, seventeen years later, hehas lost most of his English accent butnone of his passion for jazz.

Does it cause problems with his wife?A slow smile. "Well, it's all right. It'smore than my business, it's my avoca-tion. It's more than my living, it's my life.As soon as I come home. I put a recordon."

Norris worked for the government fora while, then for Sam Sneiderman'sSam -the -Record -Man shop, one of theworld's biggest record retailers-Snei-derman claims it's the biggest. Norrisstayed there eight years. "It was an inval-uable apprenticeship," he says. "I don'tthink most jazz fans could run a recordshop." Again a smile: "They'd order allthe wrong things."

Somehow he survived the '60s. subsi-dizing Coda from his own pocket. run-ning his little record shop. building uphis mail-order business in the U.S. andEurope, writing an occasional article forAmerican musical publications, pushingfor jazz, inspiring the love of older andneglected jazzmen whom he recorded(again, it was usually at a loss) on Sack-ville to the annoyance of the big labelshe kept bugging to put out more jazz.For the heavyweight record executives inNew York, he was just that nut in To-ronto who doesn't understand this busi-ness, man.

Well he did, and he does, and anothercycle of history has turned, and if there'sa quiet arrogance in the eyes of JohnNorris, he has a right to it. He's one ofthe people who never sold out, and nowit's paying off. GENE LEES


The 400 millisecond miracle.

Most peopleseem to take forgranted thesmooth, effort-

less way in which a Revox works.And that is as it should be.For a great deal of time, effort and

sophisticated engineering have goneinto translating extremely complexfunction into lightning quick, respon-sive operation.

For example, when you press theplay button of a Revox, you set in mo-tion a sequence of events that takeplace with the precision of a rocketlaunching.

It begins with a gold plated contactstrip that moves to close two sectionsof the transport control circuit board.

Instantaneously, the logic is checkedfor permissibility. If acceptable, arelay is activated.

Within 15 milliseconds, power issupplied to the pinch roller solenoid,the brake solenoid, the back tensionmotor, a second relay and, at the sametime, the photocell is checked for thepresence of tape. If present, RelayOne self -holds.

Elapsed time, 25 milliseconds.At 30 milliseconds, Relay Two

closes and puts accelerating tension

on the take-up motor.The logic checks are now complete

and power is available to actuate allnecessary functions.

From 30 milliseconds to 300 milli-seconds, mechanical inertia is beingovercome and the motors and sole-noids are settling down.

By 300 milliseconds, the brakes havebeen released, the pinch roller is incontact with the capstan shaft, thetape lifter retracted, the playback mut-ing removed and the motors havecome up to operating speed.

At 350 milliseconds power is cut offfrom Relay Two, which changes overto another set of contacts, releasingthe accelerating tension on the take-upmotor and completing a circuitthrough Relay One that, in turn,restores normal tension to thetake-up motor.

Total elapsed time, 400 milliseconds.The Revox is now in the play mode.

And it's all happened in a fraction ofthe time it takes to read this sentence.

The 400 milli-second miracle.More proof thatRevox deliverswhat all the restonly promise.

Revox Corporation 155 Michael Drive, Syosset, N.Y. 11791. Calif.: 3637 Cahuenga Blvd. West, Hollywood 90068England C.E. Hammond & Co.. Ltd., Lamb House, Chiswick, London W4 ZPB. Available in Canada.


JULY 1973 21

It's a shock to see old 3M copying upstartMemorex's plastic boxes for open -reeltapes. They look nice, but do they offer anypractical advantages?-F. E. Lowell, Mil-waukee, Wis.Let's put it this way. Originally 3M had acardboard box with lots of writing spacethat would take a pencil (and could beerased cleanly), a ballpoint, or whatever.Inside was a length of tape on a sturdy plas-tic reel. Later on 3M added shrinkwrap tothe outside. Then Memorex came alongwith a plastic box that offered little writingspace, even if you could find a writing im-plement that would take on the silver pa-per. (Memorex's new silver paper will ac-cept a variety of implements, thougherasures smudge.) Inside, wrapped in aplastic bag that simply had to be thrownout, was a handsome, sturdy reel filled withtape that had leader already attached toprotect tape ends. Outsideprinted (including tape -type designation)plastic wrap that you had to discard to getat the tape. Now 3M has a plastic box thatoffers little writing space (though it doesspecify the tape type) and smudges whenyou erase. Inside, wrapped in a plastic bagthat simply has to be thrown out, is a hand-some, sturdy reel filled with tape that hasleader already attached to protect the tapeends. Outside is a fancy printed plasticwrap that you have to discard to get at thetape. We find we fumbled a bit less in open-ing the 3M box because it has an obviousfinger hole at the top of the hinged edge;the sides of this finger hole tend to break offin shipping, however, unless the reel iscarefully packed. Neither plastic box willget mashed or split at the hinge the way thecardboard boxes did in heavy wear. Theleader certainly is a plus. Outside of thatwe're hard put to find ways in which thenew can unequivocally be called improved.

A letter from a Mr. Simpson [THTH, April1973] complained of a chronic output tran-sistor failure in his Sansui 5000 receiver.My own is in the shop for the same prob-lem. Two reputable Minneapolis dealerstell me this is a common failure in this re-ceiver and that to solve it Sansui has re-placed the driver amplifier boards (F -1040-1A in the original model) with new ones(marked F-6013). The first dealer said hewould not warranty his repair unless hewere to replace the board in question plusthe output transistors in that channel at anadditional $27.50. He also recommendedthat I replace the board in the other chan-nel before it caused a similar failure. The

too hotto handle

second dealer-from whom I bought thereceiver in June 1971-said my unit wasstill within its two-year warranty and re-placed both circuit boards plus the blowntransistors free.-Paul Schelin, Min-neapolis, Minn.As you pointed out, Sansui has a goodtrack record on reliability. But the problemwith the 5000 is not due to excessive heatalone; the output driver boards are un-stable under temperature and load (imped-ance) variations. Mr. Simpson's problemwill keep recurring unless both driverboards are replaced with the improved ver-sion, which is available to owners of the5000 through authorized Sansui servicestations at $13.66 each plus labor. I knowof several 5000s whose output transistorsfailed, and the new boards always havetaken care of the problem.-R. E. Bulkley,Columbus, Ohio.Our Schelin and Bulkley(and several others) for their interest in MrSimpson's woes.

Your report on the Sony PS -5520 turntable[January 1973] is very accurate. Howeverthe unit does have some human -engineer-ing flaws that your readers should havebeen told about. The dust cover is hingedand requires about 15 inches of clearanceabove the baseplate for full opening, andscarcely less if it is to be opened farenough to stay up by itself. And there is nolocking device to secure the arm and pre-vent stylus damage during dusting, track-ing -force adjustment, stylus cleaning, andsimilar operations. For similar reasons I

must complain of your report on the Rus-sound SWB-2 Multi -Play speaker selector[December 1972]. The screw terminals onthe back are so close that one has to be ex-tremely careful to keep leads from touch-ing and shorting, even in using spadelugs.-Paul Seydor, Iowa City, Iowa.The back panel of the SWB-2 is uselessbecause the terminals are unidentified.-Ralph A. Sindler, Corpus Christi, Tex.Mr. Sindler, meet Mr. Seydor. You bothhave worked with the same unit, but havedifferent objections to it. All the objectionscited strike us as valid, and we do makemention of such things in our reports if wefeel they are significant and unexpected.The speaker terminals on much of theequipment we see can be shorted bysloppy wiring; we felt the SWB-2 requiredno more than normal care in this respect.Similarly it seemed obvious to us how theleads were to be attached, even though theterminals are unmarked, since the lineup

mirrors the front -panel switching. Armlocks have become increasingly commonin recent years, and perhaps it is time thatwe began to consider the omission-ratherthan the provision-as requiring comment.And large minimum vertical clearance is tobe expected with hinged dust covers. It'strue that there are alternatives-dust cov-ers that can be slid forward, for example-but we have found them to present theirown problems (the need for space to setdown a removable cover, for example) thatgive them no clear advantage over thecommon hinged type. But we thank bothgentlemen for their comments, since theyhelp us know what specifics interest ourreaders. Asa matter of fact we're now mak-ing it a policy to state what sort of leads arebest suited to the screw terminals, bindingposts, and spring clips on the equipmentwe test. For the SWB-2 we'd suggest barewires or small spade lugs.

Your cassette tape reports [March 1973]don't make it clear whether there is any dif-ference between brands of tape in min-imizing speed variations. Does Scotch'sPosi-Trak backing help at all?-Donald S.Deitch, New York, N.Y.Cassette design most certainly does con-tribute to motional stability, but the differ-ence in results depends not only on thecassette but on the recorder as well. Forthis reason every tape plant we visit thesedays shows us tests being run on its cas-settes with a wide variety of commerciallyavailable equipment. So while Posi-Trak'scontributions to motional stability can bedemonstrated in the laboratory, there's noguarantee that its advantages will be au-dible (or even measurable) with the par-ticular equipment you happen to use with it.

I'm very much impressed with four -chan-nel sound. For my money (about S500)which system is the best to buy? I want areceiver with AM and FM, a turntable, andthe four speakers. A tape deck could bepurchased later. Please don't give me anegative answer.-James Ryba, Chicago,Ill.We're tempted to give you a rude one, as amatter of fact. While understandable, thedesire for a nice pat answer to such a ques-tion is utterly unrealistic. For one thing itwould require a long list of specifics aboutyour listening room, your tastes, your lis-tening habits, your sophistication in audiomatters, and-most important-the wayquadraphonics will shape up over the nextfew years. Since quadraphonics is soyoung and volatile we don't believe thetime has yet come when you can buy asingle quadraphonic system and expect itto remain appropriate indefinitely. Youprobably would be better off if you plannedto convert to quadraphonics over a periodof years, counting some of your purchasesas interim units that probably will be retiredbefore too long. (Figure, for example, that a$50 decoder you use for two years will havecost you about $2.00 per month.) Our rec-ommendation is that you look for low pricein the "temporary" units and versatility andadaptability in the more expensive ones.

CIRCLE 41 ON READER -SERVICE CARD -310

Can you live withouta 00 watt amplifier?

Maybe. El you're content to listen to music at a less thanrealistic level. Or if you don't mind the loss of qualitycaused by clipping during the more dramatic passages inyour favorite records. On the other hand, if you want tolisten at a real -life level without distortion, you needat least 400 watts of amplifier power. Other things beingequal, the more power you have to drive those finespeakers, the more faithful the sound. Julian Hirsch putit this way: "Anyone using a low -efficiency speaker . . .

with an amplifier in the 30 to 50 watt class cannot approachrealistic listening levels without severe clipping." AndAudio, after listening to the Phase Linear 400, said,

. . . many people do not realize just how much power isnecessary to handle peaks without clipping . ."Stereo Review summed up: "A superb ampli-fier, furnishing the essential qualities of the

(P lase Linear) Model703 at a much lowerprice (almost abargain in today'smarket)."Advanced design heat sink

provides Protective cooling.

At $499.00 why live with anything lessthan the Phase Linear 400? Ask yourdealer for an audition.

THE POWERFUL DIFFERENCE

PHASE LINEAR CORPORATION

P.O. BOX 549

EDMONDS. WASHINGTCN 98020

4% I

011.0* too

3%

10.11

2%. Faaf *Aye

I%

')',% ama*so ISO 200

E nowt 10 ,10.0v10.90.0 .0,1 +IN

Phase Linear 400400 watts RMS direct coupled solidstate stereo power amplifier.POWER: Greater than 200 watts/chan-nel RMS both channe s driven into 8ohms. Power at clipp ng typically 250watts /channel into 8 ohms and 400watts/channel RMS into 4 ohms. HAR-MONIC OF LM. DISTORTION: Lessthan .25%; typically less than .05%.PROTECTION: Patented protection cir-cuit monito.'s erergy, shuts down am-

plifier if sale opeiating levels areexceecei. HUM MID NOISE:

Bet er than 100 dz belcw 200watts. STABLITY: Absolutely

stable with Ell SZDeake loadse ectrostatic

unit.s. WARRANTY: Threeyears, parts and labor.

PRICE $439.00WALNUT CABINET:

S37.00.

State of the Art for 78s TooWhile the April issue-which featured an article on play-ing 78s with modern stereo equipment-was on its wayto newsstands and subscribers, we were on our way tovisit Shure Bros. in Illinois. Readers of that article mayremember that we mentioned (not without a certainastonishment) that International Observatory Instru-ments was preparing an elliptical stylus (to be used inthe Shure M-44 cartridge) for optimum playback of thewide -range signals to be found in late 78s such as DG'sVariable Micrograde and London/ Decca's ffrr's. Wedidn't expect more news on this front so soon.

But in a press conference called by Shure to intro-duce the V-15 Type III (see test report in this issue) we

Sony's New SQ ICs

news andviews

were told that some time this spring-namely, by thetime you read this-the company expects to have avail-able the $28 VN78E biradial replacement stylus for theType III, with tip radii of 0.5 and 2.5 mils, for playing 78s.The stylus mount includes a weight that automaticallyconverts tracking force from the normal range (0.75) to1.25 grams) to the one (1.5 to 3.0 grams) required fortracking 78s.

The news of elliptical diamond tips being readied forthe playing of discs that are, technically speaking, sometwenty years out of date is striking enough. But word ofa tip for a brand new state-of-the-art cartridge-a classof cartridge for which we seldom have been able to buyany type of 78 stylus in recent years-is close to incred-ible.


Cutting the Cost of Full LogicSony Corp. has introduced three integrated circuits itsays will result in lower production costs, simplified ad-justments, and increased reliability for SQ four -channelequipment. The chips have resulted in reduction by atleast 80 per cent in the size of the SQ decoder sectionand from fourteen to two in the number of adjustmentpoints.

The SQ ICs (which are manufactured by Sony in Ja-pan, rather than imported from the U.S. as has beencommon among Japanese equipment manufacturers)comprise the CX-050 basic decoder, the CX-049 full -logic chip, and the CX-718 gain -logic chip. Sony saysthe CX-050 also functions as an RM decoder and rec-ommends the use of one CX-049 and two CX-718s in

videotopics

professional fa -logic SQ decoders. About 100,000chips will be produced each month, with marketing toSQ hardware licensees beginning this fall.

Most important is the projected cost of the ICs-about$10 per set of three-which could reduce the cost of SQequipment by an equal amount. This in turn could bringfull -logic SQ capability in range for receiver manufac-turers who have chosen to maintain their price points byomitting logic. In addition the reduction in SQ chipprice, coupled with the scheduled introduction of CD -4chips, may mean that receivers with full quadraphoniccapability will be available at little increase over currentcost sooner than expected.


TV with Stereo, of a SortThe developing field of video tapes, cartridges, andcassettes has generally slighted sound as such. Butnow Videosonics of Milwaukee is offering a $500 stereoconsole for tape equipment users as an alternative tothe marginal audio resulting from the inexpensive am-plifiers and speakers used in most TV sets.

The console is designed to hold a television receiveron its top shelf and a video tape player (whatever theformat) up to 21 inches wide on its lower shelf. A combi-nation amplifier/speaker unit is in the middle. Video-sonics says the 6 -by -9 -inch speaker for each channel isdriven by an amplifier section rated at 15 watts perchannel continuous power. Both speaker and amplifierare rated for response to 18 kHz. (Audio bandwidth onvideotape normally is restricted to about 12 kHz.) Anauxiliary input is provided. As the speakers are less than21/2 feet apart, we would expect stereo separation to belimited at normal listening distances. Videosonicshardly seems to be thinking in terms of the current stateof the stereo art. But it does offer a significant advance-ment in television audio by contrast to a typical TV setwith 1 to 2 watts total power and a frequency responseof some 100 to 3,500 Hz.



It shouldn't matterwhere a receiver ismade. Especiallyone that has beenas highly acclaimedas the SherwoodS -7900A, (AM/FM)and SherwoodS -8900A (FM only).

Except that with thedollar devaluationand the fluctuationsof foreigncurrencies, you willnotice that ourcompetitors areincreasing theirprices. Makingthese receivers evenbetter values.

SherwoodThe word is getting around.

SHEHVVOOD I s

STEREOLEFT &

REVMONO

MODE

STEREO

FM A MAU

SELECTOR

Direct coupled output circuitry withelecfonic relay rotection.

Frort panel tour channel provision,(doubles as a second tape monitcr).Flow gang tuning capacitor.

Solid state Ceramic FM IF FilteringExc usive FM Inter-channel/side-band hush.

Buitt-in Dynaquad 4 channel matrix

Power Output (IHF): 280 watts total. RMS,(both channels driven) 60 watts x 2 @ 8ohms, 20-20,000 Hz. @ 0.3% T.H D.

FM Sensitivity (IHF) 1.7 uv (-30c1 noise& d st.)

Capture Ratio: 1.9 db.

Alternate -Channel Selectivity 65 db.

Stereo Separation: 40 db. @ 1KHz

Sherwood Electronic Laboratories,4300 North California Avenue,Ch cago, Illinois 60618

Video on an Audio Cassette?Since it first came to this country, Panasonic has re-peatedly demonstrated intriguing equipment pro-totypes, some of which eventually have reached pro-duction. (Remember the wait for the RF-60 FMheadset?) The latest is a color video cassette player thatutilizes a standard audio cassette.

The device, which looks like a quality cassette deck,displays a sequence of still pictures over a standard TVreceiver. As many as 1,000 pictures may be recordedon a C-60 audio cassette. The video tracks (one per di-rection of tape travel) are between the stereo audiotracks for optimal audio/video synchronization. Pana-

sonic says it has designed the unit initially for educa-tional use, though it might be adapted for home use.

In its current configuration, the unit will record andplay audio, but will only play back video. Panasonicsays it anticipates that recorded video cassettes for theunit would be available commercially. The still picturesare recorded in multiples of 3.6 seconds and are playedback on the unit by a rotary head. Data on video signal-to-noise and horizontal resolution are not currentlyavailable. Panasonic also has no word on the cost oravailability of the unit, although it "hopes to make a de-cision shortly."

equipment in thenews

Nakamichi to announce second cassette deck

Although the new 700 cassette deck from Nakamichi Research Inc.has somewhat fewer features than the company's 1000 model (see"News and Views," May 1973), it still provides just about everythinga user could want. Among its many features are a dual -motor drivesystem, solenoid -action feather -touch controls that include a tim-ing -logic system, three heads (erase, recording, playback/monitor),an azimuth alignment system for the record head, peak -reading me-ters, and Dolby -B noise -eduction system. The unit accommodatesferric oxide or chromium dioxide tapes and is priced at about $700.


A speaker kit from Radio Shack

If you have a screwdriver, pliers, and a soldering iron, you have whatit takes to build the Archerkit speaker system kit from Radio Shack.The unit is a three-way system with a 10 -inch woofer, a 6 -inch conemidrange, a 31/4 -inch tweeter, and electrical crossover in a bass -re-flex type enclosure made of/4-inch hardwood. Rated impedance is8 ohms, response is given as 40 Hz to 18 kHz, and power capacity issaid to be 40 watts peak. The kit costs $49.95 including walnut fin-ishing oil.


United Audio offers its lowest -priced changer

At $109.50, the Dual 1214 from United Audio Products, Inc., is thatcompany's lowest -priced model, but it still offers many attractivefeatures: high -torque constant -speed motor, 6% (nominal ±3%)pitch -control, silicone -damped cue -control, and elevator -actionchanger spindle. The low mass counterbalanced tone arm with lowfriction pivot bearings can track as low as 11/4 grams. A built-in ad-justable antiskating system is preset at the factory for use with themost popular cartridges. Dust covers and bases are optional.



There really is a differenceIf you think that most cassette

decks look alike ... you're right.If you think that most cassette

decks are alike... you're right again.But there is one so different that

it defies comparison. And you can ownone for no more than the "look-alikes."

technical simi-There are a lot oflarities, but onlyAKAI gives you theincredible GX (glassand crystal ferrite)head. A head so re-markable that it isvirtually wear free...Its low -noise singlecrystal and glasscoated surface makeit dust -free too. And its high frequencyresponse is completely superior to anyother head on the market today.

-

1AKAI GX head after500 hrs.

Pressed -Ferrite headafter 500 hrs.

Low frequency noise and high fre-quency distortion are characteristic cfthe low tape speed of cassette players(1-7/8 ips ). That's why professionalreel-to-reel recordings are usuallymade at 15 inches per second. TheDolby® system provided the answer tolow frequency noise. (Of course, weuse Dolby too.) But only AKAI's exclu-sive ADRS system provides the mearsto eliminate al-most all highfrequency dis-tortion over 8KHz.

Without ADH5

CPAWith ADRS

It all adds up to the real differencein fine tape equipment ... GX heads,ADRS and Dolby. No one else givesyou all three. Why settle for less thanthe best?

Listen to the AKAI GXC-46D. Itmay look similar . . . but you get somuch more.

"Dolby" is a Trade Mark of Dolby Laboratories, Inc.

And you don'thave to be anengineer tounderstand it

Rom

AKAI..The Innovators

AKAI America, Ltd./P.O. Box 55055,Los Angeles, California 90055


equipment in thenews Continued from page 26.

The Oratorio four -channel receiver

Teledyne Packard Bell has a new unit for the quadraphonic era-theOratorio R30402 receiver. The company rates the unit's power at 30continuous or "RMS" watts per channel into 8 -ohm loads. The Ora-torio also has a BTL switch which Teledyne says provides extra two -channel stereo power (better than 60 watts each into 8 ohms withtwo channels driven). Other features include pushbutton programselectors, blackout slide -rule dial, and a tilt -out panel housing tone,filter balance loudness, and output muting controls. The unit ispriced at $499.95.

A timer for tapers

Timekeeper, of Great Neck, N.Y., calls its tape timer the T-1 Elec-tronic StopClock-a good name. It's intended to rival the elaborate(and expensive) timing equipment that is used in professional stu-dios, but at a price that may appeal to the amateur tape enthusiast.At $185 it isn't cheap, but it has a handsome wood -grained case andreads-digitally-in minutes (up to 60), seconds, and tenths of sec-onds. The light -up controls, on a 15 -foot extension, are for go, stop,and reset.



BSR deluxes its 8 -track player

With the addition of an output level control so that tape volume canbe matched to other inputs in a stereo system and a walnut -grainedcabinet with brushed metal front panel, BSR has created theTD8SW, a deluxe version of its TD8S 8 -track cartridge player. TheTD8SW is designed with the tape head mounted on a stepping cam,a system said to minimize crosstalk from adjacent tracks. The priceis $59.95.

Looks like a mirror, sounds like stereo

The eight -sided TT -8 from Backstrom, Inc., contains two chambersthat reproduce separate stereo channels. Each chamber contains,according to the company, four rubber -edged speaker elementsthat deliver bass, midrange, and treble up to 8 kHz. Also included(behind the mirrorlike, chrome -plated dome on the front of thespeaker) are four tweeters. When the speaker is mounted on the wallor ceiling, the chambers project the sound in opposite directions sothat it can be reflected from other walls and furniture. The price isabout $400.



28 H1(011:11)1 1111 M,\(, AZINI:

We can warrantyour components for five years.

Because we knowwhat's inside them.

Dependable stereo performance depends in great part on the partsthat make up each component.

In order to give you the longest warranty* in the stereo industryYamaha engineers had to feel confident inthe reliability of all the various parts thatgo into our many audio products.

They had good reason to feelconfident.

Because we make more of ourown parts than other stereo companies.We mill our own trees for the cabinet -wood.

We actually make themachinery that forms our chassis andother metalwork.

We make the magnets for ourspeakers. We make these under stringentconditions, in our own facilities.

The result is stereo that can bewarranteed for five years on parts, threeon labor.

And some very clear, natural sounding reproduction from ourreceivers, amplifiers, tuners, speakers, turntables and tape decks.

Come hear them at your near ealer.

-WARRANTY -`It it tails within the Warrantyperiod in normal use by you.V* original puwrchaser and itis our fault, ell fin t a youdeliver it to us or to cur war -minty station(in receivers. amplifies, tun-ers. and speakers. Warrantytarts ere free for 5 yesrs. and'Warranty labor 'or 3Cr tape recorders at d turn-tables. Warranty parts -are treeMr 2 years. and Warne ty laborfur one.It you cant find our warrantytatatn. phone sun Audio Man-

ager person-to-persor collect,tom any phone in the 48 con-tinental United States. nr write"arnaha Audio DivisiorPO Boy 66()03uena Park. CA 9062(

YAMAHAWe know what's inside.

JULY 1973


29

44

The ADC-XLM a class by itself."

That's the way Stereo Review described our XLM. High Fidelity head-lined their review, "Superb new pickup from ADC" and went on to say,...must be counted among the state of the art contenders:' And Audio

echoed them with, "The ADC-XLM appears to be state of the art:'With the critics so lavish in their praise of the XLM, there's hardly any

necessity to add anything. Far better to let the experts continue to speakfor us.

Frequency response The CBS STR-100 testrecord showed less than ± 1.5dB variation upto 20.000Hz. Stereo Review...response is within :1 2dB over the entire range. AudioFrequency response is exceptionally flat High Fidelity

Tracking This is the only cartridge we have seenthat is really capable of tracking almost all stereo discsat 0 4 grams. Stereo ReviewThe XLM went through the usual torture test at0.4 grams (some top models require more than agram). High FidelityThe XLM is capable of reproducing anything found ona phonograph record. Audio

Distortion Distortion readings ..are almostwithout exception better than those for any other modelwe've tested. High Fidelity

The XLM has remarkably low distortion in comparisonwith others. AudioAt 0 6 grams the distortion was low (under 1 5 percent). Stereo Review

Hum and noise The XLM could be instrumentalin lowering the input noise from the first stage of amodern transistor amplifier. AudioThe cartridge had very good shielding againstinduced hum. Stereo Review

Price This would be a very hard cartridge to surpassat any price. Stereo ReviewWe found it impossible to attribute superior sound tocostlier competing models High FidelityPriced as it is. it is a real bargain in cartridges. Audio

The Pritchard High DefinitionADC-XLM $50.

-TAUDIO DYNAMICS CORPORATION__Lkett District Road. Now Milford. Connecticut 061/6

ADC

THE CONSUMER'S GUIDE new 'equipmentTO HIGH FIDELITY EQUIPMENT reports

The Equipment: Sony STC-7000, a stereo FM and AMtuner combined with a stereo preamp-control section(no power amplifier section). Dimensions in metal casesupplied: Front escutcheon, 1137/e by 5 9/16 inches;chassis depth behind panel, 13 9/16 inches. Price:$589.50. Manufacturer: Sony Corp. of America, 47-47Van Dam St., Long Island City, N.Y. 11101.

Comment: With the model STC-7000, Sony has reintro-duced in modern, high -quality stereo terms a home -audio product format that enjoyed some vogue in pre -stereo days. Sony calls it an "integrated tuner." Ac-tually, it is a tuner combined with a system preamplifierbut without a power amplifier-a "semi -receiver" if youwill. In offering this type of component at this time, andwith the superior performance and versatility that char-acterize the STC-7000, Sony is making available a unitthat should appeal to the home -music system plannerwho wants to have his audio cake and eat it too. That isto say, the STC-7000 offers the convenience of radio re-ception and system control facilities in one handsome,high -performing unit while at the same time permittingyou to use a power amplifier of your own choice, includ-ing any of the new superheavyweights. Since these lat-ter models are aimed at the perfectionist market, andsince the Sony tuner-preamp has the kind of perform-ance a perfectionist would seek, the design approachmakes good sense. Without an ultrahigh -powered am-plifier on the same chassis, the tuner-preamp can be in-stalled wherever convenient and with only normal re-gard for ventilation. The heavier power amp then can belocated for best ventilation, rather than accessibility.For the serious tape recordist, the STC-7000 offersmany options, including a front -panel microphone levelcontrol that may be used for fading or mixing in con-junction with another input signal to a recorder and avery versatile tape duplication facility.

The STC-7000, in short, has been designed as both ahobbyist's tool and a serious listener's delight. Domi-nating the front panel is a generously proportioned sta-

Sony Breathes New Life

into an Old Format

tion tuning dial with illuminated indicators for FM, AM,stereo, plus a meter showing maximum signal (operateson both FM and AM) and another meter showing center -of -channel (for FM only). To its let is the volume controlmounted concentrically around a channel balance le-ver. The power off/on switch is at the lower left. Nextcomes a stereo headphone jack, and separate bass andtreble tone controls for each channel (friction -coupled).Then there's a "hi-blerd" switch (for use only on noisystereo FM programs), arid an interstation muting switch.The large tuning knob Itself is at the center. To its rightare three more switches for low filter, loudness contour,and high filter. Next comes a channel mode knob withposlions for "check L" (both channel inputs are com-bined and fed to the left -channel output), "check R"(both channel inputs are combined and fed to the right -channel output), reverse, sterec, L plus R (both chan-nels are combined and fed to both channel outputs), left(left inputs are fed to both channel outputs), and right(right inputs are fed tc both channel outputs). The mi-crophone level-and-m'xing control follows. The right-hand portion of the panel is given over to the elaboratesignal selector and monitor facili':y, worked out betweena knob and two slide switches. The knob has positionsfor AM, FM, mic, phono 2, aux 2. "1 to 2," and "2 to 1"(the last two positions for tape duplication work). Theslide switch just to the left of this knob has positions foraux 1 (this cuts out the knob), a center spot that returnscortrol to the knob, aid phono 1 (which also cuts outthe knob). The monitor control below these two has po-sitions for tape 2, source, and tape 1. A stereo inputphone receptacle, next to the monitor switch, is con-trolled by the aux 2 position of the selector knob.

Everything is logicall arranged and clearly marked inexemplary fashion that combines a genuine function-alism with a neat, ever pleasing, appearance. Similarly,the back panel of the set is also quite "busy" but care-fully planned and laid out. Inputs include stereo pairs formicrophone, phono 1, phono 2, and aux 1. The mikejacks are phone types, the others are phono jacks (pin -plug types). The aux 1 jacks are controlled by a level ad -

REPORT POLICYEquipment reports are based on laboratory measurements and controlled listening tests Unless otherwis, noted. test data and measurementsare obtained by CBS Laboratories, Stamford. Connecticut, a division of Columbia BroEdcasting System. Inc one of the nation's leadingresearch organizations The choice of equipment to be tested rests with the edi'ors of HIGH FIDELITY Manufacturers are not permitted to readreports in advance of publication and no report, or portion thereof. may be reorocluced for any purpose or in any form without written per-mission of the publisher All reports should be construed as applying to the specific samples tested. neither HIGH FIDELITY nor CBS Laboratoriesassumes responsibility for product performance or quality

Jul I( 1973 31

justment. Under this group of connectors is a system -grounding terminal (the easiest to use and most secureone we've yet seen). Antenna terminals are provided forAM, and 300 -ohm (twinlead) FM. There's also a truecoaxial connector for 75 -ohm cable, and a loopstick AMantenna. Stereo pairs of jacks are provided for feedingsignals to, and playing signals from, two tape recorders.The tape 1 connectors may be alternated with a DINconnector just above them, and the tape 1 playbackjacks are controlled by their own level adjustment. Formain signal output (to power amplifiers) there are twostereo pairs plus a "center channel" (mono, or left plusright, signal) output jack. Special "display" outputs per-mit feeding signals from the STC-7000 into 'scopes toobserve FM reception patterns (from the FM multipathjacks) or a graphic display of audio (via the "audio -scope" jacks). Finally, the rear apron contains four ACconvenience outlets, three of them controlled by thefront -panel power switch, the fourth "hot" as long asthe set's power cord is plugged into an AC source.

Performance of the STC-7000 is as impressive as itsmany features and controls. The tuner achieves thevery high sensitivity of only 1.4 microvolts and the sensi-tivity curve levels off to a superb quieting value of -59dB for a mere 25 microvolts of RF input signal. Thestereo sensitivity curve parallels this performance quiteclosely, remaining well below the -50 dB quieting levelfor signal strengths of 21 microvolts or more. In fact, theFM performance of this set is fairly astonishing since it issuperior on all (not just some) counts: distortion, audioresponse, signal-to-noise, selectivity, channel separa-tion -the works.

No less remarkable is the audio section of the STC-7000, which shapes up as a first-rate preamp-controlunit. It is capable of furnishing up to 8 volts of signal perchannel at no more than about 0.2% THD. At normal(rated) output of 2 volts per channel, distortion is liter-ally one hundred times lower than that -in fact the labmeasured values that were significantly better thanthose specified. All other tested parameters were gen-erally better than typically found in receivers.

Listening tests of the Sony STC-7000 depend largelyon what power amplifier and loudspeakers are con-nected to it. This is not only true in terms of how the unitis connected in a system, but also in terms of its per-formance, which is so good that one could say it is lim-ited virtually only by what program sources are fed to it,and what external equipment it drives. This impressionis further reinforced by listening to the STC-7000 on itsown, i.e., via headphones. The set obviously supplies anultraclean, wide -range signal. The unit can be recom-mended without reservation to anyone who appreciatesbetter -than -average sound and the better -than -aver-age apparatus for reproducing it.


0.02

0

HARMONIC DISTORTION CURVES(2 -volt output)

- Left channel: < 0.021%, 20 Hz to 20 kHz- Right channel: c 0.019%, 20 Hz to 20 kHz

STC7000/4

+50

-5

+20

0+15z +10

+5c, 0

c

-10-15- 20

-25

+50

-5

+5

0

o -5E -10Z-15(=>

-15un -20

-25-30-35- 40

-45

OUTPUT DATA

(1 kHz; 100,000 -ohm 1,000-pFd load; channels driven simultaneously)

left at clipping 8.0 volts for 0.12% THDRight at clipping: 8.0 volts for 0.16% THD

FREQUENCY RESPONSE(at 2 volts: -- 100,000 -ohm 1,000-prd load)

+0. -1.5 dB, 10 Hz to 40 kHz

STC7000/3

10 20 100 1K

FREQUENCY IN HZ

10K 20K 100K

PREAMP & CONTROL CHARACTERISTICS

Low filter

RIM EQUALIZATION: +0.5, -1.5 dB. 20 Hz to 20 kHz Aill

tkiagiBass boost

Bass cut

Treble boostrtp

High filter

Treble cut

TONE CONTROLS

FILTERS

LOUDNESS CONTOUR (volume control at 9 o'clock)STC7000/5

20 50 10C 200 500 1K 2K 5K 10K 20K

FREQUENCY IN HZ

MONO FM RESPONSE

+0, -1 dB, 20 Hz to 15 kHz

STEREO FM RESPONSE

Both channels: +2, -1.5 dB, 20 Hz to 15 kHz

STEREO SEPARATION

- Left channel: > 40 dB, 60 Hz to 1 kHz; .> 30 dB. 23 Hz to 4.7 kHz--- Right channel: > 40 dB, 80 Hz to 800 Hz; > 30 dB, 23 Hz to 5 kHz

STC7000/2

20 50 100 200 500 1K 2K 5K 10K 20K 20 50 100 200 500 1K 2K 5K 10K 20K

FREQUENCY IN HZ FREQUENCY IN HZ

3' HIGH FIDEL] I N' Al,AZINI.

0

-10

2 -20

g -30

4-1-40

M -50-

..-7C -60

FM SENSITIVITY & QUIETING

1.4µY (mono)MONO SENSITIVITY

or 0-d8 q34(f

(stereo) 1.543 at 90 MHzuieting

1.4 µV at 98MHz1.4µV at 106MHz

STEREO THRESHOLD

(for 27.5413 quieting)2.5 RV at 90 MHz3.04 at 98MHz2.5 RV at 106 MHz

STC7000/1

1 10 100 1K

RF INPUT IN MICROVOLTS

50

10K 100K

10 KHZ

Square -wave response

The Equipment: Shure V-15 Type III, a stereo pickupcartridge with elliptical diamond stylus. Price: 572.50.Manufacturer: Shure Brothers, Inc., 222 Hartrey Ave.,Evanston, III. 60204.

Comment: Shure has gone through several versions ofthe top -of -the -line V-15. The V-15 Type II was consid-ered a state-of-the-art model when it appeared someseven years ago. Then, three years later, the stylus as-sembly was redesigned. The Type II with the new styluswas called the Type II Improved -and it was, though notdramatically. Now Shure has redesigned the entire car-tridge, the most striking innovation in the Type Ili modelbeing the use of laminated -as opposed to solid -polepieces in its electromagnetic structure.

The V-15 Type III bears a strong family resemblanceto its predecessors in all respects, though it exhibitsmarked improvements in many. Both on the test benchand in the living room its behavior refines and sur-passes that of the Type II Improved without changingthe V -15's basic identity -which has, since the begin-ning, been very attractive indeed. All models have been,for their respective eras, wide -range, uncolored, un-

Sony STC-7000 Tuner/ Preamp Additional Data

Capture ratio

Tuner Section

0.75 dB

Alternate -channel selectivity

S/N ratio

THD Mono

100 dB

70 JB

L ch R ch80 Hz 0.13% 0.34% 0.35%' kHz 0.13% 0.15% 0.15%40 kHz 0.38% 0.35% 0.45%

IM distortion 0.5%

19 -kHz pilot -64 dB

38 -kHz subcarrier -65 dB

Prearrp Section

Input characteristics (for 2 output: input controls at max.)Sensitivity S/N ratio

phono 1 & 2 2.1 mV 68 dBmike 0.6 mV 51 dBtape 1 & 2 200 mV 82.5 dBaux 1 200 mV 82.5 dBaux 2 200 mV 83.5 dB

Shure Improves Its

Improved V-15

usually high in channel separation, and at least as low indistortion as other top models.

The specific means employed by Shure in designingthe Type III have involved a careful reassessment ofresonance factors with a view both to extending andflattening high -frequency response, and to providingoptimum values, when used in ar appropriate arm, tocope with the problems of warped records -which, asreaders keep reminding us, are at least as much of aproblem today as they ever have 'peen. The frequencyrespcnse in our graph shows scme rise at high fre-quencies, but not the Type II's tendency to peak -par-ticularly noticeable unless input capacitance was care-fully matched to design values. Low -frequencyesonance in the SME arm occurs at 6.5 Hz with the

Type III -somewhat lower than in earlier versions.Separation is the best the lab has measured so far

and, as the graph shows, went below the limits (-30 dB)of the chart recorder over virtually all of the midrange.Intermodulation d,stortion (at 0.4% in the lateral plane,1.6% vertically) is among the very lowest the lab hasmeasured; harmonic distortion is about par for the bet-ter cartridges in the midrange (say 3% or better up to 3

Jti Y 1973 33

kHz) and better than par above that (a maximum of 5%in one channel at 10 kHz, as opposed to almost doublethat in some measurements for other top models). Staticcompliance measures 35 (x 10-6 cm/dyne) in the lateralplane, 17 vertically -very close to the measurements forthe Type II Improved, average or lower for other topmodels. The lab measured vertical tracking angle as 20degrees and stylus -tip geometry as good, with a 0.22 -mil radius in contact with the groove wall.

The audible net gain in the Type III consists less inthese considerations than in what Shure calls "tracka-bility"-the cartridge's ability to track a high velocity atlow tracking force. In the standard torture test the TypeIII came through at 0.6 grams as opposed to 0.7 gramsfor Type II Improved and 0.75 grams for the earlier TypeII. This information is more important, however, whenstated conversely: The Type III can be expected to trackhigher groove velocities than its predecessors at nor-mal tracking forces. We used 1.0 grams in listening to itand the lab made all other measurements at that track-ing force.

Output from our standard groove (modulated at 1 kHzfor a peak velocity of 5 cm/sec) was measured at 3.9mV in the left channel, 3.8 mV in the right. This is higherthan the Type II's output, a little higher and better bal-anced than that of our Type II Improved sample, andperhaps a little higher than average among today's bet-ter cartridges.

Along with the cartridge you get a certificate that canbe exchanged for a free test record ("Audio ObstacleCourse -Era III") that will allow you to compare car-tridges in terms of "trackability." The Type III can bebought (as the V-15 Type III -G) with the VN3-G 0.6 -milspherical diamond stylus. An accessory elliptical stylus

Audioanalyst's

The Equipment: Audioanalyst A-100, a compactspeaker system in wood enclosure. Dimensions: 24% by133/4 by 12 inches. Price: $129 ($136 in western U.S.).Manufacturer: Audioanalyst, Inc., P.O. Box 262,Brookfield, Conn. 06804.

Comment: The Audioanalyst is, according to its manu-facturer, a conventional acoustic suspension systemthat, as the first product from this company, is intendedto offer good value in a highly competitive market.

Its handsome oiled walnut case has the connectionterminals (thumbscrews that accept bare wires or

for playing 78s (VN78E) is described in "News andViews" in this issue. Since this is the first such stylus tobe announced by a major manufacturer to our knowl-edge (and considering the interest readers have shownin our April article on playing old records with modernequipment), the 78 -rpm elliptical further enhances theattractions of what must be reckoned as one of the veryfinest cartridges on the market.


+5()

co _5

m-10ct,"4-15

-20;1)-25

-30

FREQUENCY RESPONSE

- Left channel: +3.5, -0.25 dB, 20 Hz to 20 kHz--- Right channel: +1.75, -0.5 dB, 20 Hz to 20 kHz

CHANNEL SEPARATION

- Left channel: > 26 dB, 39 Hz to 7.6 kHz--- Right channel: > 26.5 dB, 50 Hz to 5.4 kHz V15111

20 50 100 200 500 1K 2K 5K 10K 20K

FREQUENCY IN HZ


1 KHZ

First Speaker

spade lugs) on a panel recessed into the back. The ter-minals are marked with a big " + " or "-" for polaritycoding. Above them are two toggle switches for minoradjustments of treble (a boost of about 2 dB or less from10 kHz up) and midrange (a similar boost between 1.2kHz and approximately 8 kHz). We found that thoughthe difference is slight, we often changed our mindsabout the "preferred" positions of these switches whenwe moved the speaker from one position to another inthe room. The graph was made with both controls in thelow position as suggested by Audioanalyst.

Behind the tweedy black -and -brown grille cloth are a10 -inch woofer, a 3 -inch cone midrange driver, and a 2 -inch tweeter. Crossovers are at nominal values of 2 and7.5 kHz. Since the A-100 can be used either vertically orhorizontally, Audioanalyst gives you a stick -on insigniaso that you can position it as you choose (or leave it offaltogether).

The manufacturer's impedance rating of 8 ohmscharacterizes the general value of the curve, but the labfound the actual rating point (the minimum level follow-ing the bass -resonance rise) to be 5.5 ohms. So thoughimpedance rises to above 16 ohms in the midrange

34 HIGH I:HM.11Y MAGAZINE

around 1 kHz, it might be safer to treat the A -100s as 4 -ohm models if you're contemplating multiple -speakerhookups.

In our standard sensitivity test (driving the speaker toan output of 94 dB at 1 meter) the lab found that theA-100 needed 10 watts. The speaker handled steadytones of up to 100 watts power before distorting exces-sively, and it handled pulses of up to 227.3 watts aver-age power. In the light of these figures, Audioanalyst'srecommendation that the model be used with amplifiersrated at 10 to 60 watts of music power per channelseems eminently sensible.

One of the avowed design aims of the A-100 is linearresponse rather than what might be called "pleasingsound" where that phrase implies a compromise withaccuracy of reproduction. It's no surprise then to notethat the response curve has no midrange "presence"bump and also is unusually flat toward the top for abookshelf system in this price category. By contrast tothe common, less -flat speaker characteristics thesound is slightly bright-though not aggressively so. Interms of balance and clarity it is good with any sort ofprogram material, though-again predictably, in thelight of the design intent-not particularly (or unnat-urally) spectacular. Highs are well dispersed and clearlyaudible off axis-with music, test tones, or white noise-right up to about 14 kHz, where rolloff begins. In thebass, and driving the speakers to moderate listeninglevels, there is little doubling down to 40 Hz; below thatfrequency response audibly falls off, and at 30 Hz it be-comes mostly doubling. At higher power levels, dou-bling increases, as indicated by the second -harmonicdistortion figures for 80 Hz in the distortion chart. Defini-tion is good without the unnatural (and random) promi-nence that can be afforded some musical sounds by aspeaker with a peaky midrange response.

We think Audioanalyst has been successful in pro-ducing a good value in this popular price class, andwe're not surprised to learn that in the relatively shorttime the company has been in business it already has

found dealers in many parts of the country. So perhapsthe A-100 is not only a welcome newcomer in its ownright, but a harbinger of good things to come as well.


100

RESPONSE CHARACTERISTICS90 11 watt output)

- --------r:=, 80

`Z' 70

c' 60

50

-AVERAGE OMNIDIRECTIONAL RESPONSE( -4.25 dB, 50 Hz to 13.5 kHz, ref. 75.75 dB)

- --- AVERAGE FRONT HEMISPHERIC RESPONSE-- ON -AXIS RESPONSE

A100

20 50 100 200 500 1K 2K 5K 10K 20K

FREQUENCY IN HZ

Audioanalyst A-100 Speaker Harmonic Distortion's'

OutputLe.el(dB)

80 Hz% 2nd

Frequenc y300 Hz

% 3rd % 2nd % 3rd

70 .90 30 22 2975 1.5 25 20 2180 2.6 32 19 2585 4.8 40 21 2790 9.5 70 35 3895 68 55

100 1.3 75102 1.7 82

Distortion data are taken or, all tested speakers until distortionexceeds the 10 per cent level or the speaker produces the spuriousoutput known as buzzing. wnichever °curs first.

Yamaha Cassette DeckAllows Speed Adjustment

The Equipment: Yamaha TB -700, a cassette deck withbuilt-in Dolby noise -reduction circuitry, in case withwood trim. Dimensions: 15'/e by 41/2 by 10 inches. Price:$289. Manufacturer: Nippon Gakki Co., Ltd. of Japan;U.S. distributor; Yamaha International Corp., P.O. Box6600, Buena Park, Calif. 90620.

Comment: Yamaha has been offering a variety of prod-ucts in this country for some years. In audio it has beenbest known for its "ear -shaped" loudspeakers, thoughit has displayed some electronic components as well.

Last year it announced plans to orfer a comprehensiveline of stereo components; the T3-700 appears to beone of the first of these to go into production and is thefirst we've been able to examine in detail.

Toward the back of the top plate and tilted slightly up-ward are the VU meters. Between them are indicatorlights for recording (red) and Dolby action (amber). Im-mediately in front of the meters are the turns counterand a series of switches. The firs: is a button for either"standard" or high-pe'formance tapes; it is used inconjunction with the switch next to it, which chooses

Jt1v1973

either low -noise ferric or chromium dioxide as the tapeto which the unit is adjusted in the high-performanceposition of the first switch. All the lab tests were run withScotch High Energy and the low -noise position or,where indicated, Sony CRO and the chromium dioxideposition. The remaining switches are for Dolby (on/off),a built-in limiter (on/off), and AC power.

In front of the switches is a series of sliders. The right-hand pair controls line input levels to the recordingamp; the next pair controls mike inputs. These separatecontrols permit mixing of line and mike inputs. Nextcome the output -level controls, with detents at the "nor-mal" position in the middle. And at the extreme left ofthis group is a speed vernier, which controls the servosystem that regulates the unit's DC drive motor. It toohas a detent at the normal position. The speed datashown in the "additional data" box were measured withthe control in this position; perfect speed can of coursebe obtained by using this vernier, but you would need atest tape and a frequency counter unless the speed isaudibly off pitch. The total range of this system is ap-proximately a half tone either way from normal ( ± 5 percent, according to Yamaha).

Though the transport keys look familiar, their oper-ation is somewhat unconventional. You can go directlyfrom recording or playback to the fast -wind modes, andfrom them back to play without activating the stop but-ton. This makes for fast operation, and although manycurrent decks intentionally prevent such abruptchanges in transport motion, we could detect no un-even winding of the tape as a result -let alone any sug-gestion of snarling or damage in the tape. During play-back or fast winding the record key can be depressed,but it only stops the transport without putting it into therecording mode unless the play key is pressed simulta-neously. We found the action of the pause key to berather sluggish. When you press it, approximately a sec-ond elapses before the tape comes to a stop. When yourelease it there is a similar delay before sound returns tothe monitor connections, though the tape gets back tospeed sooner and the recording amp cuts in immedi-ately. As a result you must time your use of the pausecarefully during recording if the tapes are not to containsounds that wow in or out. (Most LPs allow you aboutfour seconds of silence between cuts, if that's whatyou're excerpting from.) At the end of the cassette thedrive system automatically returns to stop.

Phone jacks for the two mike inputs and a stereoheadphone jack are built into the dark trim stripe acrossthe front. On the back panel are a DIN input/outputjack, standard pin -jack pairs for line input and line out-put, and a two -position input sensitivity switch. The lesssensitive of these positions is appropriate for the levelsdelivered by most stereo components. No Dolby align-ment controls are accessible to the user.

The lab data show the unit to be average or better inall respects -and in some particulars well above aver-age. Crosstalk figures are about 10 dB better than thosewe're used to seeing in a cassette deck and, among theunits we've tested, are matched or bettered only by theAdvent 201. Harmonic distortion curves are excellent -particularly at the high end, where many decks can'thandle the high (-10 VU) level at which these curves aremade, preventing meaningful measurements for themat 10 kHz. (Normal signal levels at this frequency arewell below -10 VU, of course; that level is chosen forTHD tests in order to give the midrange an adequateworkout.) If the record/playback response curves arenot quite as flat as most for comparable equipment, they

+50

+5

0

-5

2

1

ceL)

DIN PLAYBACK RESPONSE(0 dB = -20 VW

- Left channel. +2, - 3 dB, 315 Hz to 10 kHz- Right channel. +6 5, -1.5 dB, 31.5 Hz to 10 kHz

RECORD' PLAYBACK RESPONSE(00= -20 YU)

CHROMIUM DIOXIDE TAPE. DOLBY OFF- Left channel: +2, -3 dB. 46 Hz to 15 kHz--- Right channel: +I. -3 dB 46 Hz to 15 kHz

---------LOW-NOISE FERRIC TAPE, DOLBY OFF

- Left channel. +0 5, -3 dB. 50 Hz to 15 kHz- -- Right channel: +2.5. -3 dB. 47 Hz to 15.5 kHz

------LOW NOISE FERRIC TAPE. DOLBY ON

- Left channel. +2.5 -3 dB, 47 Hz to 12 kHz- -- Right channel: +0 75, -3 dB, 46 Hz to 13 kHz

T8.700/1

20 50 100 200 500 1K 2K 5K 10K 20K

FREQUENCY IN HZ

HARMONIC DISTORTION CURVES

---------------Left channel- < 1.3%, 50 Hz to 10 kHz--- Right channel: < 1.4 %, 50 Hz 10 10 kHz

T8700/2

20 50 100 200 500 1K 2K 5K 10K 20K

FREQUENCY IN HZ

Yamaha TB -700 Cassette Deck Additional Data

Speed accuracy (vernier at "0")105 VAC: 0.93% fast120 VAC: 1.2% fast127 VAC: 1.2% fast

Wow and flutter playback: 0.10%record/playback: 0.18%

Rewind time, C-60 cassette 1 min. 36 sec.

Fast -forward time, same cassette 1 min. 36 sec.

S, N ratio (ref. DIN 0 VU, Dolby off)playback L ch: 55.5 dB R ch: 51 dBrecord/playback L ch: 53 dB R ch: 50 dB

Erasure (400 Hz at normal level) 52 dB

Crosstalk (at 400 Hz)record left, playback rightrecord right, playback left

Sensitivity (for 0 -VU recording level)line input (high) L ch: 55 mVline input (low) L ch: 11.3 mVmike input L ch: 0.40 mV

51 dB50 dB

R ch: 55 mVR ch: 11.3 mVR ch: 0.42 mV

Meter action (ref. DIN 0 VU)L ch: 1 dB high R ch 1 dB high

IM distortion (recordiplay, -10 VU)L ch: 6% R ch 6.5%

Maximum output (preamp or line, 0 VU)L ch: 1.1 V R ch 0.95 V


do represent better than average bandwidth. With theDolby circuit in use they drop back to average at thehigh end-apparently because of the low-pass filterused to prevent any leakage of the 19 -kHz FM pilot frominterfering with Dolby action. There is some dis-crepancy in high -frequency level between channels inDolby operation, but it is not severe and presumably hasbeen improved in later samples; Yamaha says it has im-proved its production technique for setting Dolby levels,and this discrepancy (such as it is) falls just within theregion where Dolby B operates.

Three features of the TB -700 require special mention.First is the thirteen -page owner's manual, which is un-usually complete. Some statements in our copy are alittle curious or even confusing, but Yamaha says thetext has been rewritten and the booklet restyled to makeit more attractive to American buyers. We trust this en-tails no suppression of content, since the original ver-sion is well above average in usefulness. Second is thespeed vernier. Since a number of readers have com-plained that cassettes made on off -speed battery -port-able equipment defy optimum playback on good home

equipment, we're delighted to see that some new decks(the Harman-Kardo-i HK -1000 and Nakamichi 1000 areamong the others) allow for speed adjustment. A halftone either way should so've most problems of this sort.Third is the limiter. While it will be a help to the novicerecorder in tackling subjects with extreme dynamicrange (plain old living -room chit-chat can be a record-ist's nightmare for example), it should not be over-worked. When driven too hard by grossly and con-sistently high input levels the resultant distortion in thesignal is clearly audible. Fortunately-considering theunit's inherent dynamic range, plus the Dolby feature tofurther extend it-se see no reason why the limitershouIC be used for anything but taming occasional un-expected peaks.

All told the TB -700 is a worthy first product in an ex-panded Yamaha component line. in terms of perform-ance i can hold its own against other decks in its class,and its special features (the speed vernier and inputmixing) should attract particular attention because oftheir comparative rarity n compeing decks.


The Equipment: Sherwood Model S -8900A, a stereo FMreceiver with built-in Dynaquad circuitry for recoveringquasi -quadraphonic "ambience" effects from stereoprogram material, in wood case. Dimensions: 161/4 by51/4 by 14 inches. Price: $429.95. Manufacturer: Sher-wood Electronic Laboratories, Inc., 4300 N. CaliforniaAve., Chicago, III. 60618.

Comment: If Sherwood set out to prove that Dynaquadis more than a device for "faking" four channels andthat it can live comfortably in a high-performance re-ceiver with a luxurious "feel," the S -8900A must bereckoned a success. The Dynaquad circuit for derivingfour signals from a two -channel amplifier has beenwidely adapted-sometimes in a shoddy attempt to palmoff a run-of-the-mill mass -market product as the latest inquadraphonics. Sherwood will have none of that; it usesDynaquad as a logical adjunct to stereo, in a receiverthat is well adapted to eventual use as the central ele-ment in a true quadraphonic system.

The tuning dial is flanked by a center -tuning meter onthe left and, on the right, by two large knobs: one for tun-ing, one for loudness/volume with the main AC powerswitch at its minimum position. This knob is marked"loudness," since Sherwood traditionally has consid-ered that mode of operation as standard, and it is cali-brated (in dB) with respect to loudness action: + 8 atmaximum rotation, 0 at the point (2:30 o'clock rotation)for the reference level at which no compensation isdeemed necessary, -20 (10:30 o'clock), and -60 (at7:30 o'clock). In the S -8900A loudness compensation isintroduced in the bass only.

Sherwood's Elegantand Versatile Receiver-With Dynaquad

At the left along the bottom of the front panel are fiveknobs: mode (right, lett, stereo, stereo reverse, left -plus -right mono) selector (phono, FM, aux), bass,treble, and balance. Next are two stereo phone jacks,one for connections to an outboard tape recorder, theother for stereo headphones (and live no matter howthe speakers are switched). Then come seven on /offpushbutton switches: four -channel mode (about whichmore in a moment), tape monitor, high filter, FM "hush"(interstation mutrig), loudness compensation, mainspeakers, and remote speakers.

On the back panel are pin -jack pairs for phono input,aux ,nput, tape-recording outpu, tape -monitor input,output to a quadraphonic adapter, and front -channelinput from a quad 'aphonic adapter. Near these connec-tions is a single, red -coded pin jack for use with a dis-crete -quadraphonic FM adapter when one becomesavailable. Nearby are a thumbscrew grounding termi-nal, a three-positon phono-input sensitivity switch (fortailoring the pickup's output both to the dynamic rangeof the S-8900A's preamp and to its loudness -control ac-tion), and a Dynaquao /stereo switch. Following thefuse and line core, plus :wo convenience outlets (one ofwhich is unswitched), there are screwdriver antenna(300 -ohm and 75 -ohm) connections, and a specialmono speaker output. This last is for use with a center -fill speaker or as a mono extens on; it is, in fact, con-nected into the remote -speaker switching and thereforecannot be used independently of speakers attached tothe remote terminals, which-with those for the mainspeakers-are at the upper left of the back panel andare knurled screws thal. will accept spade lugs or bare

Jt t.y 1973 37

wires. (The mono output will accept similar wiring, buthas regular screws.)

When you switch into the Dynaquad mode, the outputto the main speakers is unaffected, but the hookup con-figuration of the remote speakers is altered so that theyare differentially driven. When these speakers areplaced at the back of your listening room they thereforereproduce ambience information implicit in the originalstereo signal. Sherwood says that for this purpose allfour speakers should be of "reasonably similar effi-ciencies and sonic characteristics" and that you should"sit in a centered position in the rear one-third of theroom." The implied relatively low output from the backis partly because of the padding used (presumably toprevent excessively low impedances as seen by the am-plifier when all four speakers are connected) in the re-mote -speaker circuit, and if there is a dissimilarity in effi-ciency between your front and back pairs, we'd suggestthat the more efficient speakers go at the back.

After all that has been written on the subject, no moreneed be said of Dynaquad except that it is widely usedand that it does work for its intended purpose. It doesnot produce true quadraphonics, of course, but the S -8900A allows for that too. The connections and switch-ing for a quadraphonic adapter can be used in conjunc-tion with the sort of all -in -one unit that includes matrixdecoder and back -channel amplifier, or these functionscan be borne by separate units. When discrete quadra-phonic FM broadcasting becomes a reality (assumingthat it will) the special FM -signal output would be usedto feed a separate adapter for that purpose-whichwould, in turn, feed its output to the quadraphonic add-ons you're using. They, in turn, would return the front -channel signals to the Sherwood via the aforemen-tioned jack pair.

In terms of circuit configuration this feature can bedescribed as a simple "circuit interrupt" and is identicalto the wiring of a tape -monitor switch. In fact if you arenot planning to go quadraphonic right away the S -8900A might best be described as a stereo receiver(with the Dynaquad option) having complete switchingfor two tape decks plus tape -copying options in using athird via the front -panel jack-which can function as ei-ther an input jack or an output jack, depending on theway the related switches are treated. The instructionmanual spells out the possibilities for tape copying,which may be summarized as follows: from the out-board deck to the regular back -connected deck and/orone attached to the four -channel jacks; or from theregular back -connected deck to the outboard unit and/or one connected to the four -channel jacks. The man-ual suggests that the receiver be left off in dubbing viathe front -panel jack to prevent any noise pickup from re-lated circuitry. But we found that if you leave the re-ceiver on it can be used as a sort of make -do mixer tocombine signals from a new source (disc, for instance)with those previously recorded on tape and beingplayed back via a deck with its own output controls.

Obviously this receiver has versatility to spare. Buthow does it perform? Excellently. Sensitivity figures aresuperb; and though raw sensitivity numbers have littlemeaning in themselves, they are here matched by ex-cellent quieting curves. In this respect the stereo curveis particularly striking and is over-all one of the best thelab has measured so far. Stereo quieting reaches 50 dBbefore input has reached 50 microvolts and remainsbetter than 55 dB over the entire normal operatingrange from 100 microvolts upwards. Distortion is verylow, as are noise factors. The consistent excellence of

0

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-50

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- 70

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-20-25-30- 35

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-5

FM SENSITIVITY & QUIETING

MONO SENSITIVITY(for 30 dB quieting)1.3 at 90 MHz1.4vVat9MHz1.5µV at 106 MHz

1.4 AI (mono)

\ 42 PV (stereo)

STEREO THRESHOLD

4.9:4 at 90 MHz for 34 dB quieting4.2 aV at 98 MHz for 33 dB quieting4.514 at 106 MHz for 33.5 dB quieting

S8900A//

1 10 100 IK 10K 20K

RF INPUT IN MICROVOLTS

MONO FM RESPONSE

+3, -1 dB, ?0 Hz to 15 kHz

STEREO FM RESPONSE

-left channel: +3.5, -0 dB, 20 Hz to 15 kHz--- Right channel: +3, -0.5 dB, 20 Hz to 15 kHz

CHANNEL SEPARATION

------------ _ -- _ ---Left channel: > 40 dB. 220 Hz to 1.5 kHz; 30 dB, 68 Hz to 11.5 kHz

--- Right channel: "- 40 dB, 20 Hz to 4.5 kHz; > 30 dB, 20 Hz to 12 kHz

S8900/2

20 50 100 200 500 1K 2K 5K 10K 20K

FREQUENCY IN HZ

POWER OUTPUT DATA

CHANNELS INDIVIDUALLYLeft at clipping: 64.4 watts for 0.12% THDLeft at 0.3% THD: 67.3 wattsRight at clipping: 67.3 watts for 0.08% THDRight at 0.3% THD: 71.4 watts

CHANNELS SIMULTANEOUSLY

Left at clipping: 56.7 watts for 0.14% THDRight at clipping. 60.0 watts for 0.10% THD

POWER BANDWIDTH(for 0.3% THD; 0 dB = 60 watts)

Below 10 Hz to 36 kHz

FREQUENCY RESPONSE(for 1 watt output)

+0, -3 dB, below (0 Hz to 75 kHz)

S8900A/3

10 20 (00 1K 10K 20K 100K

FREQUENCY IN HZ

3(1 HIGH FIDEL' Y MAGAZINE'.

C)

0.2

0.1

0

0.2

HARMONIC DISTORTION CURVES

--------------- _ _ -

60 WATTS OUTPUT- Left channel: < 0.19%, 20 Hz to 20 kHz--- Right channel: < 0.21%. 20 Hz to 20 kHz

0.1 -----------o

0.4

0.3 ---------------------------------------0.2

0.1

0

30 WATTS OUTPUT- Left channel: < 0.12%, 20 Hz to 20 kHz--- Right channel: < 0.25%, 20 Hz to 20 kHz

0.6 WATTS OUTPUT- left channel: < 0.35%, 20 Hz to 20 kHz--- Right channel: 0.35%, 20 Hz to 20 kHz

S8900A/4

20 50 100 200 500 1K 2K 5K 10K 20K

FREQUENCY IN HZ

0.5

INTERMODULATION CURVES

z 0.48 -ohm load: < 0.28% to 78.8 watts4ohm load: < 0.28% to 100 watts

2 0.3

0.2

0.1

--- 16 ohm load: -.. 0.26% to 43.5 watts

--------------S8900A/S

01 2 3 4 5 7 10 20 30 40 50 70 100

POWER OUTPUT IN WATTS

+5 PREAMP & CONTROL CHARACTERISTICS

0

-5 RIM EQUALIZATION: +1, -2 dB, 20 Hz to 20 kHz

Bass boost Treble boost

-10- 15

- 20

Bass cut

Treble cut

TONE CONTROLSHIGH FILTERLOUDNESS CONTOUR (volume control at 9 o'clock) S8900A/6

20 50 100 200 500 1K 2K 5K 10K 20K

FREQUENCY IN HZ

10 50 HZ Z.'Square -wave response

these figures is a joy to behold-and the sound is a joy tohear even with signals that would provide only border-line reception with most good receivers. The FM re-sponse curves, with their upward t It at the high end,lend a slight added brightness to the results. Whetherthis is good or bad will depend on your speakers andyour room; it is neither ex3essive nor uncommon.

The amplifier section also is excellent. Sherwood'sTHD rating of 0.3 per cent's slightly more stringent thanmost today (many manufacturers cnoose 0.5 per centas the rating point in better receivers), but the S -8900Acomes through better than most. Only at extremely lowoutputs (0.6 watts) did the lab find the amp hard put tomake its rating poir.t, though it clears the 0.5 -per -centpoint handily. IM too stays below 0.3 per cent over thenormal measurement range-except at 16 ohms, wherereduced effective output power is to be expected insolid-state equipment.

The word for the S-89COA is "silky." The feel of thecontrols and the performance-on FM in particular-allcontribute to this impress,on. But there is a subtler ele-gance to the design: that of achieving significant pur-pose by simple means. The Dynaquad circuit for ex-ample adds materially to the enjoyment available to theuser, yet it involves only ine slider switch and one re-sistor by comparison to a comparable stereo receiverequipped with the usual two pairs of speaker outputs.Sherwood's secret ingrecient, then, appears to be carein thinking the product through in terms of user needs. Itshows in the versatility of the monitor/quadraphonic/outboard -tape connections and in the consistency ofFM performance-even in the normally -unmeasuredstereo quieting curve. In these days of almost baroqueelaboration, often to very little purpose, this is a wel-come approach indeed.


Sherwood S -8900A Additional Data

Tuner Section

Capture ratio

Alternate-chanrel selectivity

S N ratio

TH D80 Hz1 kHz10 kHz

IM distortion

19 -kHz pilot

38 -kHz subcarrier

Mono0.07%0.07%0.14%

2 0 dB

63 dB

74.5 dB

L ch010%C 11%C 55%

C 2%

-67.5 dB

-65.5 dB

Amplifier Section

Damping factor 43

Input characteristics tfor 60 watts output)Sensitivity

phono (maxi 1 2 myphono (mid) 2.7 mYphono (min) 6.0 m'/aux 125 m'itape monitor 260 Mi

R ch0.12%0.11%0.60%

S N ratio60 dB60 dB60 dB70 dB80 dB

Jut .v 1973 39

A Top PerformingTurntable Gets New Arm

The Equipment: Thorens TD -125 Mk. II, a three -speed(16, 33, and 45 rpm) manual turntable supplied on wal-nut base and with tone arm. Dimensions: 185/i6 incheswide, 141/4 inches deep, 63/4 inches high. Price: $310.Optional TX -44 dust cover, $15; TX -25 cover with hinge,$30. Manufacturer: Thorens, S.A. (of Switzerland andWest Germany); U.S. distributor: Elpa Marketing Indus-tries, Inc., New Hyde Park, N.Y. 11040.

Comment: The Thorens TD -125 Mk. II is an updated andimproved version of a well-known manual, single -playturntable. Its most obvious new feature is the Thorensarm, but there are other improvements too. A new mo-tor, new electronic circuitry, and a redesigned pulley re-duce start-up time from the former 4 seconds (at 33rpm) to only 1.5 seconds. The redesigned drive systemalso is credited with reducing any stray magnetic fieldand consequently the chance of hum.

Styling of the Thorens combines a modern look withgenerously sized controls. Topside of the chassis andat the front left is the three -position speed selector. Toits right is a fine speed adjustment and a built-in illumi-nated strobe. Next is the power off /on switch and finallythe arm lift (cueing) control, another new feature of theMk. II. As in previous Thorens models, the arm fits ontoa removable board that facilitates installation (shouldyou want to use an arm of your own choice), or substitu-tion of other arms for experimental purposes or specialapplications.

The new arm itself (model TP-16) is a gimbal -sus-pended metal tubular type of low mass with removablepickup shell and all the requisite adjustments, includingstylus overhang, vertical tracking force, and magnetic-ally applied antiskating. It comes with a damped cueingdevice, an arm rest, and a prewired signal cable har-ness.

At an ARLL rumble level of -63 dB, as measured in thelab, the Thorens TD -125 Mk. II is one of the quietest

turntables we have yet tested. The platter itself weighs 5pounds; its average flutter at 33 rpm was clocked at0.08 per cent (not as low as its predecessor's but stillinaudible). Arm resonance was negligible, showing onlya 4 -dB rise at 8 Hz with a Shure V-15 Type II Improvedpickup. Arm friction similarly was negligible both later-ally and vertically, too low to measure accurately. Thebuilt-in gauge for setting vertical tracking force was ac-curate to within 0.1 gram up to forces of 3 grams. Exactmeasurements are shown in the accompanying table.The unit has inherent speed accuracy plus the featureof variable speed if desired. The cueing device workedsmoothly and gently with no side drift.

As in the former TD -125, the two-piece nonferrousplatter is covered with a ridged rubber mat that is held inplace by a center piece that may be inserted upsidedown to accommodate large -hole 45s. Finish and work-manship are exemplary throughout, and the handsomewooden base not only dresses up the ensemble but alsoserves as an excellent shock -mount for it. All told, if anyturntable merits the title of "professional," the TD -125Mk. II surely does.

Thorens TD -125 Mk. II Additional Data

Vernier speed accuracy33 rpm set exact at 120 VAC;

no error at 105 or 127 VAC

45 rpm

16 rpm

no error at 105, 120,or 127 VAC

0.8% fast at 105,120, and 127 VAC

VTF gauge accuracy (grams)gauge setting 0.5 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0VTF measured 0.6 1.0 1.9 3.1 3 8

Big Sound from Dynaco's Small Speaker

The Equipment: Dynaco A-10, a compact full -rangespeaker system in enclosure. Dimensions: 81/2 by 71/8 by15 inches. Price, sold only as a pair, $104. Manufac-turer: Dynaco Div., Tyco, 3060 Jefferson St., Phila-delphia, Pa. 19121.

Comment: Dynaco has entered the "$50 -speaker mar-ket" with a worthy competitor for this burgeoning prod-uct area. A two-way direct -radiating system, the A-10consists of a 61/2 -inch extended -range woofer crossedover at 2,500 Hz to a soft -dome tweeter. Both drivers are

40 HIGH FIDELFIV MAGAZINE

mounted on the front baffle (behind the decorativegrille) where there also is a vent that helps load the sys-tem to the listening room at low frequencies. The cabi-net is a neatly styled walnut enclosure that may be posi-tioned vertically or horizontally and also is lightweightenough to hang on a wall (brackets for this purpose arefastened to the rear). Input is via color -coded screw ter-minals that will accept large or small spade lugs or barewires. No level controls are provided.

In contrast to bass -reflex design, which relies on cab-inet resonance for bass enhancement, the A-10 em-ploys what Dynaco calls an "aperiodic" or nonresonantdesign in which the vent opening is treated with specialmaterial to add acoustic resistance to smooth thewoofer's response and aid in the transfer of low -fre-quency energy from the speaker to the room.

Our tests confirm that the design works. The A-10, toour ears, furnishes a level and quality of sound at all fre-quencies that are hard to believe for the size and cost ofthe unit. The lab measurements show response withinplus or minus 6 dB from 57 Hz to 14 kHz. On test tones ofaudible response we found the bass holding up cleanlyto just below 50 Hz, with a gradual rolloff below this fre-quency, but with a surprising freedom from doubling.The middles and highs sounded well rounded and bal-anced, with very good dispersion, to beyond audibility.Rated for 8 ohms, the A -10's lowest impedance wasmeasured as 6.5 ohms at the usual bass dip above bassresonance. From this area it rises rapidly and never fallsbelow 8 ohms out to its response limits. Efficiency ismoderate; the A-10 needed 6.3 watts to produce thestandard test output of 94 dB at 1 meter on axis. It could

The Equipment: Pioneer Model SA -9100, an integratedamplifier (preamp and power amp) in wood case. Di-mensions: 17 by 51/4 by 121/e inches (not including clear-ance for knobs and back -panel connections). Price:$399.95. Manufacturer: Pioneer Electronics Corp., Ja-pan; U.S. distributor: U.S. Pioneer Electronics Corp.,178 Commerce Rd., Carlstadt, N.J. 07072.

Comment: Whether you admire fine audio products fortheir specifications, for their sound, for their versatility,or even for their looks, you've got to count this a whiz-bang of a product. Pioneer has long been known for thegreat "feel" and excellent styling of its electronics-andfor matching these qualities with sound internal design.The SA -9100 has all these elements but its performanceis so exceptional and the many extras in the way of

take up to 72 watts of steady-state power (producing anoutput of 100 dB) before distorting significantly. Its max-imum capability for handling power pulses was 69 wattsaverage or 138 watts peak. These figures indicateample dynamic range but within obvious design limits.That is to say, the A-10 should not be driven with any ofthe recent super -powerhouse amp ifiers but it will donicely when coupled with a unit that can deliver up toand even a bit more than 50 watts average sine -wave(or "rms" power) per channel. By the same token, don'tlook to the A -10s to cover a ballroom -size area withsound-but you can expect it to furnish a surprising andpleasant impression of "big sound" in a room of normalsize or slightly larger. In such a room, its sound is quitenatural on both voice and instrumeits, and a pair pro-jects a good, firm stereo image.


100

90

50

....

RESPONSE CHARACTERISTICS1 watt input)

- AVERAGE OMNIDIRECTIONAL RESPONSE( 6 dB, 51 Hz to 14 kHz, ref. 79 dB)

---- AVERAGE FRONT HEMISPHERIC RESPONSE-- ON -AXIS RESPONSE

20 50 100 200 500 1K 2K 5K 10K 20K

FREQUENCY IN HZ

Dynaco A-10 Speaker Harmon c Distortion-.

CutputLevel(dB)

80 HzQ. 2nd

Frequency

0. 3rd300 Hz

00 2nd 0. 3rd

70 0 55 0 55 0.22 0 2875 085 0 60 0.20 03580 1.6. 0.75 0.22 0 4085 2.5 10 0.28 0 3390 4.0 1.4 0 35 0 3395 042 0 28

100 0 45 1 1

Distortion data are taken on all tested r.peakers until distortionexceeds the 10 per cent level or the speaker produces the spuri-ous output known as buzzing. whichever occurs first

fknoi.nen-

A Superb IntegratedAmp from Pioneer

Jut 1973 41

switching options and so on so eminently useful that wefind it perhaps the most exciting piece of audio hard-ware we've yet tested from this company.

It all begins when you open the packing and find thatmuslin snood in which Pioneer lovingly packs its moredeluxe items. That's impressive-but the front panel isfar more so. Following a speaker selector (which allowsyou to use any one of three speaker pairs, any two ofthese pairs simultaneously, or none) at the upper leftyou come immediately to one unusual feature: the fourtone -control knobs. The two larger ones are conven-tional in effect and operation except that they arestepped-and as lab tests proved, are extremely accu-rate in their calibration (so many dB of cut or boost at100 Hz in the bass and 10 kHz in the treble). The smallerknobs affect only the frequency extremes; hence theircalibration points are, respectively, at 50 Hz and 20 kHzand their effect is cumulative with the standard controls.You can, for example, introduce a slight rise in the up-per bass only by turning the standard (100 -Hz) controlup by, say, 4 dB and turning the special (50 -Hz) controldown by a similar amount. Or you can use the specialbass control to boost only deep bass-as a speakerequalizer might.

Proceeding to the right, the next control also hassome special-and useful-features. The main knob is astandard volume (or loudness) control. The ring aroundit limits output. It is calibrated (again, with fine accu-racy-within 1/2 dB) for attenuations of 0 dB, 15 dB, and30 dB. This control can be used in several ways. Youmay turn it down to prevent speaker overload; you mayuse it to compensate for altered power requirementsdepending on the speakers in use; it helps in tailoringloudness -control action (which is, of course, keyed tothe position of the volume control) to actual listeninglevels.

At the far right in this upper rank are the selectors. Alever switch chooses tuner, phono 1, or the main func-tion knob's setting. That knob, at the extreme right, haspositions for microphone, phono 2, and two aux inputs.

The bottom rank begins with the AC power switch anda stereo headphone output jack, which is live at alltimes. Next come switches for muting (a 20 -dB levelcut-again accurately calibrated), low filter (off, sub-sonic-below 8 Hz and 30 Hz), tone defeat (on /off), highfilter (12 kHz/off/8 kHz), and loudness/volume. The30 -Hz filter is a standard rumble filter; the subsonic filterproduces virtually no effect in the audible range, as thelab data show, and Pioneer recommends that it be lefton in normal use to prevent feedback disturbances,woofer damage, and such potential problems, whichcan be occasioned by a poorly isolated turntable, ex-cessive arm resonance, or warped records-amongother phenomena.

Next comes the balance control. At its right are twotape switches. The first selects tape monitor 1, source,or tape monitor 2. The second is marked "duplicate"(on /off) and is so wired that it permits copying eitherfrom tape deck 1 to tape deck 2 or vice versa. The lastknob is for mode selection: stereo, reverse stereo, left -plus -right mono, left -only mono, and right -only mono.

Across the top of the back panel are a series of inputand output jacks, most of them in the standard pin -jackpairs. They are for phono 1, phono 2, tuner, aux 1, aux2, tape monitor 1, tape recording 1, tape monitor 2 (orinput from a quadraphonic adapter unit), tape recording2 (or output to a quadraphonic adapter unit), tape 2record/playback (a 5 -pin DIN socket), preamp out, andpower amp in. Whew! Next to the phono-2 inputs is a

three -position impedance switch: 25k, 50k, and 100kohms. (The 50k position is normal for magnetic car-tridges spec'd at 47k.) Though the tape 2 connectionsare marked for use with a quadraphonic adapter, such aunit might also be connected to the pre-out/main-injacks. Or those jacks might be used for an equalizer orelectronic crossover unit. Next to them is a switch fornormal (internal feed directly from preamp to poweramp), separated, and separated with automatic inclu-sion of a subsonic filter.

Across the bottom are phone jacks for left and rightmike inputs, two thumbscrew terminals for groundingancillary equipment (particularly turntables, the audioinputs for which are just above), input level controls forphono 2 and aux 2, an output level control for speakerpair B, color -coded spring -clip connections (intendedfor bared wires) for all three speaker pairs, and three ACconvenience outlets, one of which is switched.

How does all this perform? In a word, superbly. We'veindicated some of the major options open to the user,but there are many more-for example, in the use of thephono and aux input level controls to balance a varietyof widely differing units so that all work together ef-ficiently in the resulting system. And for an integratedunit the performance data are exceptional. All distortionmeasurements are below 0.1 per cent except at ex-tremely low outputs. There is room to spare above theamplifier's 60 -watt output rating. (Note, for example,that output to a 4 -ohm load goes beyond 100 watts be-fore intermodulation distortion zooms; at 113.8 watts IMstill is only 0.08 per cent.) And not only is calibration ofthe various frequency -selective controls unusually ac-curate, but the "flat" curves are just that; the RIAAequalization curve is at least as perfect as any we haveever seen.

A product for the elite? Perhaps. But there is not aswitch or a knob on it for which we cannot find good (asopposed to marginal) use. And it is a joy to use: luxu-rious, refined, and exceptionally well thought out. Alongwith the amplifier, Pioneer sent us data about its use ofdifferential amplifiers and direct coupling in bothpreamp and power sections, full of terms like OCL andNFB and SEPP While such information doubtless willfascinate design engineers, we always have been moreinterested in the proof of the pudding-which in thiscase turns out to be a feast.

co 0

-3

ocn +5c,<4 0CC _5

POWER OUTPUT DATA

CHANNELS INDIVIDUALLYLeft at clipping 72.6 watts for 0.075% THDLeft at 0.1% THD: 76.9 wattsRight at clipping 70.8 watts for 0.10% THDRight at 0.1% THD: 70.8 watts

CHANNELS SIMULTANEOUSLYLeft at clipping 62.7 watts for 0.053% THDRight at clipping: 62.7 watts for 0.60% THD

POWER BANDWIDTH(for 0.1% THD: 0 dB = 60 watts)

Below 10 Hz to 32 kHz

FREQUENCY RESPONSE(far 1 watt output)

+0, -3 dB. below 10 Hz to 80 kHzSA9100/1

10 20 100 1K

FREQUENCY IN HZ

10K 20K I ()UK

42 Hum Fiin ii \ M AOAZINI

0.10

0.05

0

'2 0.05

o

HARMONIC DISTORTION

60 WATTS OUTPUT- Left channel: 0.096%, 20 Hz to 20 kHz- -- Right channel: - 0.053%, 20 Hz to 20 kHz

30 WATTS OUTPUT-Left channel: 0.053%. 20 Hz to 20 kHz- -- Right channel: < 0.047%, 20 Hz to 20 kHz

0.25

0.20 ________________

0.15

0.10

0.0520 50 100 200 500 1K 2K 5K 10K 20K

FREQUENCY IN HZ

0.1

E, 0.05

0.6 WATTS OUTPUT- Left channel: 0.16%, 20 Hz to 20 kHz--- Right channel: < 0.27%, 20 Hz to 20 kHz

INTERMODULATION CURVES

8 -ohm load: 0.07%, 0.125 to 87.0 watts4 -ohm load: < 0.07%, 0.394 to 100 watts16 -ohm load: < 0.06%, 0.882 to 47.7 watts

SA9100/2

SA9100/3

1 2 5 10 20 50 100 200 500 1K

POWER OUTPUT IN WATTS

J--+rII

14-1

50 HZ


DYNAMIC SOUND ENHANCE

IN AMPL

& -(40)11)

a0111IN AMPL

aR_

*Ano

xt> F=I lE3 NI

V.-

4to

A Gismo From Robins

The Equipment: Robins R47002 Dynamic Sound En-hancer, an accessory for expanding the effective dy-namic range of sound heard through a stereo system, inplastic case. Dimensions: 4 by 3 by approxmately 2inches, including control knobs. Price: $30. Manufac-turer: Robins Industries Corp., 75 Austin Blvd., Com-mack, N.Y. 11725.

Comment: Robins Industries never seems to be at aloss for new accessories to titillate the high fidelity buff,

CONTRDL CHARACTERISTICS

+15 100Hz boost 10 -kHz boost

+10

050 -Hz boost _ _____ ----__

50 -Hz cut___

0-10- -15

+15

-+10+5

8 -Hz

0

-5-10 ' 30 -Hz

-15

20 -kHz boost

"`-- 100 Hz cat 10 -kHz cut

----"STANDARD" TONE CONTROLS--- "SPECIAL" TONE CONTROLS

20 kHz cut

12 -kHz

8 -kHz s.

- LOUDNESS CONTOUR Volume control at 9 o'clock)FILTERS

20 50 100 200 500 li 2K

FREQUENCY 'N HZ

SA9100/4

5K 10K 20K

Pioneer SA -9100 Amplifier Additional Data

Damping factor ;2

Input characteristics (far 60 watts output)Sensitivity

mike 2 mVphono 1 2.5 mVphono 2 2.5-10 mVtuner 155 mVaux 1 155 mVaux 2 155-1,450 mVtape monitor 1 155 mVtape monitor 2 155 mV

S N ratio60 dB81 d865-72 dB80 dB80 dB80 dB86 dB85 dB

RIAA equalization accuracy 0 dB. 20 Hz to 20 kHz

and over the years no company has offered such awealth of little gadgets to gladden the souls of hi-fi put-terers. The present model-one of Robins' more re-cent-takes signals from the speaker connections andfeeds them back to the inputs of the amplifier or re-ceiver, where they car be used to reduce signal levelsduring quiet passages and thus enhance the dynamicrange of the music.

On the top panel are two pairs of standard pin jacks,one for each channel. One jack of each pair is marked"in" and the other "ampl." Next to each pair is a sensi-tivity control knob that is uncalibrated except for "min"and "max" at the respective extreme positions. (Sincethe knobs have no pointers it is impossible to tell wherethey are set except by giving them a twist to feel for theextreme positions.) At the right are four screw terminals(for bare wires or small spade lugs) for the wires fromyour system's speaker connections.

If you have but one set of speaker connections, thesewires would be connected in parallel with your speak-ers. Robins claims that this will irtroduce no impedanceproblems; this appears to be so since the unit is essen-tially voltage -sensitive only and exhibited only negli-gible speaker loading in lab tests. But since we were us-ing a receiver equipped with main and remote speakerconnections, we prefe-red to attach our speakers to themain terminals and the Enhancer to the remote termi-nals. By turning on the main speakers only we could cut

Ji 1973 43

the Enhancer action out of the circuit; and by switchingthe remote speaker outputs in and out we could A/B thenormal sound with the effect of the Enhancer.

Several possible options are available at the inputend. If there is only one signal source whose dynamicrange you want to expand, you could place the En-hancer between that source and the input to your ampli-fier or receiver. If you want to enhance all signals at will,the logical spot for it is in the tape -monitor connec-tions-making the monitor switch in effect an on /offswitch for the Enhancer except in playing tapes-though this setup would require switching on your tapeunit (if you're using one at the monitor connections) al-lowing signals from the main system to play straightthrough even when you're not recording.

The graph suggests what happens. With the En-hancer's controls set at minimum the unit has virtuallyno effect on the signal except that all levels are reducedby about 8 dB in passing through the Enhancer. The labcould measure no appreciable distortion through thecircuit, and frequency response proved to be ruler -flatfrom 20 Hz to 20 kHz. Actual input and output values(normally expressed in volts) are immaterial to the En-hancer's action. If you switch from a high-level sourceto one that delivers less signal through the Enhancer,the natural tendency will be to turn up your volume con-trol in compensation. If your compensation is precise,the Enhancer's action will remain exactly the same,since it is the voltages at the speaker terminals that de-termine its behavior. Therefore we have arbitrarily de-fined a speaker output of 1 watt as our 0 -dB point, so a0 -dB input to the amplifier is one that will produce a 1 -watt output at the speaker terminals. The two scales arecalibrated accordingly. The output scale also is cali-brated (at the top) in terms of the power output to be ex-pected at the speaker terminals for other signal values.

As the Enhancer's controls are rotated toward max-imum a knee occurs in the curve at progressively lowerinput and output values. For "correct" use of the En-hancer, this knee should be adjusted to somewherenear the middle of the dynamic range of compressedprogram material (or perhaps near the top of the rangefor material that has been subject to limiting, which af-fects the peaks only). All signals below the knee will beattenuated; those rising above the knee area will not be.Adjusted this way, the unit meets Robins' claim of an 8 -

dB increase in dynamic range within quite close toler-ances. Incidentally the expander action is relatively in -

+15

0+10

1.1.- 1>. +5

0

_5

cc -10

-15

AMP OUTPUT TO 8 -OHM LOAD, IN WATTS0.003 0.01 0.03 0.1 0.3 1 3 10 30

INPUT VS. OUTPUT(at 1 kHz)

- CONTROL AT MINIMUM- ---- CONTROL AT MIDPOINT- - CONTROL AT MAXIMUM

R47002

-25 -20 -15 -10 -5 0 +5 +10 +15RELATIVE OUTPUT. IN DB

sensitive to low frequencies, so that high levels at lowfrequencies (tympani beats for example) are not likely tocause pulsating high -frequency noise where it is notmasked by the signal.

The action is not precisely that of a professional ex-pander of course. (At $30 you could hardly expect it tobe.) An ideal transfer -function curve would not have thisknee, but remain a straight line that rotates clockwise asexpansion is increased. In some program material wefound the audible effect of the Enhancer to be similar tothat of a true expander. Sometimes, however, it was not.One example of this involved a 1911 vocal recording(acoustic discs being textbook examples of signalsources with limited dynamic range). As the singer (Bat-tistini) opens up from a piano to a good strong forte theswell eventually reaches the knee area, at which pointthe rate of swell rapidly increases until it gets beyondthe knee, belying the vocal control for which the singerwas so famous.

The unit is undeniably fun to work with, but it shouldnot be taken as a substitute for the professional expan-ders that cost many times the price. (Even the DBX-117,a consumer version of a professional unit, costs somefive times the price of the Enhancer.) We would count it,then, as an interesting innovation for the listener wholoves to experiment with audio but doesn't have abundle to spend on his predilections.


Reports on Two Cassette TapesA detailed description of the test method, criteria, andterms used in testing cassette tapes appeared (togetherwith reports on ten other tapes) in our March 1972 is-sue. The key terms may be summarized as:

Relative Sensitivity. The curve shown representssensitivity across the frequency spectrum relative to areference cassette on a machine adjusted for that cas-sette. If your deck is optimized for tape with a "hotter"high end, it would be best matched by tapes showing arising high -frequency characteristic in this test; con-versely if it is adjusted for tapes that are less sensitive athigh frequencies, the "hotter" tapes will producebrighter than normal sound. The numerical sensitivityrating indicates output level with respect to the refer-

ence cassette for a given recording level at 400 Hz.Maximum Recorded Level. The curve indicates the

levels at which the tape is driven to 3 per cent total har-monic distortion or into self -erasure, whichever occursfirst, and indicates the headroom or overload marginacross the frequency spectrum.

S/N Ratio. The figure shown is frequency -weightedon the basis of audibility factors and is measured withrespect to the DIN 0 -VU level.

Dropout Count. Two samples of tape are measuredfor 15 minutes apiece on automatic equipment that dis-tinguishes between major (audible in almost any type ofmusic), medium audible in fairly continuous music),and minor (barely perceptible) dropouts.

44 Hiciri hour n Y MAGAZINE

Scotch Extended RangeThe Equipment: Scotch Extended Range, a low -noiseferric oxide tape cassette. C-60 price: $2.50 in Philips -style box; also available in C-30, C-90, and C-120; somesizes may be found in mailer rather than Philips box.Manufacturer: 3M Company, Magnetic Products Div.,3M Center, St. Paul, Minn. 55101.

Comment: This is a report on a vanishing breed. Shortlyafter the lab tests were completed 3M announced that itwould be withdrawing Extended Range in favor of itsnew Low Noise/High Density formula, an improved ver-sion of ER. The difference is easily spotted since thenew formula also gets 3M's restyled packaging with aphotographic illustration on the paper insert in the Phil-ips box. (The similarly restyled High Energy packagedoes not imply a change in tape formulation however.)Large quantities of Extended Range still are available atthis writing, it appears, and are only being replaced byLow Noise/High Density as dealers' stocks of ER be-come exhausted.

ER's high -end sensitivity is characteristic of theDynarange type -the original Scotch low -noise formu-lation. The sensitivity curve is quite similar to that forScotch High Energy, confirming 3M's contention thatthe two may be used interchangeably, though the HEcurve for maximum recorded level is predictably betterthan that for the less expensive ER. The sensitivity rat-ing for ER (-0.5 dB) also is poorer than that for HE( + 2.25 dB), but its NAB S/N ratio (58 dB) is somewhatbetter. All told, then, ER can be taken as a sort of arche-typal low -noise tape: not as "hot" at the high end assome of the newer high-performance tapes (which may,for that reason, produce excessively bright sound onsome equipment) and slightly lower in output thanpresent low-noise/high-output types (including, appar-ently, its own successor-LN /HD).

The ER cassette has a larger -than -average window,which is molded right into the welded shell. Metal -cladstuds serve as "idlers." The gold paper cassette labelaccepts ballpoint and pencil and erases fairly well. (Thesilver paper on the LN HD cassette does not erase asneatly.) Labeling space on the paper insert of the Phil-ips box is better than average for both ER and LN HD.


+10co

0

-2 dB at 100 Hz

o -10LEVEL

-20-15 dB at 10 kHz

cc

-30

00

+5(0 dB = -30 VU re standard test tape)

1,-. 0c")

0-50_v.) Relative sensitivity rating (at 400 Hz): -0.5 dE

3M Scotch Extended Range cassette

20 50 100 200 500 1K 2K 5K 10K 20K

FREQUENCY IN HZ

MAXIMUM RECORDED10 dB = DIN 0 VU)

3M Scotch Extended Range cassette

20 50 100 200 500 1K 2K 5K 10K 20K

FREQUENCY IN HZ

RELATIVE SENSITIVITY

Scotch Extended Range Additional Data

S N ratio (NAB) 58 dB

Dropout countsample 1sample 2

Major Medium01

Minor1

2

TDK Krom-02 CassetteThe Equipment: TDK Krom-0_, a chromium dioxide tapecassette. C-60 price: $3.00; also available in C-90. Man-ufacturer: TDK, Japan; U.S. distributor: TDK Electron-ics Corp., 23-73 48th St., Long Island City, N.Y. 11103.

Comment: The difference between chromium dioxidecassettes we've tested so far have been exceedinglyminor (as one might expect when much of the tape -orat least the oxide -has been manufactured by a singleplant: Du Pont's), and TOK's entry s approximately cen-tered within that narromy defined ball park. Headroom(represented in the maximum recorded level curve) isaverage for chromium dioxides -meaning that it isslightly less generous than typical low -noise ferric ox-ides in the midrange, considerably more generous athigh frequencies The one striking measurement forKrom-O is the dropout count: just one notch below per-fect and matched by the reading for only one other tape(Maxell UD) we have tested to date.

Both the Philips box and the cassette case have bet-ter than average labeling areas. Tne finely made case isheld together with screws and has metal idler pins. Itswindows and spring -mounted pressure pad are ofstandard design.

CIRCLE 142 ON READER -SERVICE CARD.

-0.25 dB at 100 Hz

-8 5 dB at 10 kHz ---'

MAXIMUM RECORDED LEVEL(0 dB = DIN 0 VU)

TON Krorn-03 cassette-3020 50 100 20C 500 1K 2K 5K 10K 20K

FREQUENCY IN HZ

+ 5

(,)1.1.! 0

- 5 Relative sensitivity rating (at 400 Hz): -0.5 dB

c TDK Krom-0, cassette

20 50 100 200 500 1K 2K 5K 10K 20K

FREQUENCY IN HZ

RELATIVE SENSITIVITY(0 d8 = -30 VU re stardard test tape)

TDK Krom-O. Additional Data

S/N ratio (NAB)

Dropout countsample 1sample 2 0

Major0

59.5 dB

Medium00

Minor1

0

JULY 1973 45

Music Listener's Book Service

THE MUSIC OF BERLIOZ. A.E.F. Dickinson. Illus.

Musical examples.

Against the literary and social background of

Berlioz's times. Dickinson examines the music withtechnical thoroughness. Both the broad aspects ofstyle and the more minute details of tonal analysiscome into play. The author draws on many sourcesnot available in English. No. 353 . . . $23.50

THE GLORY OF THE VIOLIN. Joseph Wechsberg. Illus.

Famed New Yorker author Wechsberg writes ofhis great love, the violin, and touches many bases.The great makers, the secrets of wood and varnish,the business of buying, selling (and cheating), themysterious matter of tone, the noted virtuosos-allare dealt with in lively style. A fiddle fancier's delight.

No. 341 . . . $8.95

RECORDS IN REVIEW. 1972 EDITION.

The 17th annual edition of this "bible for recordcollectors." Hundreds of the authoritative, detailedreviews which appeared in High Fidelity in 1971 arearranged alphabetically by composer, sub -divided by

category of music when releases of his music wereconsiderable. A section on Recitals and Miscellanytoo. and an Artists' Index to all performers reviewed

during the year, as well as those mentioned only inthe text. No. 285... $9.95

CHOPIN. Collected Letters.

Beautifully produced reprint of the translation ofthree hundred letters, from the original Polish andFrench (collected by Henryk Opienski), first published in 1931-an almost indispensable guide toChopin's life. his friends and his music.

No. 331 . . . $12.00

CARUSO. Stanley Jackson, Illus. Index. Bibl.

A popular biography of the legendary singer re-vealing episodes and relationships in his life, ro-

manticized or almost completely ignored in previousbiographies. Jackson separates the man from thecamouflage which he encouraged. The great artist ishere. also the many faceted character and person.ality. No. 2114 ... $7.95

DIVAS. Winthrop Sargeant, Illus.The veteran music critic writes with liveliness and

often intimate knowledge about six great singers:Sutherland, Home, Sills, Nilsson, Price, and Farrell.

The profiles. five of which appeared in The NewYorker, are part interview part career -sketch, partcanny observation. An assortment of photographswith each subject. No. 352 . . . $7.95

JOLSON. Michael Freedland. Illus. Index.An ungarnished story of Jolson's life and career.

The boy sneaked into his first Broadway theater at 12.

lived in a Catholic Boys Home (with Babe Ruth andBojangles Robinson). worked in burlesque at 14: theman became a legend as one of the greatest enter-tainers in Broadway history. No. 332... $8.95

FACING THE MUSIC: An Irreverent Close-up of theReal Concert World. Henri Temianka. Introductionby Yehudi Menuhin. Illus.

The American based violinist and conductor,

founder of the California Chamber Symphony, casts

an experienced and sometimes caustic eye on

famous colleagues in the music world. A lighthearted

autobiography rich in anecdotes. No. 361... $6.95

ENCOUNTERS WITH STRAVINSKY. A Personal Record.

Paul Horgan. Illus. Photos. IndexFor anyone who has felt the impact of Stravinsky's

music on his own aesthetic responses, this is a bookto treasure. As Hogan writes in his foreword, it is an"act of homage to a transcendent artist who for almost four decades indirectly and impersonallybrought aesthetic fulfillment to my life and learning-an experience which then for another decade and ahalf was crowned by personal friendship with him and

his wife." It is not intended as a work of musicology or

complete biography, rather a sketchbook. rich in detail and anecdote. by a loving friend with the novelist's eye and ear for character and scene.

No. 2910... $7.95

BRAHMS: A CRITCIAL STUDY. Burnett James.-Burnett James. moreover, has not written the

usual dates -and -places biography. but rather a

loosely biographical exegesis on Brahms's life andmusic . The book is highly discursive. for Jameslikes to make analogies and to conjure up ideas: we

range from the composer to such figures as Freud.Hemingway. Sibelius. and back."-Patrick Smith.HIGH FIDELITY/MUSICAL AMERICA

No. 333 . . . $10.00

DANCING ON THE SEATS. Andrew H. Meyer.A wise and even witty book on the ins and outs

of producing concerts on a college campus. covering

such matters as choosing and negotiating with artists,

their agents, and their managers; promoting theconcert; setting up the hall properly on the night ofthe concert. The author, former president of a collegeconcert promotional firm, deals primarily with rockconcerts, but his information applies to other typesas well. A valuable handbook for every new collegeconcert chairman. No. 342 ... $6.95

THE DANCE BAND ERA: The Dancing Decades from

Ragtime to Swing, 1910.1950. Albert McCarthy.

Four decades of bands and bandleaders examined

both in musical terms a Ildnomic context. Unlike previous histories, this in

cludes the great English and European bands. Lists 01

selected recordings with each chapter.

No. 299 ... $10.00

THE RECORDINGS OF BEETHOVEN. As viewed by the

Critics of High Fidelity.To celebrate the Beethoven Bicentenary High Fi

delity published the most immense critical dis

cography ever undertaken by any magazine. apprais-

A new and simple way to get thosebooks you want, carefully selected fromavailable lists. Circle the number(s) youwant, send the coupon with yourremittance. We do the rest

ing every available recording of the composer's works.

At the end of the year these separate discographieswere completely revised and updated and are herecollected into one convenient book. It is hard to imag

ine any record collection without it on an adjacentshelf. Index to performers. No. 2616 ... $6.95

THIS BUSINESS OF MUSIC. Revised & Enlarged Edi-tion, Dec. '71. Sidney Shemel & M. WilliamKrasilovsky. Edited by Paul Ackerman.

Anyone involved or lust interested in the musicrecord -tape industry needs this unique and indispen.

sable reference book. No other single volume con-tains comparable information, arranged for easy reference and readability. on the complex legal.

practical, and procedural problems.

Eight new chapters and one third more material in

this new edition. 544 pages. 180 pages of appendices

(Federal and International laws. statutes, contracts,applications, agreements, etc.) No. 287 ... $15.00

TARZAN OF THE APES. Drawings by Burne Hogarth.

(122 pages full color). Text by Edgar Rice Burroughs.Introduction by Maurice Horn.

In the past decade, the international art world hasdiscovered the comic strip as a significant contempo-rary art form. Horn documents in his learned introduction the worldwide influence of Hogarth, namedby French critics the "Michelangelo of the comicstrip."

Now Hogarth presents a new pictorial version ofthe novel that inspired the original comic strip-com-pletely redrawn for this handsome volume. A fascinat-

ing book and a marvelous gift for any generation.

No. 2104... $9.95

SCHUBERT: THE FINAL YEARS. John Reed.

For the more -than -casual Schubert fancier, thisbook explores, in readable manner. the stylistic

development of the composer's work during the lastthree years of his life. The author's startling case fordating the Great C Major Symphony in 1826 ratherthan in the last year of Schubert's life is provoca-

tive and convincing. No. 351 . . . $15.00

LETTERS OF RICHARD WAGNER:

THE BAYREUTH LETTERS. Trans. & Edit. by Caroline

V. Kerr. Reprint of 1912 ed. with new index prep. for'72 ed.

Wagner laid the foundation stone of the Bayreuthfestival theater in 1872. In this centennial edition arethe deeds. words, and persons involved in its realization. No. 2116... $10.50

Music Listeners' Book Service, Dept. HWHIGH FIDELITY, 2160 Patterson Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45214

I enclose check or money order for $ . Please send me, postpaid, the booksindicated by the circled numbers below. (No cash, No C.O.D.'s, please).

353 341 285 331 2114 352

333 342 299 2616 287

NAME

ADDRESS

CITY, STATE & ZIP

332 361 2910

2104 351 2116

7-73

46 Mill I IN I \i \ /I \ I

Meetthe musicSOWN.

Click! Another scratch in Sgt. Pepperthat wasn't there before. Pop! Another oneright in the middle of the Moody Blues. Cra2kle!Even with plastic jackets and cleaning gadgets and static removers, a few new noisesseem to appear every time you put one of your records on zhe turntable.

If you'd like to end all that, take a look at the music savers -TEAC professionalquality stereo cassette decks with built-in Dolby.* These skillfully engineered and carefullycrafted TEAC Tape Decks enable you to permanently record your valued albums onconvenient cassettes. Capture all of their sound purity for years to come, no matter howoften you listen to them. And they'll always be reproduced withthe accuracy and full -range fidelity that have made TEACprofessional quality stereo cassette decks the best-sellingmusic savers in America.

Stop the clicks, crackles and pops. Add the easy -handling convenience of cassettes and theprofessional performance of TEAC to your soundsystem, all backed by TEAC's exclusive two-yearWarranty of Confidence.**

It could be the nicest thing you'llever do for your music.

...

F.., t... k ,11111111.1,1/1/ .111111. /111 1-11111,1/1 111.1111111

111. or it t ,111 rp..1 fro, ,fnuat.r.l. Th..nr: to IF: .

-II 11.1. N1,10.-1.4. 1,...,04,11,t F,111,

Tht, 1..a111'I...\kvays has 11 -ht .

Jul 1973


47

Vladimir Horowitz-the"Tornado from the Steppes"-in themid -1920s at about the time hisrecording career began.

Recordings ofVladimir Horowitz

From piano rolls to stereo, they span nearly half a century.

EVER SINCE HIS debut in Kharkov, Russia in 1922,Vladimir Horowitz has been looked upon as one ofthe most remarkable pianistic phenomena of histime. Perhaps of all time. This opinion has beenvoiced by critics, colleagues, and audiencesthroughout the world for five decades and is testi-mony to the important place his name will have forfuture historians examining pianism in thetwentieth century. Fortunately, Horowitz's artistryhas been-and is still being-preserved for futuregenerations on recordings.

Since he has now completed his recording con-tract with Columbia Masterworks it seems appro-priate to gather together and examine the totalityof his commercial releases in order to give us aclearer perspective of his recorded output. I alsohope that it will serve as a guide for those interestedin this pianist's lesser -known recordings but whohave been discouraged by their lack of knowledgeof just what has existed in the past. A compilation

by Caine Alder

at this time on Horowitz carries with it added inter-est since it is still in the process of creation withsome of this pianist's finest achievements onrecordings appearing in recent years.

Vladimir Horowitz was twenty-two years oldwhen he made his first recorded performances forWelte during the season of 1926-27. The locationwas a rented castle on the Rhine, and even thoughthe young "Tornado from the Steppes" was stillmore than a year away from his spectacular debutin America his fame in Russia and most of thecountries of Europe was well secured. He recordedonly five works for Welte utilizing a mechanicalsystem of reproduction that many, including Horo-witz, feel leaves much to be desired, particularly sofar as authentic interpretation is concerned; still weshould be grateful for their having been made sincethey are all we have of the young Russian's artistrybefore he came to this country.

The Horowitz debut in Carnegie Hall mustsurely remain one of the greatest of all time, andeven now when some new star of the keyboard ar-rives on our shores critics often compare his debutwith the first appearance of Horowitz over forty-five years ago. After the initial performance ofTchaikovsky's First Piano Concerto on January 12,1928, with Sir Thomas Beecham and the New YorkPhilharmonic Orchestra, the pianist made sixteenappearances in eastern cities before returning toCarnegie Hall on February 20 for his first NewYork solo recital. No doubt there were many(recording scouts among them), who must have feltthat it simply wouldn't be possible for the young pi-anist to sustain the success and excitement of hisfirst appearance and that after the newness hadworn off he would be just another pianist whowould visit America from time to time. The au-dience attending this second appearance was one ofawesome distinction and included all the major pi-anists of the day from Josef Hofmann and SergeiRachmaninoff on down. The program was Bach'sC major Organ Toccata, arranged by Busoni, twoScarlatti sonatas, the Liszt B minor Sonata and aChopin group ending with the A flat Polonaise, andHorowitz if anything created even more of a furorthan that of the orchestral appearance six weeksearlier. Encore followed encore and still the capac-ity audience refused to leave the hall. Only whenthe houselights were turned on and the piano's lidwas closed did people reluctantly begin to movetoward the exits. This scene was to become a famil-iar one for Horowitz appearances, and the demandfor his concerts became all but unprecedented.

Vladimir Horowitz was now the talk of the town.Recording executives rushed in with contracts inhand hoping to capitalize on the sensation that hewas creating, and the young pianist suddenly foundhimself making paper player rolls for Duo Art itNew York, and shellac phonograph recordings-

utilizing the new electronic process-for the VictorCompany in Camden, New Jersey. Horowitz re-corded only seven compositions for Duo Art; withthe decline in the popularity of the player piano,recording on paper rolls soon gave way completelyto phonograph reproduction. What makes the pi-ano rolls important (even though Horowitz againfeels that they are not valid reproductions of hisart) is that of the total of twelve compositions he re-corded for Welte and Duo Art, eight have neversubsequently been recorded by him and apparentlyhave not been in the Horowitz repertory for manyyears.

The contract with Victor proved to be muchmore lasting, and between the studios in Camdenand those of Victor's affiliate in London (HMV) theassociation lasted until 1962, a period of thirty-fouryears. Horowitz made his first recording before theVictor microphones on March 26, 1928, and playedone of the blockbusters he'd given as one of manyencores at his New York recital appearance justfive weeks before: the pianist's own arrangement ofthemes from Bizet's Carmen, which subsequentlybecame almost inseparably linked with Horowitz'sname and fame. To date he has recorded it threetimes in differing versions each separated by atwenty-year interval.

The Crash of 1929 notwithstanding, Horowitzcontinued to record for Victor through the late1920s and early '30s, but thereafter all recordingswere made in the HMV studios in London. For-tunately there was a good deal of recording activity(for those days) on the part of the pianist for HMV,particularly the year 1932 when nine works werepreserved for posterity, including his now famousinterpretation of Liszt's B minor Sonata. As welook back toward the first half of the 1930s it seemsall the more important now than it did then thatthese stampers were cut, no one at the time fore-seeing that complications following an appendec-tomy would usher in the pianist's first period of re-tirement. The last record he made before his illnesswas of Chopin's Fourth Scherzo, recorded onMarch 9, 1936, in London. So far as recordingswere concerned, the retirement would span thenext four years.

As the fall of 1939 approached and war en-veloped Europe, Horowitz, largely as the result ofconstant urgings by Rachmaninoff and Arturo Tos-canini, his father-in-law, returned to the concertstage and resumed his career in Switzerland, Paris,and London. In what would be his last concert inEurope for another twelve years Horowitz ap-peared with Toscanini at the Lucerne Festival onAugust 29, 1939, the very eve of World War II. Hewas thirty-five and he seemed in many ways a moresettled individual, having had over three years toCaine Alder teaches piano in Sall Lake City and is an avidcollector and scholar of piano recordings.

JULY 1973 49

Horowitz's thirty -four-yearassociation with RCA resulted in

landmark recordings of works by, amongothers, Beethoven, Liszt, Prokofiev,

and his own transcriptions.

rest and simply think about music without combat-ing the rigors of a schedule that had become so hor-rendous as to include nearly 100 appearances in1935.

A greater surety and repose was evident in Horo-witz's playing in his 1940 recording of Brahms'sSecond Piano Concerto with Toscanini and theNBC Symphony Orchestra. It was the first record-ing he had made in America in ten years. and itsappearance was greeted with a great deal ofwarmth and enthusiasm on the part of public andcritics alike. Its success paved the way for the sec-ond release made almost exactly a year later inMay 1941. and again involved the talents of son -and father-in-law in a famous item of the Horowitzrepertoire. the Tchaikovsky Concerto No. 1, in Bflat minor. Its performance put an end to specula-tion that the pianist may have lost some of his fireand excitement during his sabbatical from the con-cert plattbrm.

With the onset of the war and the great shortageof materials most recording activity came to anabrupt halt, and from 1941 to 1945 the pianist re-corded only four works, one a public performancehe had given in Carnegie Hall.

But it didn't take long after the end of the war forthe resumption of record making, and from 1945through the first years of the 1950s the Horowitzdiscography showed marked increases. One mustremember that this was still the pre -LP era. and itwas much more risky and expensive to record themore lengthy items of the piano repertoire. None-theless we have such works as Prokofiev's SeventhSonata. Kabalevsky's Third. Beethoven's Moon-light and Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibitioncoming out in sets containing as many as four 78rpm records. For a brief period in the beginning ofthe 1950s RCA Victor manufactured three kinds ofrecordings: 78 rpm shellacs. the smaller doughnut -shaped 45 rpm discs made of unbreakable vinyl,

-617M11/) ' MA 44 I ' Pintos

and the 12 -inch LPs. The 45s offered a transitionfrom the heavy and .breakable 78s, which by thattime had been in existence for nearly half a cen-tury. Horowitz recorded a half dozen or so shortworks for these 45 rpm releases while the largerworks, such as the sonatas by Chopin (No. 2) andBarber. came out on the long -play discs.

The year 1953 marked the twenty-fifth anniver-sary of Horowitz's debut in this country, and ap-pearances in New York on January 12 and Febru-ary 25 were booked to commemorate the occasion.But the pianist had been touring constantly now forthirteen seasons and the rigors of travel as well asthe nervous strain of always having to be "King ofPianists" was beginning to take its toll. It was for-tunate that there was some historical significance tothese appearances and that Victor saw to it that theywere recorded, since the recitals would prove to behis last public appearances for another twelveyears. February 1953 then begins his second retire-ment period, a time which would bring about notonly a halt to his public appearances but also achange in the direction of his recorded repertoire.

From 1940 on there had been increasing de-mands on Horowitz the virtuoso, and in 1941 hemade his second transcription, his arrangement ofSaint-Saens's Danse macabre. Four years later, in1945, there was his piano version of Sousa's Starsand Stripes Forever, to celebrate the ending of theSecond World War, and as audiences and man-agers demanded more and more there appeared hisWedding March Variations in 1947, the RakbczyMarch in 1949, and finally his elaboration of Liszt'salready overworked and famous Second Hun-garian Rhapsody in 1952. At this time he was alsointroducing a large amount of modern literature toAmerican audiences with performances andrecordings of the smaller works as well as sonatasby Prokofiev, Kabalevsky, and Barber. Now eventhough the public rushed to his concerts-and it was


a rare house that wasn't sold out-some critics werebeginning to look at him as merely a juggler orstunt man who had abandoned the musical, lyricalside of his art. Horowitz for some time had beenhaving these thoughts himself but seemed to feeltrapped in a situation that had crept up on himgradually and which had apparently gotten beyondhis control; thus once again a complete break withthe past was deemed a necessary solution thatwould remedy a number of problems at the sametime. Horowitz would once again take to the stagein 1965, but 1953 marked the end to a rather largeportion of his repertoire that consisted primarily ofcontemporary works as well as his transcendentalarrangements. For the first nine or ten months ofhis retirement he saw virtually no one and even re-fused to leave his home. There was little musical ac-tivity of any kind at first as he attempted to recoverphysically and psychologically from the strains hehad been subjecting himself to for over thirteenconsecutive seasons. But as the spring of 1954 ap-proached, Horowitz began to explore the sonatas ofClementi in editions that his wife, Wanda, had justbrought back from Italy. At this point the pianistfelt that he had to retrace his journey to the classicsand Clementi would be a good place to begin. Withthe pianist still refusing to leave his home it wasnecessary for RCA engineers to go to him, and con-sequently he recorded the three Clementi works inhis own living room on a concert grand Steinwaythat the famous piano firm had given him as a wed-ding present in 1933.

Having completed his first album, during whatwas originally intended to be a year's vacation fromthe stage, plans were now set in motion for an all-Scriabin album to be made later that fall, again atthe Horowitz household. There would be one moredisc made in this fashion the following year in 1955,but this time it was of more popular repertoire:Beethoven's Waldstein and a re-recording of the

In 1962, Horowitz, here withGoddard Lieberson, then president ofColumbia Records, switched hisunabated recording activitiesto the Columbia label.

Moonlight. Horowitz had been away from his pub-lic for over three seasons, and Victor seems to havewanted to make up for any momentum lost by atleast recording music more familiar to the public,especially since there was now only one record peryear coming from the Horowitz piano.

The pianist was a little disappointed in the soundof these recordings made in his home, and in 1956the recording sessions for his all -Chopin disc weremoved to the stage of Carnegie Hall. For the nexttwo years there was no recording activity of anykind. and as the Horowitz sabbatical moved into itssixth year, there appeared little interest in the mak-ing of recordings, on the part of either the companyor the pianist.

Finally, sometime in 1959 the first Horowitzstereo album was produced with performances ofBeethoven's Op. 10, No. 3 and A ppassionata Sona-tas in what proved to be the last disc he made forRCA Victor. Horowitz seemed displeased with thekind of repertoire he was being requested to record.and Victor seemed equally discontent that theirformer star was no longer bolstering record sales asa traveling virtuoso who conquered large audiencesin many cities. Again something had to give, and itdid in 1962 when the pianist's contract with Victorwas up for renewal and he decided to switch to Co-lumbia Masterworks.

For three years now there had been no newrecordings, and a virtual blackout existed on anypublicity concerning his activities. With the changein companies there suddenly appeared storiesheadlined "Horowitz to Play Again," "Master's Re-turn," "The Return of Vladimir Horowitz." A greatdeal of interest was generated by speculation aboutnot only the pianist's present capabilities but alsoabout what he would be programming for his ini-tial Columbia release. The sessions with the newcompany took place in April and May of 1962 witha release date scheduled for later that fall. For rep -

JULY 1973 51

Horowitz's record of Kreisleriana won, among otherhonors, a 1971 HIGH FIDELITY/Montreux International Rec-ord Award, presented here by HF editor Leonard Marcus.

ertoire Horowitz selected works by Chopin, Schu-mann, and Rachmaninoff as well as an anxiouslyawaited new transcription, that of Liszt's Nine-teenth Hungarian Rhapsody. The disc was highlyacclaimed and appeared on the best-seller lists formany months.

As it turned out, three more studio -made record-ings would be released before Horowitz's historicreturn to public performances in 1965; on thesediscs would be works by Schumann, Scriabin, Scar-latti, Chopin, Debussy, and others that not only of-fered a wide variety of interest but seemed to have agreat compatibility with Horowitz's own musicalinterests and emotional temperament.

The pianist's return to the stage in 1965 initiatedfour years in which his sole record releases wouldbe from his public appearances, primarily in NewYork. This resulted largely from one of the thingsthat Horowitz says most prompted him to go beforethe public again: He was tired of playing only forlifeless microphones in recording studios. So forfour years he successfully combined the two, mak-ing records while playing in public, resulting in liveperformances of works from Bach-Busoni to Lisztto Scriabin. The sound is not always perfect, andthe listener can easily detect audience noises in thebackground (not to mention the applause), but theperformances remain very important documents ofa great pianist playing before an obviously mes-merized grc,up of followers. Present also is thespontaneity and excitement that have becomecharacteristic of his appearances since the incep-tion of his career.

In the fall of 1969 Horowitz again abandonedpublic appearances in favor of the recording studio,and since that time Columbia has released hismulti -prize-winning performance of Schumann'sKreisleriana and an all -Chopin recording-which

won the most recent Grammy Award-that fea-tures among others a work new to the HorowitzChopin discography: the Introduction and Rondo,Op. 16. In fact during the eleven years that Horo-witz has been with Columbia all but two of his al-bums have won Grammies, and one of the two,Kreisleriana, won three Japanese awards as well asthe HIGH FIDELITY/Montreux InternationalRecord Award. Still to be released by Columbia arerecordings of works by Beethoven, Schubert, andChopin as noted in the discography. [See also "Be-hind the Scenes," page 12.]

The most recent Horowitz recording to be re-leased is the all-Scriabin disc which features a vari-ety of the smaller works, the Vers la flamme, and arepressing of the Tenth Sonata taken from a recitalplayed before a few friends in Carnegie Hall onNovember 9, 1965 (it was the evening of the BigBlackout along the eastern seaboard and the pian-ist had to complete the concert with the help of aflashlight held by an usher), which was first releasedin 1967.

At age sixty-nine there is one thing still certain:Horowitz remains in top form musically and tech-nically. It is to be hoped that he will continue to en-rich the recorded piano repertoire with even morefrequency since there are still many works he hasperformed throughout his career that remain tofind their way onto recordings: Bach's C minorToccata and the F minor Prelude and Fugue fromBook II of the WTC; Brahms's E flat Rhapsody andPaganini Variations; Chopin's Second Ballade,Fantasie, Op. 49, and about seven of the etudes (es-pecially Op. 25, Nos. 6, 10, and 11); five etudes byDebussy; Islamev by Balakirev; Liszt's St. FrancisWalking on the Water and the Scherzo and March(both in Horowitz arrangements); RachmaninofrsPrelude in E minor, Op. 32, No. 4, and Variationson a Theme of Chopin; Scriabin's Sixth Sonata andFantasie, Op. 28 (either of which could have re-placed the all-Scriabin disc's reissued Tenth Sonatathat, notwithstanding the great performance, is stillavailable on the "In Concert" album); and so on.

In the discography that follows I have made noattempt to get into the intricacies of serial and ma-trix numbers or specific dates for record takes. Alltoo often these items almost become ends in them-selves, and I most gratefully leave them for futurehistorians of recording encyclopedias. The problemof recording dates was difficult enough in the daysof 78 -rpm recordings, but with the advent of long-playing records, tape-recorded masters, and inge-nious splicing engineers, the problem of assigningexact dates for recorded performances becomes allbut insurmountable. And, I might add, no less sofor the "live" performances of Horowitz that werereleased by Columbia in the last half of the '60s.

Due to the limitations of space I have listed onlythe presently available record number or, in thecase of out -of -print items, the last available recordnumber of a particular performance.


HorowitzonRecords

The Works and Their AlbumsThe principles of this listing are outlined inthe text. Only commercial recordings areincluded; it would be impossible to trackdown all the unauthorized recordings ofHorowitz performances, although such"private" issues as the 1936 Brahms D mi-nor Concerto with the Concertgebouw Or-chestra under Bruno Walter or the 1953Tchaikovsky B minor Concerto with theNew York Philharmonic under GeorgeSzell have become treasures of the under-ground.

Each listing contains the date of record-ing, followed by the label (RCA = RCA Vic-tor, now RCA Red Seal; vICTR = RCA Vic-trola; ANG = Angel; SERA = Seraphim; cox= Columbia) and number of the most re-cent album on which the selection ap-peared; then, in parentheses, the format ofthat issue (78 = 78 -rpm disc, never trans-ferred to LP; 45 = 45 -rpm disc, nevertransferred to LP; LP -M = mono LP; LP -S= stereo LP; LP -E = electronically re -channeled LP). An asterisk indicates thatthe record listed is out of print. Recordingsstill in pr nt are numbered. These numbersprovide a guide to the contents of each in -print recording listed in "The Albums andTheir Ccntents," page 56.

PIANO ROLLS

(The Superscopes are of course disc trans-fers.)

BACH-BUSONI(1) Toccata and Fugue, in D minor, S. 565.

1926-27: SUPERSCOPE KBI 4-A068 (LP -S).

BIZETCarmen Variat ons (arr. Horowitz). 1928

DLO ART 7250-4

CHOPINEtude in E flat minor, Op. 10, No. 6. 1928:

DLO ART 7287-4Etude in C minor, Op. 25, No. 12. 1928: Duo

AFT 7287-4(2) Mazurka No. 21, in C sharp minor, Op.

30, No. 4. 1926-27: SUPERSCOPE KBI 4-A068 (LP -S).

HosowirzWaltz in F minor. 1928: Duo ART 7360-3*.

LisztFantasia on Two Motives from Mozart's

Marriage of Figaro (arr. Busoni).1926-27: WELTE-MIGNON 4128

RACHMANINOFF(3) Prelude in G, Op. 32, No. 5. 1926-27:

SUPERSCOPE KBI 4-A068 (LP -S)(4) Prelude in G sharp minor, Op. 32, No.

12. 1926-27: SUPERSCOPE KBI 4-A068(LP -S).

SAINT -SanDanse macab-e, Op. 40 (arr. Liszt). 1928

DUO ART A 108

SCHUBERTLiebesbotschaft (arr. Liszt). 1928: Duo ART

7282-3

TCHAIKOVSKYDumka, Op. 59, No. 1 1928: Duo ART

7281-4 .

ilIY 1973 53

DISCS AND TAPES

BACH-BUSONINun freut euch, lieben Christen, S. 734.

1934 (May 6): ANG COLH 300 (LP -M)Nun komm' der Heiden Heiland, S. 599.

1947. RCA LM 1171 (LP -M)(5) Toccata and Fugue, in C, S. 564. 1965

COL M2S 728 (LP -S).

BARBER

Sonata, Op. 26. 1950 (May 15). RCA LD 7021(LP -M)

BEETHOVEN

(6) Concerto No. 5, in E flat, Op. 73 (Em-peror). 1952-RCA Victor Symphony Or-chestra, Fritz Reiner, cond.: VICTR VICS1636 (LP -E).

(7) Sonata No. 7, in D, Op. 10, No. 3. 1959:RCA LSC 2366 (LP -S).

(8) Sonata No. 8, in C minor, Op. 13 (Path-' etique). 1963 (Sept. -Nov.): coL MS 6541

(LP -S).(9) Sonata No. 14, in C sharp minor, Op.

27, No. 2 (Moonlight). 1947: RCA LM 1027(LP -M)° . 1955: RCA LM 2009 (LP -M).1972 (fall): COL (LP-S-not yet released).

(10) Sonata No. 21, in C, Op. 53 (Wald -stein). 1955: RCA LM 2009 (LP -M). 1972(Dec.): COL (LP-S-not yet released).

(11) Sonata No. 23, in F minor, Op. 57 (Ap-passionata). 1959: RCA LSC 2366 (LP -S).1972 (fall): COL (LP-S-not yet released).

Variations (32) in C minor, G. 191. 1934(May 6): ANG COLH 300 (LP-M)°

BIZET(12) Carmen Variations (arr. Horowitz).

1928 (Mar. 26): RCA LM 6074 (LP -M)'.

1947: RCA LM 1171 (LP -M)° . 1968: COLMS 7106 (LP -S).

BRAHMS

Concerto No. 2, in B flat, Op. 83. 1940 (May9)-NBC Symphony Orchestra, ArturoToscanini, cond.: RCA LCT 1025 (LP -M)' .

(13) Intermezzo in B flat minor, Op. 117,No. 2. 1951 (Apr. 23): VICTR VICS 1649(LP -E).

Sonata for Violin and Piano, No. 3, in D mi-nor, Op. 108. 1950 (June 22)-NathanMilstein, violin: RCA LM 106 (LP -M)' .

(14) Waltz in A flat, Op. 39, No. 15. 1950(Oct. 10): VICTR VICS 1649 (LP -E).

CHOPIN(15) Andante Spianato and Grande Polo-

naise brillante, Op. 22. 1945: VICTR VIC1605 (LP -M).

(16) Ballade No. 1, in G minor, Op. 23.1947: VICTR VIC 1605 (LP -M). 1965: COLM2S 728 (LP -S). 1968: COL MS 7106 (LP -S).

Ballade No. 3, in A flat, Op. 47. 1951 RCALM 1707 (LP -M)° .

Ballade No. 4, in F minor, Op. 52. 1951: RCALM 1707 (LP -M)".

Barcarolle in F sharp minor, Op. 60. 1956:RCA LM 2137 (LP -M)` .

Etude in E, Op. 10, No. 3. 1951: RCA LM1707 (LP -M)" . 1972 (Dec.): coL (LP-S-not yet released).

(17) Etude in C sharp minor, Op. 10, No. 4.1935 (June 2): ANG COLH 300 (LP -M)° .

1951: VICTR VIC 1605 (LP -M). 1973 (Feb.15): coL (LP-S-not yet released).

(18) Etude in G flat, Op. 10, No. 5. 1935

(June 2): ANG COLH 300 (LP -M)` . 1971(spring): coL M 30643 (LP -S).

(19) Etude in F, Op. 10, No. 8. 1932 (Nov.15): ANG COLH 300 (LP -M)* . 1965: COLM2S 728 (LP -S).

(20) Etude in C minor, Op. 10, No. 12 (Rev-olutionary). 1963 (Sept. -Nov.): coL MS6541 (LP -S). 1972 (Dec.): coL (LP-S-notyet released).

Etude in F, Op. 25, No. 3. 1935 (June):PATHE C061-01902 (LP -M, import; first re-leased in 1972, not issued in U.S.).

(21) Etude in C sharp minor, Op. 25, No. 7.1963 (Sept. -Nov.): coL MS 6541 (LP -S).

(22) Impromptu No. 1, in A flat, Op. 29.1951: VICTR VIC 1605 (LP -M). 1972-73:coL (LP-S-not yet released).

(23) Introduction and Rondo, in E flat, Op.16. 1971 (Apr. 7): coL M 30643 (LP -S).

(24) Mazurka No. 7, in F minor, Op. 7, No.3. 1932 (Nov. 15): ANG COLH 300 (LP -M)° . 1947 (Dec. 22): VICTR VICS 1649 (LP -E). 1973 (Feb. 15): coL (LP-S-not yet re-leased).

(25) Mazurka No. 13, in A minor, Op. 17,No. 4. 1971 (May 4): coL M 30643 (LP -S).

Mazurka No. 17, in B flat minor, Op. 24, No.4. 1951 (Mar. 5): RCA LM 1957 (LP -M)° .1973 (Feb. 8): coL (LP-S-not yet re-leased).

Mazurka No. 20, in D flat, Op. 30, No. 3.1950: RCA LM 1109 (LP -M)° . 1973 (Feb.8): coL (LP-S-not yet released).

(26) Mazurka No. 21, in C sharp minor, Op.30, No. 4. 1928 (Mar. 26): RCA LM 2993(LP -M). 1950: RCA LM 1109 (LP -M)°.1965: coL M2S 728 (LP -S).

Mazurka No. 23, in D, Op. 33, No. 2. 1973(Feb. 15): coL (LP-S-not yet released).

(27) Mazurka No. 25, in B minor, Op. 33,No. 4. 1966: coL M2S 757 (LP -S).

Mazurka No. 26, in C sharp minor, Op. 41,No. 1. 1950: RCA LM 1109 (LP -M)° .

Mazurka No. 27, in E minor, Op. 41, No. 2.1933 (May 29): ANG COLH 300 (LP -M)° .1973 (Feb. 15): coL (LP-S-not yet re-leased).

(28) Mazurka No. 32, in C sharp minor, Op.50, No. 3. 1935 (June 2): SERA 60207 (LP -M). 1950: VICTR VIC 1605 (LP -M). 1973(Feb. 15): coL (LP-S-not yet released).

Mazurka No. 38, in F sharp minor, Op. 59,No. 3. 1950: RCA LM 1109 (LP -M)° . 1973(Feb. 15): coL (LP-S-not yet released).

Mazurka No. 40, in F minor, Op. 63, No. 21950: RCA LM 1109 (LP -M)*

Mazurka No. 41, in C sharp minor, Op. 63.No. 3. 1950: RCA LM 1109 (LP -M)°. 1971(Apr. 14): coL (LP-S-not yet released).

(29) Nocturne No. 2, in E flat, Op. 9, No. 2.1956: VICTR VIC 1605 (LP -M).

Nocturne No. 3, in B, Op. 9, No. 3. 1956: RCALM 2137 (LP -M)°.

Nocturne No. 4, in F, Op. 15, No. 1. 1956:RCA LM 2137 (LP -M)° .

(30) Nocturne No. 5, in F sharp, Op. 15,No. 2. 1947 (May 19): VICTR VICS 1649(LP -E).

Nocturne No. 7, in C sharp minor, Op. 27,No. 1. 1956: RCA LM 2137 (LP -M)° .

(31) Nocturne No. 15, in F minor, Op. 55,No. 1. 1951: RCA LM 1707 (LP -M)° . 1968:COL MS 7106 (LP -S).

(32) Nocturne No. 19, in E minor, Op. 72,No. 1. 1951: RCA LM 1707 (LP -M)° . 1953(Feb. 25): VICTR VICS 1649 (LP -E). 1966:COL M2S 757 (LP -S).

Polonaise No. 3, in A, Op. 40, No. 1 (Mili-

taire). 1972 (late): coL (LP-S-not yet re-leased).

(33) Polonaise No. 5, in F sharp minor, Op.44. 1968: COL MS 7106 (LP -S).

(34) Polonaise No. 6, in A flat, Op. 53.1945: RCA LM 1137 (LP -M)°. 1971(spring): coL M 30643 (LP -S).

(35) Polonaise No. 7, in A flat, Op. 61(Polonaise-Fantaisie). 1951 (Apr. 23):RCA LM 1957 (LP -M)° . 1966: coL M 30643(LP -S).

Prelude in B minor, Op. 28, No. 6. 1972(May 4): COL (LP-S-not yet released).

(36) Scherzo No. 1, in B minor, Op. 20.1951: VICTR VIC 1605 (LP -M). 1953 (Feb.25): RCA LM 6014 (LP -M). 1963 (Sept. -Nov.): coL MS 6541 (LP -S).

Scherzo No. 2, in B flat minor, Op. 31. 1956:RCA LM 2137 (LP -M)* .

Scherzo No. 3, in C sharp minor, Op. 39.1956: RCA LM 2137 (LP -M)°.

Scherzo No. 4, in E, Op. 54. 1936 (Mar. 9):ANG COLH 300 (LP -M)°.

(37) Sonata No. 2, in B flat minor, Op. 35.1950 (May 13): RCA LM 1235 (LP -M).1962 (Apr. -May): COL KS 6371 (LP -S).

(38) Waltz No. 3, in A minor, Op. 34, No. 2(Grande Valse brillante). 1945: RCA LM1137 (LP -M)° . 1953 (Feb. 25): RCA LM6014 (LP -M). 1971 (spring): coL M 30643(LP -S).

(39) Waltz No. 7, in C sharp minor, Op. 64No. 2. 1946 (Nov. 29): VICTR VIC 1605 (LP -M). 1972 (late): coL (LP-S-not yet re-leased).

CLEMENTI(40) Sonata in F minor, Op. 14, No. 3.1954

(spring): RCA LM 1902 (LP -M).(41) Sonata in F sharp minor, Op. 26, No. 2.

1954 (spring). RCA LM 1902 (LP -M)(42) Sonata in G minor, Op. 34, No. 2.1954

(spring): RCA LM 1902 (LP -M)Sonata in B flat, Op. 47, No. 2: Rondo only.

1950 (May 17): RCA LD 7021 (LP -M)'

54 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE.

CZERNYVariations on La Ricordanza, Op. 33. 1944

RCA LD 7021 (LP -M)`

DEBUSSY(43) Children's Corner: No. 3, Serenade for

the Doll. 1928 (Mar. 26): RCA LM 2993(LP -M). 1947: RCA LM 1171 (LP -M)`.1953 (Feb. 25): RCA LM 6014 (LP -M).1965: COL M2S 728 (LP -S).

Etude No. 11, Pour les arpeges composes.1934 (May 6): ANG COLH 300 (LP -M)".

(44) Lisle joyeuse. 1966: COL M2S 757 (LP -

S).(45) Preludes, Book II: No. 4, Les Fees sont

d'exquises danseuses. 1963 (Sept. -Nov.):COL MS 6541 (LP -S).

(46) Preludes, Book II: No. 5, Bruyeres.1963 (Sept. -Nov.): cot_ MS 6541 (LP -S).

(47) Preludes, Book II: No. 6, General La-vine. 1963 (Sept. -Nov.): cOL MS 6541 (LP -

S).

DOHNANYI(48) Etude No. 6, in F minor (Capriccio).

1928 (Dec. 4): RCA LM 2993 (LP -M).

HAYDN(49) Sonata No. 23, in F. 1966: coL M2S 757

(LP -S).(50) Sonata No. 52, in E flat. 1934-35: SERA

60063 (LP -M). 1951 (Apr. 23): RCA LM1957 (LP -M)` .

Honowtrz(51) Danse eccentrique. 1930 (Mar. 4): RCA

LM 2993 (LP -M).

KABALEVSKY(52) Sonata No. 3, in F, Op. 46. 1947 (Dec.

22) RCA LM 2993 (LP -M)

Luszr(53) Annees de pelerinage, Switzerland (I):

No. 4, Au bord dune source. 1947; RCALM 1235 (LP -M) or LM 2584 (LP -M).

(54) Annees de pelerinage, Switzerland (I):No. 6, Vallee d'Obermann. 1966: COLM2S 757 (LP -S).

(55) Annees de pelerinage, Italy (II): No. 5,Sonetto del Petrarca No. 104. 1949: RCALM 2584 (LP -M).

(56) Harmonies poetiques et religieuses:No. 7, Funerailles. 1932 (Nov.): SERA60114 (LP -M). 1950 (Dec. 29): RCA LM2584 (LP -M) or VICTR VICS 1649 (LP -E).

(57) Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 (arr. Horo-witz). 1953 (Feb. 25): RCA LM 6014 (LP -M) or LM 2584 (LP -M).

(58) Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6. 1947: RCALM 1235 (LP -M) or LM 2584 (LP -M)

(59) Hungarian Rhapsody No. 15 (Rak6czyMarch; arr. Horowitz). 1949: RCA LM2584 (LP -M)

(60) Hungarian Rhapsody No. 19 (arr. Hor-owitz). 1962 (Apr. -May). COL KS 6371(LP -S).

(61) Paganini Etude No. 2, in E flat (arr.Busoni). 1930 (Mar. 4): RCA LM 2993 (LP -M).

(62) Sonata in B minor. 1932 (Nov.): SERA60114 (LP -M).

(63) Valse oubliee, No. 1. 1928 (Dec. 4): RCA1 455 (78)1 . 1950 (Dec. 29): RCA LM 2584(LP -M) or VICTR VICS 1649 (LP -E).

MENDELSSOHNSongs Without Words: No. 25, May

Breezes, Op. 62, No. 1. 1947 RCA ERA 59(45)1.

(64) Songs Without Words: No. 30, SpringSong, Op. 62. No. 6. 1946 (Oct. 29): VICTRVICS 1649 (LP -E).

(65) Songs Without Words: No. 35, Shep-herd's Complaint, Op. 67, No. 5. 1946(Oct. 29): VICTR VICS 1649 (LP -E).

(66) Songs Without Words: No. 40, Elegy,Op. 85, No. 4. 1946 (Oct. 29): VICTR VICS1649 (LP -E).

Variations serieuses, in D minor, Op. 54.1946 RCA LVT 1043 (LP -M) -

Wedding March (arr. Liszt and Horowitz).1946 RCA LVT 1043 (LP -M)" .

MOSZKOWSKIEtincelles, Op. 36, No. 6. 1951 (Apr. 23):

RCA LM 1957 (LP -M)*.Etude in F, Op. 72, No. 6. 1950: RCA ERA 59

(45)(67) Etude in A flat, Op. 72, No. 11. 1950:

RCA LD 7021 (LP -M: first released in

1963)1.1965: COL M2S (LP -S)

MOZART(68) Sonata No. 11, in A, K. 331. 1947-

Rondo alla turca only: RCA LM 1171 (LP-. 1966: COL M2S 757 (LP -S).

Sonata No. 12, in F, K. 332. 1947: RCA LD7021 (LP -M)*

MUSSORGSKY-HOROWITZBy the water. 1947 RCA LM 1171 (LP -M)°.(69) Pictures at an Exhibition. 1947: RCA LM

1014 (LP -M)°. 1951: (Apr. 23): RCA LM2357 (LP -M) or LSC 3278 (LP -E).

POULENCPastourelle. 1932 (Nov. 11): ANG COLH 300

(LP -M)" .Presto in B flat. 1947: RCA 12-0428 (78)1.Toccata. 1932 (Nov. 11): ANG COLH 300

(LP -M)".

PROKOFIEV(70) Sonata No. 7, in B flat, Op. 83. 1945

(Sept. 22): RCA LD 7021 (LP -M)". 1953(Feb. 25)-third movement only: RCA LM6014 (LP -M).

Toccata, Op. 11. 1947 (Nov. 1): RCA LM1171 (LP -M)" .

RACHMANINOFF(71) Concerto No. 3, in D minor, Op. 30.

1930-London Symphony Orchestra, Al-bert Coates, cond.: SERA 60063 (LP -M).1951 (May 10)-RCA Victor SymphonyOrchestra, Fritz Reiner, cond.: RCA LM1178 (LP -M)° .

(72) Etude Tableau in C, Op. 33, No. 2.1962 (Apr. -May): coL KS 6371 (LP -S).1967: COL M 30464 (LP -S).

(73) Etude Tableau in C sharp minor, Op.33, No. 6. 1967: cot_ M 30464 (LP -S).

(74) Etude Tableau in E flat minor, Op. 39,No. 5.1962 (Apr. -M..) -,oL KS 6371 (LP-N).

(75) Etude Tablea,. .n D, Op. 39, No. 9.1967- COL M 30464 (LP -S).

(76) Moment musical, in B minor, Op. 16,No. 3. 1968: COL M 30464 (LP -S).

Prelude in G minor, Op. 23, No. 5. 1930: RCAM 117(78)"

(77) Prelude in G sharp minor, Op. 32, No.12.1968: COL M 30464 (LP -S).

(78) Sonata No. 2, in B flat minor, Op. 36.1968: COL M 30464 (LP -S).

RIMSNY-KORSAKOVFlight of the Bumblebee (arr. Rachmani-

noff). 1932 (Nov.): PATHS C061-01902(LP -M, import; first released in 1972, neverissLed in U.S.).

SAINT -URNSDanse macabre, Op. 40 (arr. Liszt and Hor-

owlz). 1942: aCA LD 7021 (LP -M)°.

SCARLATTI, D.(79) Capriccio, 375 (arr. Tausig). 1928:

(Apr. 2); RCA LM 2993 (LP -M).(80) Sonata in E, L. 21. 1964: coL MS 6658

(LF-S)(81) Sonata in E minor, L. 22. 1964: coL MS

6658 (LP -S).(82) Sonata in E, L. 23. 1948: RCA MO 1262

(78y. 1951 (Apr. 23): RCA LM 1957 (LP -M)*. 1968: COL MS 7106 (LP -S).

Sonata in E, L. 25. 1948: RCA MO 1262 (78)1.Sonata in B minor, L. 33. 1935 (June 2): ANG

COLH 300 (LP -M)*. 1948: RCA MO 1262(78)`.

(83) Sonata in F minor, L. 118. 1964: coL MS6658 (LP -S).

(84) Sonata in D, L. 164. 1964: coL MS 6658(LP -S).

(85) Sonata in F minor, L. 187. 1964: COL MS6658 (LP -S).

(86) Sonata in F, L. 188. 1964: COL MS 6658(LP -S).

(87) Sonata in E flat, L. 203. 1964: COL MS6658 (LP -S).

(88) Sonata in G, L. 209. 1948: RCA MO 1262(73)". 1962 (Nov. -Dec.): coL MS 6411(LP -S).

(89) Sonata in A minor, L. 241. 1964: cot_MS 6658 (LP -S).

(90) Sonata in G, L. 335. 1968: coL MS 7106(LP -S).

(91) Sonata in G, L. 349. 1964: COL MS 6658(L° -S).

(92) Sonata in A, L. 391. 1964: COL MS 6658(LP -S).

(93) Sonata in D, L. 424. 1964: COL MS 6658(LP -S)

(94) Sonata in E, L. 430. 1948: RCA MO 1262(78)' . 1962 (Nov. -Dec.): coL MS 6411(LP -S).

(95) Sonata in D, L. 465. 1964: COL MS 6658(LP -S).

(96) Sonata in A, L. 483. 1948: RCA MO 1262(78)". 1962 (Nov. -Dec.): cot_ MS 6411(LP -S).

Sonata in G, L. 487. 1935 (June 2): ANGCOLH 300 (LP -M)" .

SCHUBERTImpromptu in E flat, Op. 90, No. 2. 1973

(Jan ) coL LP-S-not yet released).(97) Impromptu in G, Op. 90, No. 3. 1953

(Jan. 4): VICTR VICS 1649 (LP -E; first re-leased in 1972) 1962 (Nov -Dec.): COL MS6411 (LP -5).

Impromptu in A flat, Op. 90, No. 4. 1973(Jan.): coL ;LP-S-not yet released)

Impromptu in F minor, Op. 142, No. 1. 1973(Jan.) coL ;LP-S-not yet released)

Impromptu in A flat, Op. 142, No. 2. 1973(Jan ): COL ;LP-S-not yet released).

(98) Sonata it B flat, D. 960. 1953 (Feb. 25):RCA LM 6014 (LP -M).

SCHUMANN(99) Arabeske, Op. 18. 1933 (May): SERA

60114 (LP -M). 1962 (Apr. -May): cot_ KS6371 (LP -5). 1968: cOL MS 7106 (LP -S).

N 1973 55

(100) BlumenstUck, Op. 19. 1966: COL M2S757 (LP -S).

(101) FantasiestUcke, Op. 12: No. 7, Trau-meswirren. 1932 (Nov.). SERA 60114 (LP -M).

(102) Fantasy in C, Op. 17. 1965: COL M2S728 (LP -S).

(103) Kinderszenen, Op. 15. 1950: RCA LM1109 (LP -M)*. 1962 (Nov. -Dec.): COL MS6411 (LP -S).

(104) Kinderszenen, Op. 15: No. 7, Trau-merei. 1947: RCA LM 1171 (LP -M)'. 1950:v1CTR VICS 1649 (LP -E; from 1950 com-plete set). 1965: COL M2S 728 (LP -S).1968: COL MS 7106 (LP -S).

(105) Kreisleriana, Op. 16. 1969: COL MS7264 (LP -S).

(106) Presto passionata. 1932 (Nov.): SERA60114 (LP -M).

(107) Toccata in C, Op. 7. 1934 (May): SERA60114 (LP -M; first released in 1963). 1962(Nov. -Dec.): COL MS 6411 (LP -S).

(108) Variations on a Theme by ClaraWieck, Op. 14. 1951 (Mar. 5): RCA LM1957 (LP -M)` . 1969: COL MS 7264 (LP -S).

SCRIABIN(109) Etude in C sharp minor, Op. 2, No. 1.

1950 (May 17): RCA 49-3303 (45)°. 1962(Nov. -Dec.): COL MS 6411 (LP -S). 1965:cot_ M2S 728 (LP -S).

(110) Etude in F sharp minor, Op. 8, No. 2.1972 (spring): COL M 31620 (LP -S).

(111) Etude in B flat minor, Op. 8, No. 7.1953 (Feb. 25): RCA LM 6014 (LP -M).

(112) Etude in A flat, Op. 8, No. 8. 1972(spring): coL M 31620 (LP -S).

(113) Etude in D flat, Op. 8, No. 10. 1972(spring): coL M 31620 (LP -S).

(114) Etude in B flat minor, Op. 8, No. 11.1972 (spring): COL M 31620 (LP -S).

(115) Etude in D sharp minor, Op. 8, No. 12.1962 (Nov. -Dec.): COL MS 6411 (LP -S).1968: COL MS 7106 (LP -S).

(116) Etude in F sharp, Op. 42, No. 3. 1972(spring): COL M 31620 (LP -S).

(117) Etude in F sharp, Op. 42, No. 4. 1972(spring). COL M 31620 (LP -S).

(118) Etude in C sharp minor, Op. 42, No. 5.1953 (Feb. 25): RCA LM 6014 (LP -M).1972 (spring): COL M 31620 (LP -S)

(119) Feuillet d'album, in E flat, Op. 45, No.1. 1972 (spring): coL M 31620 (LP -S).

(120) Poem in F sharp, Op. 32, No. 1. 1962(Nov. -Dec.): COL MS 6411 (LP -S). 1965:COL M2S 728 (LP -S).

(121) Poems, Op. 69 (2). 1972 (spring): COLM 31620 (LP -S).

(122) Prelude in C, Op. 11, No. 1. 1954 (fall):RCA LM 2005 (LP -M).

(123) Prelude in G, Op. 11, No. 3. 1954(fall): RCA LM 2005 (LP -M).

Prelude in D, Op. 11, No. 5. 1954 (fall): RCALM 1957 (LP -M)".

(124) Prelude in E, Op. 11, No. 9. 1954 (fall):RCA LM 2005 (LP -M).

(125) Prelude in C sharp minor, Op. 11, No10. 1954 (fall). RCA LM 2005 (LP -M).

(126) Prelude in G flat, Op. 11, No. 13. 1954(fall): RCA LM 2005 (LP -M)

(127) Prelude in E flat minor, Op. 11, No.14. 1954 (fall): RCA LM 2005 (LP -M).

(128) Prelude in B flat minor, Op. 11, No.16. 1954 (fall): RCA LM 2005 (LP -M).

(129) Prelude in B minor, Op. 13, No. 6.1954 (fall): RCA LM 2005 (LP -M).

(130) Prelude in F sharp minor, Op. 15, No.2. 1954 (fall): RCA LM 2005 (LP -M).

(131) Prelude in B, Op. 16, No. 1. 1954 (fall):RCA LM 2005 (LP -M).

(132) Prelude in E flat minor, Op. 16, No. 4.1954 (fall): RCA LM 2005 (LP -M).

Prelude in G sharp minor, Op. 22, No. 1.1954 (fall) RCA LM 1957 (LP -M) .

(133) Prelude in G minor, Op. 27, No. 1.1954 (fall): RCA LM 2005 (LP -M).

(134) Prelude in D flat, Op. 48, No. 3. 1954(fall): RCA LM 2005 (LP -M).

(135) Prelude in A minor, Op. 51, No. 2.1954 (fall): RCA LM 2005 (LP -M).

(136) Prelude, Op. 59, No. 2. 1954 (fall): RCALM 2005 (LP -M).

(137) Prelude, Op. 67, No. 1. 1954 (fall): RCALM 2005 (LP -M).

(138) Sonata No. 3, in F sharp minor, Op.23. 1954 (fall): RCA LM 2005 (LP -M).

(139) Sonata No. 9, in F, Op. 68 (BlackMass). 1953 (Feb. 25): RCA LM 6014 (LP -M). 1965: coL M2S 728 (LP -S).

(140) Sonata No. 10, in C, Op. 70. 1966: COLM2S 757 or M 31620 (LP -S).

(141) Vers la flamme, Op. 72. 1972 (spring):COL M 31620 (LP -S).

SOUSA-HOROWITZStars and Stripes Forever. 1950: RCA 49-

3424 (45) . 1951 (Apr. 23): RCA LM 1957(LP -M)

STRAVINSKYPetrushka: Danse russe. 1932 (Nov.):PATHE

C061-01902 (LP -M, import: first releasedin 1972, never issued in U.S.).

TCHAIKOVSKY(142) Concerto No. 1, in B flat minor, Op.

23. 1941 (May 6)-NBC Symphony Or-chestra, Arturo Toscanini, cond.: viCTR VIC1554 (LP -M). 1943 (Apr. 25)-NBC Sym-phony Orchestra, Arturo Toscanini, condRCA LM 2319 (LP -M)

(143) Dumka, Op. 59, No. 1. 1942 (Aug. 27):RCA LM 2993 (LP -M).

The Available Albums and Their ContentsFollowing is a list of all Horowitz recordingscurrently in print in the U.S. Tape editionswhere available are indicated ( =open -reel tape; = 8 -track car-tridge; dm = cassette). The numbers fol-lowing each listing mean that a perform-ance of the correspondingly numberedcomposition in the above dis-cography is included in that recording.

COLUMBIAKS 6371: Columbia Records Presents

Vladimir Horowitz (37, 60, 72, 74, 99).MS 6411: The Sound of Horowitz (88, 94,

96, 97, 103, 107, 109, 115, 120).MS 6541: Beethoven (8). Debussy (45, 46,

47). Chopin (20, 21, 36).MS 6658: Horowitz Plays Scarlatti (80, 81,

83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 89, 91, 92, 93, 95).MS 7106: Horowitz on Television (12, 16,

31,33,82,90,99, 104, 115). Tape: MO988; e. 18-11-0086; 16-11-0086.

MS 7264: Horowitz Plays Schumann (105,108). Tape: OS 16-11-0214.

M 30464: Horowitz Plays Rachmaninoff(72, 73, 75, 76, 77, 78). Tape: S. MA30464; 00 MT 30464.

M 30643: Horowitz Plays Chopin (18, 23,25, 34, 35, 38). Tape: MR 30643;*. MA 30643; 410 MT 30643.

M 31620: Horowitz Plays Scriabin (110,112, 113, 114, 116, 117, 118, 119, 121,140, 141). Tape: em MA 31620; fie MT31620. Quadraphonic: MO 31620 (SQ-encoded disc). '

M2S 728: Horowitz at Carnegie Hall (1, 16,19, 26, 43, 67, 100, 104, 109, 120, 139).Tape: M2Q 745.

M2S 757: Horowitz in Concert (27, 32, 44,49, 54, 68, 100, 140). Tape: M2Q899.

NOT YET RELEASED: Beethoven: Wald -stein and Appassionata Sonatas.

NOT YET RELEASED: Beethoven: Moon-light Sonata. Schubert: Four Im-promptus.

NOT YET RELEASED: Chopin: Etudes, Op.10: No. 3, No. 4, No. 12 (Revolutionary);Mazurkas: No. 7, No. 20, No. 23, No. 27,No. 32, No. 38; Polonaise No. 3 (Mili-taire); Prelude, Op. 28, No. 6, Waltz No.7.

RCA RED SEALLM 1235: Chopin (37). Liszt (53, 58).LM 1902: Horowitz Plays Clementi (40, 41,

42).LM 2005: Horowitz Plays Scriabin (122,

123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130,131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138).

LM 2319: Tchaikovsky (142).LM 2357: Mussorgsky (69). (Coupled with

Toscanini performance on LSC 3278).LM 2584: Homage to Liszt (53, 55, 56, 57,

58, 59, 63).LM 2993: The Young Horowitz (26, 43, 48,

51, 52, 61, 79, 143).LM 6014: Twenty -Fifth Anniversary (36, 38,

43, 57, 70, 98, 111, 118, 139).LSC 2366: Beethoven (7, 11). Tape: fr R8S

1040.

RCA VICTROLAVIC 1554: Tchaikovsky (142).VIC 1605: Favorite Chopin (15, 16, 17, 21,

28, 29, 36, 37).VICS 1636: Beethoven (6).VICS 1649: Romantic Piano Favorites (13,

14, 24. 30, 63, 64, 65, 66, 104).

SERAPHIM60063: Rachmaninoff (71). Haydn (50).60114: Liszt (56, 62). Schumann (99, 101,

106, 107).60207: Great Pianists Play Chopin (28).

SUPERSCOPEKB14-A068: Horowitz and Rubinstein Play

Again (1, 2. 3, 4).

56 FII)I I Ill MAGAZINE

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by Winthrop Sargeant

Speak Ill of the Great ClassicsIf you can't say something nice about them,

you shouldn't say anything at all, claims a noted critic.

I HAVE RECENTLY come across an article by DeryckCooke in the Music Critic's Association's littlemagazine, Critic's Criteria, entitled "The Futility ofMusic Criticism." In it Mr. Cooke presents an in-telligent basis for controversy: that we should giveup criticism of the dead masters altogether. I quiteagree. Writers like Joseph Kerman and Elliott Zuck-ermann, who find weaknesses in Beethoven andWagner, are silly fellows who are trying to stand onthe shoulders of the great while feebly kicking themin the neck. And a year or so ago I came across areport from the Kennedy Center's poll of five hun-dred music critics, which asked such questions as"What do you consider the most important work ofthe past twenty-five years?" and "Who do youthink is the most influential composer?" The an-swers to this poll also incline me to Mr. Cooke's po-sition on futility. The composers named rangedfrom Britten and Prokofiev to Stockhausen andMilton Babbitt, and certainly indicated a vast con-fusion in the minds of American critics-a sort ofconfusion that can be found elsewhere today onlyamong minor critics of painting and sculpture.

Mr. Cooke confesses that he, like all of us, hassometimes been guilty of negative criticism of greatmasterpieces. and he apologizes abjectly for run-ning down Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress. Myown sins in this direction have included the descrip-tion of the last movement of Beethoven's NinthSymphony as "a lot of banging and shouting." anda dislike of his Missa solemnis. I still feel this wayabout both works, but it is foolish for any critic tocondemn a work that has received the acclaim of avast public over several generations, and I confessto having been a fool when I expressed hostility tothese works. As Mr. Cooke says. performers and

Winthrop Surgeons. the New Yorker's Critic Emeritus. playedthe violin under such conductors as Toscanini and Mengel -berg. His most recent hook is Divas, published by Coward -McCann & Geoghegan.

the musical public are the only real judges of awork. All that a critic expresses is an opinion. Thereare no objective standards of music criticism.

But what surprises me about Mr. Cooke's piece ishis preliminary assumption that music criticism issomething of great importance. At one point hequotes Sibelius as having said that nobody has everbuilt a statue to commemorate a music critic. Whyon earth should anybody build such a statue? Itwould put a critic on a par with great composers,and that would be ridiculous. Most famous musiccritics are famous among other things for their glar-ing mistakes-Hanslick for his opposition to Wag-ner, Shaw for his opposition to Brahms, etc., etc.But that does not mean that they were not honestcritics, and honesty, in my opinion, is the firstrequisite of a music critic. Music criticism is not anart, or even a profound intellectual endeavor. It is abranch of journalism, useful to the extent thatpeople like to read it and that it stimulates contro-versy for or against the critic's position. Again. Iam somewhat astonished at Mr. Cooke's reverencefor the craft. As he says, music criticism is merely amatter of opinion-and one man's opinion at that.It does not represent judgment, or a statement ofeternal validity. The reader is free to agree or disa-gree. and if a reader is faithful enough to encountera critic's work more or less consistently, and forman opinion himself as to the critic's more depend-able prejudices, he can use the critic as a weathervane-sometimes even concluding that whateverthe critic likes he would probably dislike, as well asvice versa. There is nothing sacred about the opin-ions of any music critic. On the other hand. I be-lieve that it is absolutely requisite that a critic havean opinion about any given work, and that he beable to formulate this opinion on short notice.These are necessities of the profession. Nothingangers me more than a critic who, faced with a newcomposition, says things like, "This work did not

4- CIRCLE 51 ON READER -SERVICE CARD 61

I have crusaded for the wrong composera couple of times. One example is Carl Nielsen.

I have since found him not very interesting.

impress me much, but then I may be wrong. Futuregenerations may think highly of it." Such a critic isabdicating his principal function.

I have lived long enough to gauge the public re-action to many composers, and to see my opinionsof them either confirmed or denied. I have alwaysbeen more or less against the Schoenberg school(with the exception of a few inspired composers likeGinastera, Berg, and Dallapiccola), and I thinkthat public reaction, at least in Schoenberg's case,has confirmed my impressions. On the other hand,I was promoting Mahler more than forty years ago,when the critic of the New York Times had no usefor him, and I began promoting Bruckner nearlytwenty years ago, and have probably had some in-fluence on the current Bruckner vogue. I take nocredit for special clairvoyance with regard to eithercomposer. The fact is that I was a student of compo-sition in Vienna in the mid -Twenties, and heardboth composers frequently performed. I was simplybetter acquainted with their work than most peopleoutside Austria. Conversely, I have crusaded forthe wrong composer a couple of times. One ex-ample is Carl Nielsen, whom I boosted long agosimply because he was not being performed. I havesince found him to be a not very interesting com-poser.

What all this boils down to is that a critic can beuseful in bringing to public attention great compos-ers who are being neglected. This, I should say, isone of a critic's most important and satisfying func-tions.

Then there is a field that Mr. Cooke does notmention at all-the evaluation and promotion ofperforming artists, especially young ones who canbe helped by a good word. At times this kind ofwork seems almost an exact science. A violinist ei-ther plays in tune or out of tune. A pianist eitherhas a fluent technique or does not have it. These arefacts, not opinions. But there are more importantquestions too-questions of style, of whether an art-ist phrases well, of whether a singer enunciates wellor handles the breaks between his registers well, ofwhether an artist accents correctly, and so on. Andbeyond these things is an area with no well-definedstandards-personality as expressed in perform-ance, ability to impress an audience with a new vi-sion of a given work, etc., etc. In the evaluation of

performers, I think music criticism can serve an im-portant function, even though now and then itdrifts over into the field of the public relations man.I think it is a pity that the evaluation of young per-formers is left largely in the hands of assistantsrather than to the chief critics of newspapers. Hereof course, except in the area of exact science, themusic critic is again merely expressing an opinion.But if he is widely read the opinion carries weight.

Today I think that the music critic has to functionto a certain extent as a historian of contemporarystyle. He may dislike most contemporary music. Ido. I think that I can detect a decline in the com-poser's art over the past sixty years, and a degen-eracy of composition into mere mannerism, or whatthe Russians call formalism-the preoccupationwith technique to the exclusion of everything else.But he ought to be able to identify and describe theidiom of a composition, to discriminate betweenatonality and tonality, aleatory music and written -down music, impressionism and expressionism, ec-lecticism and true originality, and he ought to beable to point out precedents and influences in agiven composition. These powers of discriminationshould be part of every critic's equipment, and heshould describe the type of music he is dealing withwhether he likes it or not. As to Mr. Cooke's apol-ogy for not liking Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress,perhaps he has reached a deep understanding ofthe work that has not been vouchsafed to me. Ihave always considered it to be a terrible bore, andfrequent rehearings of it, both on records and asstaged by various people, have not altered my opin-ion. Of course any critic who expresses himselfstrongly and unequivocally is bound to be wrongoccasionally. Every critic should express himselfstrongly and unequivocally, and if he is wrong, letthe chips fall where they may. He may perhaps godown in history, if history notices him at all, as oneof the critics who were mistaken about something-a quite honorable brotherhood. Please note thathere I am discussing a fairly recent work, not oneon which the public and performers have long agobestowed their verdict. I have never noticed anyoverwhelming demonstrations of enthusiasm overThe Rake's Progress. Perhaps Mr. Cooke has.

I believe that music criticism is a craft of passingvalue, perhaps comparable to the work of a daily


A music critic may dislike most contemporarymusic. I do. I have always considered Stravinsky's

The Rake's Progress a terrible bore.

political columnist. I do not believe that any criticwho is reasonably intelligent will make a practice ofattacking the great classics, though most criticshave sinned in this matter once or twice in theirlives. I believe that a critic is more or less in the po-sition of a lawyer, making a case before the tribunalof public judgment, and that it is his duty simply toexpress an opinion, which may turn out to be rightor wrong. I believe that one of a critic's most impor-tant functions is to promote the work of neglectedcomposers if he thinks that these composers arereally great ones. His other most important func-tion is to act as a judge of performing artists. oper-atic productions, and other passing phenomena.

Of course, the mere statement of thumbs up orthumbs down does not make for very interestingreading, and nearly every critic goes into other mat-ters, describing, generalizing, discussing aestheticsor history or any other of the deeper phenomenathat are ancillary to music. Provided his discussionof these things represents a fresh point of view, or afresh contribution to thought, I think he is entitledto them, and they certainly give his public some-thing to read about. But nothing disgusts me somuch as a self-indulgent turning over of second-hand information, that is to say, extensive writingabout things that can be found by any of the critic'sreaders in the musical reference books. This sort ofthing is the province of the program annotator, notthe critic. And exhibitionistic scholarship is as rude,self-important, and boring in relation to music as itis in ordinary conversation. Of course, there are ex-ceptions to this rule. A critic in a smaller city, wherethe public is not very well informed, may feel anobligation to act as an educator. But for metropoli-tan critics, exhibitions of knowledge gained fromstandard reference works should be taboo.

I also think that all critics should write in the firstperson. This does not imply egotism, as many be-lieve. On the contrary, it is the anonymous critic, orthe one who makes godlike pronouncements as ifthey were facts, who is the egotist. First -personwriting indicates that what is said is merely a per-sonal opinion. The conventions of the old days,when a critic was expected to make bald statementslike "Toscanini's performance lacked inspiration inspite of its vigor," or something of the sort, werebased on the newspaper conception of the critic as

reporter-as if he were saying "crime in the 38thprecinct has diminished during the past month."This is fine for reporters who are dealing with facts.But for the critic-who is dealing with opinions andnot with facts, or at least not very often with facts-the old approach confers an unwarranted degree ofauthority. It is much better for him to preface hisstatements with "I think" or "in my opinion" or "itseems to me that." And I am happy to report thatthis approach is gaining in popularity even in news-papers.

The record critic's duties are generally the sameas those of the critic of live music. But there are afew differences. Perhaps the most important ofthese is that, as a rule, a record-with all the help ofmodern recording techniques-is apt to present anideal performance, a much superior one to the av-erage performance that takes place in the operahouse or the symphony or chamber music hall. Thecombining of different takes, using the best part ofeach, the opportunity for the singer or instrumen-talist to appear at his best without the ups anddowns that are hazards of live performance, makesa good recording a near perfect experience. (Ofcourse there are exceptions, especially with regardto reissues of old recordings made under less thanideal conditions and with comparatively primitivetechnology, or with regard to recordings made fromactual performances done in the opera house orfrom the concert platform, but these do not consti-tute the bulk of what the record reviewer consid-ers.) Consequently, the reviewer of records should,if anything, be more severe and exacting than thereviewer of live music. There are some who believethat recorded sound is necessarily inferior to thesound in a concert hall or an opera house. I am notamong them. I agree that as between the recordand the live performance the sound is different, butto me this difference does not interfere in the leastwith the quality of performance. There are record-ings where the overintimacy of reproduction de-mands that the result be heard in a very large roomor a concert hall. They do not work in a smallroom, and this point should he commented on bythe critic so that his readers may be aware of it. Therecord critic should also comment on whether therecording is a reissue, or whether rival versions ofthe work are better, and so on. but these are things

JULY 1973 63

With the decentralization of modern citiesthe work of the record critic will become more important

than that of the critic who is on the spot.

that record critics commonly do, and they hardlyneed pointing out by me. The quality of the surfacesound of a record is often included in today's recordreviews, and often rightly so. However, the surfacequalities of most modern recordings are almost in-variably good-so good that commenting on themis hardly necessary unless a particularly bad ex-ample presents itself.

One of the main differences between the recordcritic and his colleague of the opera house and con-cert hall is that the former is dealing with an articleof merchandise, an object of personal property.And since this is the case, he is honor bound to actas a consumer advocate, distinguishing sharply be-tween records that are worth the money and thosethat are not. It is probable, I think, that with the de-centralization of modern cities-the movement oflarge groups to the suburbs and the country-thework of the record critic will become more impor-tant than that of the critic who is on the spot. But itis idle to make sociological prophesies in a periodlike ours, when vast changes are taking place. Itmay well be that the symphony orchestra and theopera house will eventually become obsolete. Cer-tainly the present-day composer is writing less andless for them, and they cannot survive on the basisof an eighteenth- and nineteenth-century reper-toire-or can they? In any case, the answers to suchquestions are outside the field of the music critic.

Is music criticism futile then, as Mr. Cooke main-tains? Well, a good deal of it is burned up with therubbish the following day, and rightly so. But in myopinion there are areas in which it can be very use-ful. A good critic never writes for the benefit of thecomposer or even for the benefit of the performingartist. Those jobs are for the teachers of variousmusical disciplines. The critic writes to and for theaudience. In fact he is nothing more than a spe-cially qualified member of the audience or of therecord -buying public. Consequently, he shouldavoid the use of technical terms unless they are ab-solutely necessary, and he should entertain as wellas try to cajole his readers to his point of view. Heshould remember that not all his readers haveheard the events he is writing about, and so heshould be as graphic as possible about the scene ofthe production or recital, describing the given eventfrom an outsider's point of view, telling what it

looked like as well as what it sounded like, and inthe case of an unfamiliar opera, giving a full ac-count of the story and its highlights, from a literaryas well as a musical point of view. In a case like thissome second-hand scholarship is forgivable.

If he does these things, he will receive letters ofcomment from people who have never been nearthe place where the event occurred, and whomerely find him an interesting or amusing writer. Alittle humor helps, though not when it is at the ex-pense of the artist. Scholarly obfuscation merelyconfuses the reader. A good critic never indulges init. Clarity of thought and writing are mandatory inthe profession. If a critic is faced with the apparentnecessity to explain the unexplainable, it is betterfor him to let it drop. There are large areas of musicthat contain unexplainable factors. The whole fieldof what music is ordinarily said to "express" isunexplainable, and there are reputable psycholo-gists who have said that the apprehension of musicis a mystical experience. Here the critic can walk upto the problem and indulge himself in an aestheticgeneralization or two, but he will finally confessthat he is unable to solve it. Music is a curious lan-guage of symbols, and great music certainly does"express" something. But what that something is, isreally not reducible to the written word. Sometimesapproximations and the description of intuitive"feelings" help the reader. More often they do not.

The description of techniques, on the other hand,is simple enough for those critics who know some-thing about the processes of musical composition,and in dealing with modern music, much of whichexists only to exploit the field of techniques-acoustical effects, atonal systems, and so on-he candescribe away to his heart's content, and should.But what the reader really wants to know is "WouldI like what he is writing about?" or "Is such andsuch a singer really so good that I should buy aticket, or a recording of his work?" or "Am I ob-liged to applaud the work of so and so in order to beconsidered sophisticated and up to date?" or "Isthis record really worth the money I could spend onit?" The limits of a critic's usefulness are pretty welldefined by the foregoing questions. Anything thathe wants to add that is fresh and clear is useful too,but not as useful as what he says between theselimits.


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Don Jose (James McCracken) stuggles with Carmen (Marilyn Hcrre) as Zuniga (Donald Grarrm) watmes in the 1972-73 Met production.

The Met's Carmen under BernsteinMarilyn Horne, James McCracken, et al. re-create

last season's big hit in a controversial edition.

by David Hamilton

NOT SINCE 1959, when RCA recorded the new produc-tion of Verdi's Macbeth, have the forces of the Metro-politan Opera taken part in a complete studio recording.However, Deutsche Grammophon's increasing activityon the American scene, and their particular interest inthe Met, as witness last season's gingerly nobble (theBing Gala's "Greatest Hits"), found a logical contin-uation in a complete Carmen-one of the most salable ofpopular operas, in a newsworthy and freshly studied ver-sion under the very salable baton of Leonard Bernstein.Recording sessions took place during the initial run lastfall, and here, within months of the event, is its audibleaspect. preserved for posterity on three sleek -surfaceddiscs.

That phrase "audible aspect" is important, for the pro-duction conceived by the late Goeran Gentele. staged byBodo Igesz, designed by Josef Svoboda, and conductedby Bernstein. was clearly thought out as a theatrical to-

tality. Both visually and musically, it broke new groundfor the Met, in the stark simplicity of Svoboda's geomet-ric forms and natural colon, in the relatively unfussy di-rection. and-as we shall see-the musical treatment.

A purposeful gesture. then, proclaiming a new era. Inthe theater, not all of this lived up to its own best inten-tions, but the evidence of sights being set higher than be-fore, of an unwillingness to accept idees revues. was pal-pable and invigorating, the level of actual achievementpretty remarkable. On record, we naturally cannot sharethe visual excitement that filled the Met's vast stage, but 1am happy to report that a considerable amount of theat-rical conviction does come through the speakers Unlikeso many of our present-day operatic recordings. put to-gether from scratch on the studio floor, this one breathesthe air of a real experience, mirroring the dramatic aswell as the musical qualities of its parent production.

It is. among other things. a "big" performance. Bern -

JULY 1973 67

Leonard Bernstein during the Carmen recording sessions.

stein generally (although not always) opts for broad,spacious tempos, with lots of emphasis. The upbeats be-fore the ritornello theme in the Prelude are given extraheavy thwacks on the cymbals and bass drum, and some-times a Luftpause for further stress. The chorus of thecigarette girls is steamy and langorous. All the dottedrhythms and similar subtleties, as in the Toreador Song,the Habanera, and the Seguidilla, are enunciated with anenlivening precision, so that the tempos never seem todrag. The climaxes are given great weight, and they arecarefully gauged. In terms of these particular protagon-ists, all this makes good sense, for Horne andMcCracken have big, dramatic voices, hardly the stufffrom which a petit -point reading could be made.

At the same time, there is a pull in another direction.for this "monumentalizing" approach is espoused in thecontext of the Met's first -ever presentation of the opera-comique version of Carmen-i.e., with spoken dialogueinstead of the familiar Guiraud recitatives and theirConservatoire formulas. Bizet conceived his opera interms of this genre, and hardly seems to have felt it amassive, glowering tragedy: "I have written a work thatis all clarity and vivacity, full of color and melody. It willbe amusing." The speed and spontaneity of dialogueopens up a special range of possibilities, and Bizet knewabout these, also knowing all the while that he could ex-tend the dramatic range of the genre. He certainly didnot settle for opera-comique as a second choice to writinga grand opera; we have only to look at his mastery ofspeech -song transitions, the way the music often creepsin unobtrusively (the cigarette chorus, the Seguidilla, theQuintet, the Card Trio) or is theatrically motivated (thechanging of the guard. Carmen's taunting of Zuniga, theprocessions in the final scene), to see that the opera isspecifically conceived for these conventions. The re-moval of the recitatives shows this clearly, but I can't

help feeling that Bernstein's approach, with its big"grand opera" emphases, sacrifices some of the speedand concision that Bizet was after. One was not as con-scious of this in the theater, for the Met is a big, bighouse, requiring big. emphatic gestures-but on records,and in comparison with Fruhbeck's Angel set, the differ-ence is very real.

Another contributing factor to this impression is theMet's decision to use not the version of Carmen played atthe premiere in 1875, but rather the Fritz Oeser edition,which purports to reconstruct the prerehearsal form ofthe opera. I have discussed Oeser's edition, and WintonDean's criticism of it, at some length in connection withMaazel's less complete and much less satisfactory Eu-rodisc recording [HIGH FIDELITY, January 1972]; it un-covers some substantial "new" material and a number ofextended treatments of familiar material, but also intro-duces countless inferior readings that Bizet later re-jected, and tampers unconscionably with the final epi-sodes of the last two acts.

Oeser's greatest dereliction, in practical terms, is thefailure to distinguish, in his published score, among thevarious sources he has muddled together; only by wad-ing through many pages of Kritischer Bericht (in Ger-man) can a conductor hope to ascertain whether a "new"reading in this edition embodies Bizet's first, second, orfinal thought, or merely Fritz Oeser's conjectural recon-struction of what Bizet ought to have thought-and eventhen the evidence is not always presented completely orfairly. It is good to have the additional material avail-able, but it would have been vastly better had the mainscore shown Carmen as Bizet left it and as it was per-formed in 1875, with the unused material and earlierversions in an appendix.

The bulk of the reinstated material comes in Act I,which runs fifty-five minutes in this recording-in effect,some eight minutes longer than the Frilhbeck version(allowing for the latter's inclusion of the Morales panto-mime, which Bernstein omits). This makes a very longact, particularly since the bulk of the first twenty min-utes, up to the Habanera, is sheer atmosphere. not reallyconcerned with the principals. The extensions here in-clude a charming canonic episode for solo strings be-tween the two parts of the changing of the guard, and anintriguing second section for the cigarette chorus; bothof these are first-rate, but one sees why Bizet felt thatsomething had to go, that the main business of the operawas being delayed. Later on in this act we hear an earlierversion of the post-Habanera episode (with a full state-ment of the "Fate" material, as in the Prelude), a muchlonger version of the quarrel chorus, and a more elabo-rate version of Carmen's "Tra-la-la-la" teasing ofZuniga. Combined with Bernstein's approach. all thisstretches out the act, undermining the concision thatBizet clearly sought in his revisions. One can't point toany single passage and say, "This is too much," but all ofit together, in this performance, is too much. (Conceiv-ably, in a swifter reading, the first two passages men-tioned above could fit in; they are first-rate stuff. But Iwould skip the others, especially the "Fate" bit, whichmerely repeats what we've already heard in the Prelude.and calls for a difficult pantomime on stage.)

None of the other acts is so greatly changed or ex-tended, and happily Bernstein rejects the inferior earlier


version of the Act III finale that Oeser prints, in favor ofthe composer's familiar final solution. I wish he haddone the same with our editor's disastrously flat andquite unfounded concoction at the point where Carmenis stabbed, instead of merely tampering with it, to noameliorating effect. In this final duet, too, we can see theill effects of editorial malfeasance with regard to tempodirections. Briefly: After Carmen affirms that she lovesEscamillo, the off-stage chorus enters. Allegro giocoso(metronome marking 116 to the quarter); then the pitproclaims the "Fate" motive several times, punctuatingJose's "A insi, le salut de mon dme." This latter segmentwas first marked "same tempo," but Bizet changed it (inthe first -edition vocal score, which he is known to haveproofread) to moderato (metronome 84), obviously rea-lizing that a broader tempo was needed for this, both tocontrast with the rejoicing in the bullring and to givegreater weight to Jose's anguish. Oeser restores the firstreading (blaming the change on Guiraud, although thereis no evidence for such a supposition), and Bernsteinplays it that way-proving, I think, that second thoughtsare often better than first ones.

A few other textual points: The dialogue is severelyabridged, much more so than in Fruhbeck's recording(paradoxically, this does not speed things up, for now thespoken material has less opportunity to establish itself asa foil to the singing). The Jose /Escamillo duet is muchshortened, although not in the traditional way (this iscomplete in Friihbeck's set, and nowhere else); one ofthe omitted passages, where Escamillo spares Jose be-cause "my business is killing bulls, not putting holes inmen's hearts," is a nice bit of characterization and ashame to lose, although in general this duet is the weak-est number in the score. Micaela arrives in the moun-tains most mysteriously, for her dialogue with theguide-and, indeed, the guide himself-has vanished en-tirely, so that she floats into the scene on a flute note heldover from the preceding number. Another mystery: Whyis Remendado's line announcing the discovery of Mi-caela transferred to Carmen?

I've covered this ground in some detail because the es-says in DG's libretto booklet are not terribly helpful.The English author obviously hasn't been told whichedition is being used, while the quite different articles inFrench and German respectively espouse and ignoreOeser. We're better off with regard to translation, for Li-onel Salter's English version is admirably literal; Ger-man listeners will have to make do with Walter Felsen-stein's rather free singing translation.

Obviously, considerations of the "best" Carmenrecording now have to deal with three categories: (1) the"old" Guiraud edition with recitatives, which, even inBeecham's elegant presentation, seems sluggish to menow that I have lived with several performances of theopera-comique form; (2) the 1875 version, performed byFrOhbeck with less finesse but a nice flair for pacing,staged for records with fine rippling dialogue; and (3)the Oeser edition, in which contest Bernstein easily out -points Maazel. Not simply because it is historically themost correct form, but because it "plays" with such di-rectness, speed, and dramatic contrast, the second ofthese is my choice-it is the most theatrically (and musi-cally) convincing form of Carmen, performances aside.

But we can hardly ignore performances, and despite

its (I think) unwise textual decisions, the Bernstein per-formance bulks large. The orchestral execution is oftenbreathtaking; the winds of the Mel orchestra really sur-pass all competition in the Chanson Boh'eme and the In-termezzo before Act III. Furthermore, these soloists singwith a precision that refreshes every phrase. MarilynHome made a fascinating and surprising Carmen on-stage, despite her lack of obvious native endowment forthe part, and on records she is even stronger, singingtruly and purely, with all the little ornaments and gracesthat color the lines (and the character) effortlesslyfloated into place. Those truck -driver chest tones thatsometimes vulgarize her singing are hardly in evidencehere, and they are not missed. She sets forth an in-triguing and temperamental woman, and does it entirelywith the voice. McCracken is less smooth, coming intohis own mainly in the later part of the opera, when hispower and his fairly strenuous production can bebrought to bear on appropriate situations-although ear-lier on he does some nice soft singing, whether by fairmeans or foul. His French is the least convincing of any-one's, although it should be added that hardly anyone isperfect, and the spoken French is Tess idiomatic than thesung (no substitute actors are used for the dialogue).

Given the sharp focus of this production on the heavydrama of Carmen and Jose, the other principals countfor less than usual. Adriana Maliponte's true but notoverly sweet tone gives a welcome freshness to Micaela'sutterances; she is an impeccable musician and an en-dearing singer. Escamillo is ever a problem. not solvedby Tom Krause's fuzzy tones; he is the one principalhere who came off far better to the eye than to the ear.Definitely on the credit side, however, is DonaldGramm's Zuniga, a masterpiece of characterizationthrough diction and phrasing. The minor parts are rea-sonably managed, the boys' chorus is lively if rough. andthe adult chorus-not, be it noted. that of the Met, whichfailed to come to terms on a contract in time for therecording, but a freelance group-seems a bit vague attimes.

DG has given us one of the better recording jobs here:The bass is fairly clear, the resonance lively but undercontrol. A few details are lost (I had a hard time detect-ing the triangle during the choral strains of the Haba-nera), but it's a good sound, appropriate to the perform-ance.

One of the characteristics of great masterpieces is theirability to sustain varied interpretations. Carmen is such amasterpiece, and this is, in many ways, a fresh inter-pretation. carefully thought out and vibrantly executed.

BizET: Carmen (Oeser edition).CarmenMicaelaFrasquitaMercedesDon JoseEscamilloRemendadoDancaireZun gaMorales

Marilyn Horne (ms)Adnana Maliponte (s)

Colette Boky (s)Marcia Baldwin (ms)

James McCracken (t)Tom Krause (b)Andrea Velis (t)

Russell Christopher (b)Donald Gramm (bs)Raymond Gibbs (b)

Manhattan Opera Chorus; Metropolitan Opera Children'sChorus; Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Leonard Bernstein,cond. Deutsche Grammophon 2709 043, $20.94 (three discs).Selected comparisons:Maazel (Oeser edition) Euro. 80489 XRFruhbeck de Burgos (1875 version) Ang. 3767Beecham (Guiraud ecation) Ang. 3613

JULY 1973 69

by Royal S. Brown

A Little Night Music Musical Theater atColumbia issues the original -cast album of Stephen Sondheim's

EACH OF Stephen Sondheim's recent musicals-Com-pany, Follies, and A Little Night Music-has moved pro-gresiively back in time. Company is as modern as theNew York City and the kooky marriages it portrays. Fol-lies returns to the distinctive atmosphere of the 1930s. ALittle Night Music, which has just won six Tony awardsincluding best musical, takes place at the turn of the cen-tury . .. and in Sweden. Why Sweden? First of all be-cause Night Music is based on Ingmar Bergman's 1955film, Smiles of a Summer Night, a delightful, bittersweetcomedy that Night Music has followed rather closely,even to resemblances in the casting of some of the actors.Secondly, however, because the aristocratic eleganceand sheen evoked by both the story and the music couldnot be anything but European, and certain Protestant at-titudes limit the locale even further. The Sweden re-created by Bergman offered, in fact, a perfect setting forthe waltz musical Sondheim has wanted to do for someyears. And thus every number in the show has been writ-ten in some sort of triple meter.

But for all its waltzes, Night Music is hardly a fluffyoperetta whose protagonists' hearts beat in three-quartertime, and if any Strauss comes to mind, it is not JohannJr. but Richard-a motive from Der Rosenkavalier iseven quoted toward the end of the ensemble number AWeekend in the Country. As usual, Sondheim's musicand lyrics not only support but actually create the di-verse nuances of emotions and memory, whose decid-edly human ambiguity represents one of the constantthemes in Sondheim's recent work. As in Follies, theequivocal glow and glimmer of past loves and liaisons isone of the show's basic elements, and this is expressednot only in the haunting Night Waltz, whose nostalgia isthat of the haunted ballroom of Ravel's La Valse, butalso by a quintet of five excellent vocalists who functionnot as an operatic chorus but rather more like a Greekone. And the songs they sing (Remember? and The SunWon't Set) as they weave in and out of the musical's ac-tion are filled with typical Sondheim hesitations: "Yel-low gingham on the bed/Remember. darling?/And thecanopy in red/-or was it blue?" A different kind of nos-talgia is expressed by old Mme. Armfeldt as she remi-nisces herself to sleep thinking out loud of the regal Liai-sons that are, alas, lacking in the life of her actress/daughter, Desiree. In this song. Hermione Gingold's dis-tinctive voice and verbal affectations perfectly comple-ment the subtle, dreamy textures and harmonies of theaccompaniment.

But wistfulness can be found at the other end of thescale as well. One of Night Music's most beautiful pieces,The Miller's Son, is sung by the young maid Petra(played by D. Jamin-Bartlett, whose excellent voice hasan appropriate sensuality to it), who in a poignant balladexpresses her hopes for the future, and in an alternating,typically Sondheim patter -song, her carpe diem philoso-phy on love and life. But Sondheim reaches a pinnacle inhis ability to delineate both character and situation withsong in the Now/ Later/ Soon trio that comes toward thebeginning of the show. In Now, Fredrik Egerman, amiddle-aged former widower, contemplates how he isgoing to take his young virgin bride of eleven months.Later, on the other hand, is the lament of Fredrik'sgrown son, Henrik, a divinity student nobody takes seri-ously. Here Sondheim, perhaps remembering anotherBergman film in which a mournful Bach cello suite isused as the musical background, has Henrik play arather well-known elegy on the cello (in Smiles of a Sum-mer Night, Henrik plays the piano), over which the Latersong is sung as a countermelody. In Soon, Anne, thechild -wife, promises that soon she won't shy away. Anneis then joined by Henrik, singing Later, and then byFredrik, singing Now, creating a remarkable trio inwhich the dramatic tensions are inherent to the very mu-sical structure, a phenomenon that rarely occurs withsuch effect even in the best of operas, and it representsmusical theater at its finest.

As if all this were not enough, Night Music, which onecritic gratefully called "an adult musical," also offers asubtle and often ironic wit and humor that one rarelyfinds on the Broadway stage. If much of this is due to theBergman original, a great deal of credit must again begiven to Sondheim, who possesses the rare talent of writ-ing droll verse whose unexpected rhymes (who since Og-den Nash would dare to rhyme "cigar butt" with "bizarre,but"?) add immeasurably to the comic effect. Some ofthe sharpest barbs come in the duet You Must Meet MyWife, in which Desiree Armfeldt shows remarkable, ifbemused, restraint as she listens to Fredrik, her formerand renewed lover, dote on his wife-restrained, that is,until she learns that Anne is "unfortunately still a vir-gin." a fact the likes of Desiree simply cannot stomach.But the duet between Fredrik and his rival, Carl -Mag-nus. It Would Have Been Wonderful, with its spare, acer-bic orchestral accompaniment, is also a masterpiece ofcaustic understatement.

Continued on page 73.


Its Finestall -waltz show.

Glynis Johns (above center, as Desiree Armfeldt makes herentrance by telling daughter Judy Kahan, left, and maid

Despo about The Glamorous Life. Right, Miss Kahan receivesmore advice from her stage grandmother, Mme. Armfeldt,played by Hermiore Gingold, who explains another of the

show's themes-that "a sLmmer night smiles three times."

The Rosenkavalier-reminiscent song, A Weekend inthe Country, performed by the Night Music cast as tile Act I

finale, underlines the show's waltz mood.

It !) 1973 71

behind thescenes

A Little Night Music

in the Studio

Broadway shows being Monday -through -Saturday affairs, recordingsmust be made on a single Sunday-bar-ring catastrophe. Putting a show on disccan therefore be a harrowing experience,as Elaine Stritch-whose forty -odd takesof The Ladies Who Lunch from StephenSondheim's Company were immor-talized in a TV documentary-willdoubtless never forget. Dark memoriesof that ordeal were never far from theminds of the company of Sondheim's A

Little Night Music, recorded from 10:00a.m. on March 18 to 1:00 a.m. the follow-ing morning (just as the union officialswere beginning to bring out their stop-watches) at Columbia's Studio C on EastThirtieth Street in New York, formerly aGreek Orthodox Church and the site ofsuch memorable original -cast recordingsas West Side Story. My Fair Lady, andCompany. But Night Music flowed alongwith remarkable smoothness.

Added importance was lent by thepresence of Goddard Lieberson-com-poser, veteran record -producer, and nowsenior vice-president of CBS. Liebersonhad broken a three-year abstinence fromalbum production to help get Night. Mu-sic onto disc. "He's the highest -placedexecutive in the entertainment world totake on the chore of producing a showdisc," Columbia's PR man Bob Altshu-ler told me. Lieberson had seen NightMusic, and from that point Columbiahadto record the show. "It seems like atraditional show, but it isn't," Liebersonsaid. This set the tone for the entire ses-sion, for the producer often directed thenumbers as if he were staging an opera."Espressivo!" said the control roomvoice. Or "subito!" At one point, Lieber -son's "more parlando" elicited a con-fused "Huh?!" Everybody broke up.Lieberson concentrated on the dramaticaspects as well. "Get more quizzicality inyour voice," he told the "Huh?" singer a

Glynis Johns, Judy Kahan, Hermione Gingold, Stephen Sondheim, and God-dard Lieberson enjoy a break between recording takes of A Little Night Music.

bit later. Assisting Lieberson wereThomas Z. Shepard, responsible for thehighly successful Companyalbum(among many others), and Sondheimhimself, a perfectionist who was giventhe final word on changes and matters ofinterpretation. For the ensemble numberA Weekend in the Country. a particularlydifficult piece (none of Sondheim's mu-sic is easy) that had to be recorded :nseven separate segments, the composer/lyricist was able to restore certain sec-tions that had had to be eliminated fromthe show because of the staging.

Heads could be seen bobbing to therhythms of Sondheim's catchy. bitter-sweet waltzes: and as the various per-formers stood before the mikes, theirsinging was accompanied by the facialexpressions and even some of the ges-tures called for by the roles. All were de-lighted to be so close to the orchestra.which was beefed up with ten additionalviolins and an extra horn. "When you'reon the stage." one cast member told me,"the orchestra's in the pit and you don'treally hear them that well. This is great!"But if the orchestra was right there, sowere all the other performers, and forsome cast members who had never re-corded before this was unnerving. "Usu-ally they're either acting with you or elsethey're off stage and not watching," Iwas told by D. (as in Doris-"but nobodycalls me Doris unless it's serious")Jamin-Bartlett, who plays the maidPetra, a last-minute replacement in Bos-ton for a girl whose voice was not solidenough. "And then there's the micro-phone. I mean, it isn't like in a nightclubwhen the mike becomes a part of yourbody. It's just ... there! But I've alwaysthought there were two things you coulddo that would be really great. One ismaking a movie and the other is makinga recording." In spite of her sound -stagefright, D.'s excellent take of her solo, The

Miller's Son, was warmly applauded byher fellow actors.

There were hitches of course. A rup-tured blood vessel in Glynis Johns'sthroat (she plays the central role ofDesiree Armfeldt) had almost post-poned the opening of Night Music threeweeks earlier; and the lyric sheets, whichhad been badly typed up for the record-ing session, had to be redone bySondheim at the eleventh hour. Duringthe session, there were moments wheneither Sondheim or Lieberson com-plained that a certain number was com-ing across with the spirit of a funeralmarch. Hermione Gingold, who playsMme. Armfeldt, arrived at 3:30 but didnot get to her solo. Liaisons, until threeand a half hours later. During this time,however, she kept everybody enter-tained by playing the role of HermioneGingold, occasionally slipping on "myfamous caps" and smiling for a photog-rapher. When Miss Gingold finally re-corded her number, the very first take in-spired a "terrific!" from Lieberson, andonly the second half of the song was re-done-to let Mme. Armfeldt doze offmore convincingly. After that, even theaccidental popping of bubble gum byJudy Kahan (the cast clown, I was told)in the middle of a take went unnoticed.Miss Johns. who was suffering from asinus infection, also had to wait severalhours before getting in front of themikes. But when around 8:00 p.m. sheand Len Cariou, in the role of her formerand renewed lover, recorded the repriseof Send in the Clowns, which leads backinto the final waltz, excitement mounted.By the time the solo piano sounded thelast notes, it was as if the opening -nightcurtain had just closed on a sure hit."What an emotional group!" somebodysaid.

That's the way it had been all day.R.B.S.


Continued from page 70

Besides Sondheim's efforts, one thing that is partic-ularly effective on this recording is the appropriatenessand diversity of character as communicated by the vari-ous voices. Broadway has been tending more and morethese days to abuse the privilege of using actors whocan't sing, and the results have often been painful, to putit mildly. But the two nonsingers in Night Music. Her-mione Gingold and Glynis Johns, both bring such a dis-tinctive style to their roles that it would be difficult toimagine their songs performed by genuine "singers." Be-sides Miss Gingold, whom I have already mentioned.Glynis Johns-who plays Desiree and won a Tony forher efforts-moves easily and convincingly from theflightiness of The Glamorous Life to the sad, warm glowshe creates for Send in the Clowns. But the other actorslikewise seem to possess voices particularly well suited totheir roles, from Mark Lambert's (Henrik) appropriatelyfrenetic tenor to Laurence Guittard's (Carl -Magnus)pompous baritone; and Victoria Mallory's sweet so-prano is perfect for the role of Anne. Both Len Cariou(Fredrik) and Patricia Elliott (Charlotte, Carl -Magnus'wife) do some of the best acting in the show, and it is ashame that at least some of the dialogue has not been re-

corded, since the purely musical numbers they sing heredo not completely communicate the breadth of their per-formances. Special mention should also be made ofJonathan Tunick, whose sumptuous orchestrations (theharp and celesta are used to particularly good effect)create an essential part of Night Music's/extraordinaryatmosphere.

Fortunately, this recording. which even includes a li-bretto, has splendidly captured the spirit of the show-the sound is rich and realistic, although I would havepreferred a bit more sound from the orchestra, and thestereo effect has been put to good use (a quadraphonicversion is forthcoming). Like almost all original -cast al-bums, this one will have its greatest effect once you haveseen the show. But that is a pleasure that nobody who isinterested in the musical theater should pass up.

A LITTLE Mawr Music. Original Broadway Cast Recording.Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Glynis Johns, LenCariou. Hermione Gingold, Victoria Mallory, Laurence Guit-tard, Patricia Elliott, Mark Lambert, al.; Harold Hastings,cond. Columbia KS 32265, $6.98. Tape: o. SA 32265,$6.98; OW ST 32265, $6.98. Quadraphonic: SQ 32265 (SQ-encoded disc), $6.98; SAO 32265 (Q-8 cartridge), $7.98.

The Dramatic Genius of Henry Purcell

The problematic Fairy Queen:

gloriously salvaged by Britten

by Paul Henry Lang

The Fairy Queen is an example of the endless difficultieswe face when dealing with the old lyric theater. In thisparticular case the trouble begins with the genre itself,even before we hear a sound, for Fairy Queen (based onShakespeare, not Spenser) is a "semi -opera," a corn pro-mise in favor of the spoken theater. Now imagine a five -act anonymous adaptation of A Midsummer Night'sDream, add to it music enough for a full-fledged opera,and you get something that outlasts Parsifal by a goodmargin. Obviously, this won't do-we haven't the stam-ina of our seventeenth -century ancestors-so if the greatscore is to be salvaged, rather ruthless pruning is in or-der. In addition, the original score, most of it not in Pur-cell's hand and written in haste, is incomplete and attimes ambiguous; like the play, it requires editing. Thisperformance follows the excellent arrangement madefor the 1967 Aldeburgh Festival. The play was ingen-iously revised by Peter Pears; it is now manageable, hasa nice continuity, the songs are well placed and come offnaturally. The music was edited by Imogen Hoist and

Benjamin Britten. I don't know who is responsible forwhat in this intelligent, tactful, and on the whole piousrestoration, but that an experienced opera hand was atwork is unquestionable. The redistribution of the songs(remember, this is not a through -composed opera but in-cidental music) is excellent, key relations are scrupu-lously observed (there is but one transposition), the or-chestration delicately touched up, and the missingmeasures completed where the score is ambiguous; no-where is there an anachronistic scent.

Was such a major restoration worthwhile? Even a fewminutes of listening will convince us that it was. Everycharacteristic trait of Purcell's greatness is present inFairy Queen. This music has no frills, it never hesitates, itis compact. and this graceful compactness, force, andsublimity raise Purcell to a place among the greatestmasters of the baroque. His musical world is neither dec-orative nor abstract, and while he learned much from theItalians and the French, his art, which made so deep amark on Handel. has its own climate, air, fragrance, and

JULY 1973 73

rhythm. In his lyric stylization a new standard is set inthe relationship between words and music; no one hasever surpassed Purcell in the musical setting of the Eng-lish language. His settings are free of the rust of themechanism; music approaches the words with rever-ence, but it also appropriates them completely. Purcell isreally a "modern" composer-bold, chromatic, and dra-matic, with an exquisite balance of irony and tenderness.Some of the ensembles sound like the chorus of birds af-ter a storm, the airs are strung out like a necklace, andthe instrumental numbers-here vigorous, theredreamy-are a sheer joy.

Britten, who conducts the performance, has a clearconcept of this music and manages to convey it to allconcerned, with a resultant remarkable stylistic unity.He is particularly successful with the arresting genrescenes, but his accompaniments are also impeccable:light but not evanescent. He is well seconded by the ex-cellent continuo, which has just the right strength. PhilipLedger's improvised ornaments and runs on the harpsi-chord are exemplary, and Kenneth Heath's cello is dis-creet, with no resemblance to the dragging mournfulbass we usually hear. The always first-class EnglishChamber Orchestra needs no new encomiums; amongthe fine solo winds, the trumpets especially excel here.

Peter Pears is an accomplished stylist who knows hislimits and has absolute command within them; everyword he sings is crystal clear. Listen to the poise, pace,and articulation of his very first air, "When a cruel longwinter has frozen the earth"; this is English singing at itsbest. The other tenor, Ian Partridge, while notso smooth

and flexible as Pears, still does admirably, while JohnShirley -Quirk. singing even the tricky chromatic linesmellifluously, projects the histrionic element with re-markable skill. Owen Brannigan contributes a secondsturdy and well -modulated bass. The two countertenors,James Bowman and Charles Brett, sing their roles withthe delicacy of a mezzotint, and, since these are not dra-matic roles, their neutral voices are not out of place. BothMary Wells and Jennifer Vyvyan sing well, though in thehigher register their voices-especially Vyvyan's-are attimes a bit out of focus, and their enunciation is not out-standing. Alfreda Hodgson's mezzo, a little heavy for thepart, still blends with the others most of the time.Though her role is small, Norma Burrowes does the bestsinging on the distaff side. The chorus is admirable,though slightly thickened by the engineers in the fortes,but when singing quietly it is fine-grained and phos-phorescent. Listen to those enchanting trebles in "I pressher hand gently." The engineers are also responsible forthe occasional slight rumble, especially when the close-miked timpani are in action. These minor flaws aside,this beguiling music comes through gloriously-there isnot one dull moment in it.

PURCELL: The Fairy Queen (ed. Britten and I. Hoist). JenniferVyvyan, Mary Wells, and Norma Burrowes, sopranos; AlfredaHodgson, mezzo; James Bowman and Charles Brett, count-ertenors; Peter Pears and Ian Partridge, tenors; Owen Branni-gan and John Shirley -Quirk, basses; Philip Ledger, harpsi-chord; Ambrosian Opera Chorus; English Chamber Orchestra,Benjamin Britten, cond. London OSA 1290, $11.96 (twodiscs).

Purcell's ceremonial music: dressing an occasion with theunmatched royal pomp of the English

by Clifford F. Gilmore

THIS IS NO ordinary record of early music: For the spe-cial splendors of the repertory and the performances, thisis an item to insert near the top of your "must buy" list.

The English have always had a particular and uniqueability to dress up a ceremonious occasion with a higherdegree of royal pomp and majesty than anyone else, andno one ever surpassed Purcell and Handel in supplyingceremonial music for those occasions. Side I presentsPurcell's English settings of the Te Deum and JubilateDeo, written for the celebration of St. Cecilia's day in1694 in his most grand and festal style, in which antipho-nal brass, strings, and choir alternate with choral andsolo passages of an intimately expressive character. Pur-cell's contemporary, Thomas Tudway, wrote: "I darechallenge all the Orators, Poets, Painters &c of any Agewhatsoever, to form so lively an Idea of Choirs of Angelssinging, & paying their Adorations." I can only echoTudway's innocent enthusiasm.

Purcell's "complete" funeral music on Side 2 is just asregal in its ethereal serenity as the St. Cecilia music is inits jubilation. This side contains two early works: the Fu-neral Sentences, a vividly and chromatically expressivework for four-part chorus (solo and tutti) with continuo,and the five -part anthem Remember not, Lord, our of-

fences. Then follow the solemn instrumental March andCanzona for brass and muffled kettledrums, and the an-them Thou knowest, Lord, all of which were written forthe lavish state funeral of Queen Mary in WestminsterAbbey in 1695. Barely eight months later Purcell too wasburied in Westminster Abbey, at a ceremony whose so-lemnity was enriched by the very instrumental music andanthem that he had provided for the Queen's funeral.

The performances are superb in every detail; not onlybecause each and every one is a highly skilled performerand because they have been so thoroughly rehearsed,but also because they are Englishmen performing musicwith which they obviously identify deeply. The recordedsound is magnificently cathedralesque, but unfortu-nately no texts are provided, and in spite of excellent dic-tion not all the words are intelligible.

PURCELL: Ceremonial Music. James Bowman and CharlesBrett, countertenors; Ian Partridge, tenor; Forbes Robinson,bass; Choir of St. John's College, Cambridge; English Cham-ber Orchestra (in the Te Deum and jubilate Deo); SymphoniaeSacrae (in the Funeral Music), George Guest, cond. Argo ZRG724, $5.98.Te Deum Laudamus. Jubilate Deo in D. Complete Funeral Music: Funeral Sen-tences; Remember not, Lord, our offences; March; Canzona; Thou knowest,Lord (1695).


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Therefore, over the past several years, a wholly new lami-nated cartridge structure has been developed, as was anentirely new stylus assembly with a 25% reduction in effec-

tive stylus mass! These developments have resulted in opti-mum trackability at light tracking forces (3/4-11/4 grams), atruly flat, unaccented frequency response, and more ex-tended dynamic range than was possible even with theType II Improved, without sacrificing output level!

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1973 75

clinicalreviewed by

ROYAL S. BROWN

ABRAM CHIPMAN

R. D. DARRELL

PETER G. DAVIS

SHIRLEY FLEMING

ALFRED FRANKENSTEIN

KENNETH FURIE

CLIFFORD F. GILMORE

HARRIS GOLDSMITH

DAVID HAMILTONDALE S. HARRIS

PHILIP HARTDONAL J. HENAHAN

PAUL HENRY LANGANDREA MCMAHON

ROBERT C. MARSH

ROBERT P. MORGAN

ANDREW PORTER

H. C. ROBBINS LANDON

JOHN ROCKWELL

SUSAN THIEMANN SOMMER

B Bassin: Quartet for Strings, No. 2.CRAWFORD SEEGER: Quartet forStrings. PERLE: Quartet for Strings,No. 5. Composers Quartet. NonesuchH 71280, $2.98.

The prize here is Ruth Crawford Seeger'squartet. Mrs. Seeger was the wife of musi-cologist Charles Seeger and the stepmother offolksinger Pete Seeger. From a conservativecompositional style honed during her studiesat the American Conservatory in Chicago, sheevolved a strikingly modernistic idiom ex-pressed primarily in a cluster of works writtenaround 1930. Her string quartet, composed in1931 in Berlin where she was living on a Gug-genheim Fellowship, is her best-knownwork-partially because of her string -orches-tra arrangement of its slow movement, whichhas enjoyed some popularity apart from thework as a whole.

The quartet lasts about ten minutes and is inall ways a masterpiece. To our ears what mightseem most immediately striking is the un-canny anticipation of later developments, par-ticularly Carter's independent part-writingand metrical explorations. But strictly on itsown terms the quartet makes extraordinaryexpressive sense. The slow movement, with itseerie pulses attained through rigorously coun-terpointed dynamics, is perhaps the most im-pressive. But the first two movements, nervousand energetic, sound equally unusual on con-tinued hearings, and the last movement, themost precisely formalistic of the four, appealsfor its very sternness of structure.

The other two items on this disc are wellworth hearing as well. It is always good to havemore of Milton Babbitt's music at hand in per-formances as fine as this, to bring it off thepage and into our ears in a fully tangible way.Admittedly, some other pieces by this com-poser-his Third Quartet, for instance,recently released on Turnabout (reviewed byRobert P. Morgan in May)-make a more di-rect appeal to an unprepared listener. ButBabbitt doesn't compose for such a listener,and his Second Quartet is full of fascinationfor its dryly ingenious intellectuality. WhatBabbitt has done is construct a row that em-braces a variety of intervals, and then con-structed his quartet so that it breaks intoclearly defined sections in which various inter-vallic possibilities are expounded and devel-oped. Eventually the row is revealed, linearly,at the end.

George Perle is both a composer and the au-thor of a book called Serial Composition andAtonality, which matches the seriousness of itsquasi -scientific subject with a quasi -scientificseriousness all its own. Curiously enough,Perle's Quartet No. 5 is an apparently acces-sible piece, full of reasonably grateful triadicconsonances and an easy lyricism. But thenotes reassure us that this is, in fact, just ashard-line as Babbitt, since Perle has built hisscore strictly in accordance with his own"twelve-tone modal" system in which rows aredeveloped intervallically. It just so happensthat the interval in question for the FifthQuartet is the third.

The performances, production, annotation,and packaging of this record deserve the high-est praise. The Composers String Quartet hasbeen one of our finest ensembles for someyears. With the sort of performances heardhere, simultaneously passionate and exact, it iseasy to see why. J.R.

Ruth Crawford SeegerA quartet in all ways a masterpiece.

BACH: Cantatas, Vol. 6. Walter Gampert, so-prano (in No. 23); Paul Esswood, coun-tertenor; Kurt Equiluz, tenor; Marius van Al-tena, tenor (in No. 23); Walker Wyatt, bass (inNo. 21); Max van Egmond, bass; Vienna BoysChoir and Chorus Viennensis; Vienna Con-centus Musicus, Nikolaus Harnoncourt,cond. (in No. 21); King's College Choir Cam-bridge; Leonhardt Consort, Gustav Leon-hardt, cond. (in Nos. 22 and 23). TelefunkenSKW 6, $11.96 (two discs).Cantatas: No. 21, lch hatte viel Bekiimmernis; No. 22,Jesus nahm zu sich die Zwoife; No. 23, Du wahrer Gottand Davids Sohn.Selected comparison (No. 21):Richter Arch. 2533 049

It's impossible to exaggerate the excellence ofTelefunken's series of the complete Bach can-tatas. I find myself more excited by each newrelease: by the technical perfection of the per-formers, the ever fresh vitality they bring tothe music, and of course the great amount ofscholarly work that has gone into each per-formance. Without exception, the recordingscontained in these first six boxes are equal tothe best competitive versions and in most casesare superior to them all.

Cantata No. 21 is a special case: It is alarger, more elaborate work than average (fill-ing two record sides), and is deservedly one ofBach's most popular cantatas. Bach wasapparently fond of it. too, since he performed

Explanation of symbolsClassical:

IBlIH]11Ri

BudgetHistoricalReissue

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it several times during his years in Weimar,Kiithen, and Leipzig. At each performance hemade alterations and additions to suit the par-ticular occasion, so there are knotty problemsfor the performer today in collating the differ-ent versions-especially with regard to the key,which was changed because of different organpitches. Hamoncourt has chosen the D minorversion, in spite of the fact that the old Bach-Gesellschaft (and therefore most perform-ances of the work) is in C minor. His reasonsfor this and all the other "corrections" he hasmade in the score are carefully explained (asin the earlier volumes) in the booklets and fullscores accompanying the records. In addition,the booklets contain a great deal of fascinatinginformation about the history and the specialproblems of each work, written by severalhighly respected "Bach experts." In every de-tail Harnoncourt's performance is superb, butRichter's Archive recording is among the bestcantata performances on record. Richter man-ages to pack even more drama and excitementinto his reading, but misses a few stylistic de-tails that Harnoncourt corrects. Clearly bothrecordings are essential to the compleat collec-tor.

Cantata No. 22 has never been recorded be-fore, and No. 23 only once: by Kurt Thomasfor the Cantate label (now available also onMusical Heritage Society MHS 1242). Bothcantatas were written for the same Sunday,February 7, 1723, and perhaps even per-formed in the same service as a quasi two-partwork. February 7, 1723, is also the date Bach"auditioned" for the job of cantor in Leipzigby performing Cantata No. 22. It is possiblethat he had already written No. 23 for thatdate and that when he was asked to perform inLeipzig he wrote another cantata which he feltwould be more suitable to the occasion. Leon-hardt's performances of these two works, withthe King's College Choir, adhere to the samehigh standards. I had only some vague misgiv-ings about the choir's overly fussy manner inthe final chorale of No. 22 C.F.G.

BEETHOVEN: Sonatas for Piano: No. 17, in Dminor, Op. 31, No. 2 (Tempest); No. 18, in Eflat, Op. 31, No. 3. Stephen Bishop, piano.Philips 6500 392, $6.98.

Here is further evidence of Bishop's newlyemerging commitment and authority. No. 18fares particularly well in this taut, robust, wellregulated pianism. All the problematical dy-namic markings get their due, every accent isin place, and the whole abounds with drivingmomentum, vigorous brilliance, and a fairmodicum of sardonic humor. My only quibbleis with Bishop's rather fast, perfunctory viewof the Menuetto (but better this than dawdlingsentimentality). The D minor Sonata too hasmany of the right qualities-includingbreadth, angularity of phrase, and properheed of Beethoven's long pedal indications forthe first -movement recitativos. Bishop is care-ful to delineate the inner voices of the thirdsection, and he also gets the subito pianos andagainst -the -melodic -grain inflections of theAdagio right. Nevertheless, he sometimes mis-takes inwardness for plasticity and under-statement for shapelessness. There are alsocurious misreadings-E and A for A and C-atbar 37 of the first movement and an elidedmeasure (bar 160) in the Allegretto. The last -cited may be a tape -editing error. Otherwise

Bishop seems to be using a reliable Urtext edi-tion.

The sound is impactive rather than soft andmellow-a good Beethovenian sonority. Andapart from a bit of grinding noise in the slowmovement of Op. 31, No. 2, my copy was up tothe exceedingly high standards expected ofPhilips' imported pressings. H.G.

BEETHOVEN: Symphonies: No. 8, in F, Op.93; No. 9, in D minor, Op. 125 (Choral).Sheila Armstrong, soprano; Anna Reynolds,mezzo; Robert Tear, tenor; John Shirley -Quirk, bass -baritone; London Symphony Or-chestra Chorus (in Op. 125); London Sym-phony Orchestra, Carlo Maria Giulini, cond.Angel SB 3795, $11.98 (two discs).Selected comparisons (Op. 125):Solti /Chicago Sym. Lon. CSP 8ToscaniniiN8C Sym. Victr. 1607

When Giulini was last in Chicago. shortly be-fore he made these recordings, we spent anhour one day discussing the problem of main-aining in the modern world the conditions.raditionally regarded as essential for a spiri-alai life. Unlike many other musicians, whoseprimary interest is talking about themselvesand their career plans, Giulini is the sort ofman with whom such a conversation is pos-sible. And this seems to me the sort of Beetho-ven Ninth one might expect from a mandeeply concerned with things of the spirit. Theresult is one of those performances that seem aperfect mirror of the performer. Certainly Iknow of no other recording that representswith such consistency all the qualities in Giu-lini's musicianship which I most admire. Noconductor in the Italian tradition since Tosca-nini, I think, could reflect that musical lineagein this music more successfully than Giulinihas done, although in many things, great andsmall, his performance is very different fromthat of his older colleague.

It is perfectly natural that different criticswill place varying degrees of emphasis on thepurely technical side of recordings. My col-league Harris Goldsmith (who reviewed theSolti Ninth in May) compares historical andcontemporary material directly; to him theperformance is everything, and the variationin sound really doesn't matter. I am inclined toregard any recording more than five years oldas obsolete technically. This doesn't mean thatit is not to be played or admired, but it ceasesto be competitive with contemporary work.The listener should be told you are talkingabout the sonic counterpart of a 1968 car. (In-cidentally. in most cases I scrap my record -re-viewing equipment after three years.)

In that light, the Toscanini recording of theBeethoven Ninth is historical material ofprime importance, but as a recording it is

twenty-one years old and sounds every year ofits maturity. For a very long time it was theNinth everyone bought, and I assume any seri-ous Beethoven collector has a copy around. Ifhe doesn't he should. But I seriously wonderhow often he is going to want to play it. Andhe may well want a second performance in up-to-date sound. In the early stereo era. Reiner(RCA) and Szell (now on Columbia) both of-fered editions that fit that need well, and now.in a still later period, Solti and Giulini haveprovided a pair of new albums that are worthycompanions to Toscanini on any shelf.

Solti has finer players, stronger vocalsoloists, and the finest chorus affiliated with

Nikolaus HarnoncourtEssential Bach for the compleat collector.

any American crchestra today-thanks to theremarkable Margaret Hillis. Solti's perform-ance is slower :han Toscanini's, but I don'ttake that as a fault, since I have come increas-ingly to regard the Toscanini tempos as toofast. Once, by means of an ingenious machinethat allowed one to alter the speed of a tapedperformance without changing the pitch of themusic, I slowed down the Toscanini andfound it a lot more to my liking, but my plansto broadcast the results (suitably identified, ofcourse) were thwarted by nit-picking bureau-crats at the BBC.

The performance times of the Giulini andSolti sets are not comparable in a useful waybecause of their different treatment of repeatsin the scherzo. Basically both are slower thanthe Toscanini. with Giulini tending to beslower at times than Solti, but all of these mat-ters are deeply influenced by the differencesbetween real and apparent motion which areprovided by accents, rhythmic support, and asense of thrust

Giulini plays this music like a man in a truestate of grace. The effect is beatific. Solti's per-formance is lyric drama, charged with thehigh -voltage c uality that he generates in ac-tion, and strongly accented. The hard -drivingeffect he brins to many passages is empha-sized by the hall and the microphone place-ment; so this is a recording with the sort ofpolished chromium surface frequently associ-ated with London's ffrr engineering.

After proceeding through both sets con-trasting roughly six -minute segments of music.I find myself admiring what each man hasachieved but feeling far more deeply touchedby Giulini's results. This is. I think, the root ofany choice between these performances, thedistinction between pathos and reverence.which Giulini stresses, and the Prometheanquality Solti finds in this music. Those whowant a big, exciting performance in wildlybrilliant sound with a ferocious dynamicrange (and eventually, I hope. four -channel aswell) will find Solti is the man.

Giulini asks for an appreciation of otherthings. His goal is a true quality of melos, asense of glorious song that by its very simplic-

Continued on page 79.

JULY 1973 77

by Abram Chipman

4404 Brahms by Four -A Feast of

THIS LATEST BRAHMSIAN bonanza Contains thesecond installment in Haitink's cycle of thesymphonies plus three "new" complete sets.

The Sawallisch records originally appearedaround a decade ago on European Philips.Turnabout has taken over the rights and at alist price of $9 offers more of this repertory forless money than anyone else listing inSchwann-1. (It is hardly "The Complete Or-chestral Music," though, in view of the ab-sence of four concertos, two serenades, theHungarian Dances, and the choral music.)

Ormandy recorded these symphonies inPhiladelphia's Town Hall some five or six sea-sons ago (including the First, of which hisprior stereo edition is still in print). Con-densed onto six sides, in automatic sequence.it becomes inconvenient to play individualsymphonies here, particularly Nos. 3 and 4,which start on inner bands. But the price is at-tractive.

The imported Sanderling set was made dur-ing 1971-72. The Academic Festival Overtureis omitted, and Eurodisc, like Turnabout andColumbia, has not issued the symphonies in-dividually. However, British RCA is startingto release these as singles.

These four conductors have similar pointsof view about the music, and basically I liketheir interpretations. one and all. Tempos arerarely excessive in either direction, nor modi-fied between theme groups in the old mannerof Max Fiedler and Mengelberg. The three al-bums under review eschew exposition repeatsin the first three symphonies. Conveniently-in view of the "bulk packaging"-the inter-pretive differences are consistent from onework to the next.

Sawallisch is easy-going, unemphatic, al-most casual in his approach. If you, findBrahms heavy and overbearing, this is yourantidote. Tempos are moderate but looselycontrolled; hence the scores do not hold to-gether as firmly and purposefully as they doelsewhere. The Vienna Symphony playssweetly, in a somewhat laissez-faire spirit.Countless imprecisions of articulation, blend-ing, and intonation pass muster. The oboes aresour; the horns resemble acoustically re-corded trombones. The flutes, however, arelimpidly expressive. All are recorded at a lowlevel, in a dry, smallish ambience. Turn-about's pressings are happily free of the oc-casional pre -echo that mars the Columbia andEurodisc discs, and the high hiss level on Phil-ips. Since the shortcomings are not grossly ob-jectionable, the bargain -conscious need notfear Sawallisch.

Orchestral Performances

Ormandy also maintains a fair degree ofrhythmic flexibility, but with a conscious senseof Romantic shaping (note the sliding cellos inthe slow movement of No. 2, the violins in thethird movement of No. 3). Brahms has alwaysbrought out the best in Ormandy, and his ex-troverted and ruddy treatment is perfectlyapropos. His pacings minimize sharp con-trasts: Slow sections are a little faster, fast onesa little slower than the competition (cf. theswitch from un poco sostenuto to allegro in theopening movement of No. 1). The "FabulousPhiladelphia Sound" is massive, uniform, andwell -drilled. A kind of homogeneous blendingis the rule, with focus on glittering strings fromtop to bottom. There's a modicum of reverb(mostly in Nos. 1 and 3), and dynamic range issubject to some compression. Like a "zoomlens," mikes keep swooping in at strategic mo-ments to pick up wind details. The pressingsare subject to vertical warpage.

Sanderling's beat is steady as the proverbialrock, yet he bends when needed (e.g., the tran-sitions between sections of the scherzo of No.2, the crests of the exposition and develop-ment of the finale of No. I). Phrases, dynam-ics, and the dovetailing of inner voices aremolded with the utmost plasticity. This isBrahms conducting of vast authority and calminner strength. The Dresden Staatskapelle hasa deeply glowing tonal solidity, with a sense ofdefined balance between and within choirs-despite the Eastern European horn and oboevibrato. Attacks and releases are impeccablyalert. Strings articulate neatly and precisely.Whether Sanderling, the ensemble itself, orthe acoustical setting (Dresden's Lucaskirche)is responsible, I cannot praise too highly theclarity with which wind doublings of stringparts come across, or the constant audibility ofthe viola line, or even the tonal differentiationof cellos and basses. The reproduction, in itsdepth, impact. smoothness, and transparency,is nothing short of state-of-the-art. The Euro-disc set (imported by German News Com-pany) is easily worth the extra effort and costof purchase.

Haitink's Fourth is solidly traditional, with-out extremes of either intellectual asperity orsensuous indulgence. It is warm, flowing,decently played and recorded. One of the bestof early stereo Brahms Fourths was Van Bei-num's from this same ensemble and company.Long unavailable, it is in many respects re-generated here.

As for the shorter works: Sawallisch andSanderling share a view of the Tragic Overturewhich smooths down the contrast between its

two main speeds. The Variations are pleasantbut not too vividly characterized. The Aca-demic Festival gets from Sawallisch and hisorchestra the fastest and zippiest reading I'veheard in many a year.

Three of the previous symphony sets seemto me worthy of consideration (along withSteinberg's deleted Command set if-as ap-pears likely-it reappears on WestminsterGold). Szell's-like Ormandy's, a Columbiathree -discs -for -the -price -of -two package-ismarked by rigorous concentration, intensity,and virtuosic elegance. Though No. 2 is overlyantiseptic and deliberate. No. 4 is utterly en-thralling. The separate disc of shorter workscontains majestic statements in particular ofthe Tragic Overture and the St. Anthony Cho-rale Variations. Klemperer can be purchasedseparately or boxed, and the stereo recordingboasts left -right separation of the violin sec-tions. The sound otherwise shows its age, butthe music -making is of iron determination,proud individuality, and wry humor (cf. theAcademic Festival). Barbirolli has the ViennaPhilharmonic, gorgeously reproduced, re-sponding expansively to noble, unhurried,old-world conceptions from "the last of thegreat poet conductors." The C minor Sym-phony is the special gem, but you have to buythe whole package.

BRAHms: Symphony No. 4, in E minor, Op.98. Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amster-dam, Bernard Haitink, cond. Philips 6500389, $6.98.

FE31BRAHMS: Symphonies; Variations ona Theme by Haydn, Op. 56a; Aca-demic Festival Overture, Op. 80;Tragic Overture, Op. 81. ViennaSymphony Orchestra, Wolfgang Sa-wallisch, cond. Turnabout TV -S34453/6, $9.00 (four discs).BRAHMS: Symphonies. Philadelphia

ICI Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy, cond.Columbia D3M 31636, $11.98 (threediscs).

BRAHMS: Symphonies; Variations on aTheme by Haydn, Op. 56a; Tragic Over-ture, Op. 81. Staatskapelle Dresden, KurtSanderling, cond. Eurodisc 85782 XHK,$27.92 (four discs).Symphonies: No. 1, in C minor, Op. 68; No. 2, in D, Op. 73;No. 3, in F, Op. 90; No. 4, in E minor. Op. 98.Selected comparisons:Barbirolli (Syms., Var., Overs.) Ang. 3732Klemperer (Syms., Overs.) Ang. 3614Szell (Syms.) Col. D3S 758Szell (Var.. Overs.) Col. 6965


Continued from page 77.ity and purity makes its effect with minimal in-terpretation. Every time one shifts from Soltito Giulini, the intensity of Solti's driving forcebecomes conspicuous by omission, and after amoment or two you may wonder why it wasnecessary. This is going to be controversial.Some. I am sure. will say that Giulini shouldgive more support to the line of the work. thathe permits it to go a little slack at times, thatmore push and drive are needed to sustain thephrases. I don't agree. On the contrary I thinkhe proves that a lot of that pushing is a gra-tuitous intrusion on the natural melodic con-tour of Beethoven's themes.

Few conductors do as much with the mys-terious opening of the first movement with itsdeliberately ambiguous harmonies fromwhich the rising theme leaps to capture andhold the ear. The pace is slow, but it is beau-tifully sustained and the movement reallyseems to build toward the final pages as eachsuccessive phrase unfolds in a long singingline to carry the work a step higher and highertoward that mountain top.

The scherzo is wonderfully achieved-- light.firmly rhythmic. filled with a sense of laughterand delight. Giulini does not make the secondrepeat in the movement, feeling the propor-tions are better without it. and I agree.

The slow movement is the purest reflectionof Giulini's artistry. an almost seamless pro-gression in pure and noble song from start tofinish. Here the comparison is especially vivid.Solti is more dramatic. and the climactic mo-ments are more forcefully recorded, but theeffect is. I think, less. Giulini conveys a senseof ecstasy and exaltation that Solti lacks.

In the final movement. Giulini is not somuch involved with scaling the stars to findthe Unknown enthroned (as Schiller's textsuggests) but probing into the human heart tofind what lies there. In the liner notes he ob-serves that the singers are not of primary im-portance but must be regarded in terms of thework as a whole. This is the effect of his per-formance, with soloists and chorus kept verymuch in scale with the orchestra and notallowed to dominate important instrumentallines. It is not the effect one normally hears.but it is valid. The London Symphony Chorusdoes not sing German with particular sensi-tivity (the British aren't especially good at thatsort of thing), but it is entirely acceptable. andthe soloists are good if not great. (Those whowant thirteen bars of undimmed high A fromthe sopranos at 717-729 in the finale must turnto the Solti version.) On the other hand somevocal details-the notorious third stanza of theode. tier instance-are better achieved in theGiulini performance.

It is commonplace for Angel recordings tooffer less dynamic range than one might de-sire. and this is no exception. but the sound isvery warm, exceedingly pleasant to the ear,and in the long run the most welcome to hearrepeatedly. (The intrusive hi-fi quality of theSolti starts to get on my nerves in time.)

Because of the shorter scherzo, Giulini canoffer on the fourth side a recording of theSymphony No. 8 in which the final threemovements are done with great charm-light,zestful performances filled with a nice Ital-ianate sense of motion. The opening move-ment has the important repeat and sings all theway to the close, but the tempo is rather slow.It takes some getting used to, as the British say.On rehearing I liked it more than the first timearound, but the Szell performance (of a num-

ber of possible choices) remains somewhatcloser to my idea of the work.

Do we perhaps have in this set a Ninth thatboth the Toscanini and Furtwiingler campsmay accept as reflecting many of the thingsthey most appreciate in their respectiveheroes? Is Giulini, in the best Hegelian man-ner, the artistic synthesis between that thesisand antithesis? There is no doubt that he herereveals himself as a man exalted in his art.

R.C.M.

BERLioz: Benvenuto Cellini: Overture-SeeChausson: Symphony.

BERNSTEIN: Symphonic Dances from WestSide Story-See Recitals and Miscellany:Romeo and Juliet.

BIZET: Carmen. For a feature review of arecording of this work. see page 67

BIZET: Nocturne No. 1, in F; Variationschromatiques. GRIEG: Sonata for Piano, inE minor, Op. 7. Glenn Gould, piano. Colum-bia M 32040, $5.98.

You're not apt to hear a stranger piece from aRomantic composer than Bizet's Variationschromatiques, composed in 1868. Instead ofthe lush, chromatic progressions a la Franckor Wagner that one might expect, Bizet hastaken a weird, chromatic melodic line that hepresents in completely unharmonized uni-sons. He then goes on to develop the theme ina set of variations in which a rather straight-forward Romantic piano style a la Liszt orSchumann seems to be doing battle with thechromatic theme. The results are as fascinat-ing as they are unusual, and Glenn Gould per-forms the work in a manner that one has cometo associate with him-beautiful, extraor-dinarily clear passagework, an exceptionalability to sustain dramatic momentum, andlots of unwelcome humming. He likewisebrings out with great effect the crystalline bril-liance of the wistful and more Lisztian noc-turne.

Gould can also be counted on to come upwith at least one outrageous tempo per record-ing; here he has chosen the third of the fourmovements of Grieg's 1865 sonata as his vic-tim. In his liner notes. Gould claims kinship toGrieg. and perhaps Uncle Edvard has passeddown some deep, dark secret that justifiesGould's turning this section into a second slowmovement, even though Grieg indicates thatthe third movement is to be played only a littlebit more slowly than a minuet. Outside of thistempo quirk. however, Gould offers a spiritedand dynamic interpretation of this episodic so-nata. with its many rich and typically Griegianchordal progressions. 1 personally preferGrieg as a miniaturist, and I would hope thatGould would one day record some of theLtric Pieces. But the sonata offers enough at-tractive sections to sustain interest. The re-corded sound is much better for the Bizet thanfor the Grieg, in which the upper registers areall but swallowed by the lower and middleones. R.S.B.

BLOCH: Quartet for Strings, No 5: ConcertoGrosso No. 1, for String Orchestra and Pi -

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ano. Fine Arts Quartet (in the quartet); CzechRadio Orchestra, David Epstein, cond. (in theconcerto grosso). Everest 3328, $4.98.Selected comparison (Concerto Grosso):Hanson/ Eastman -Rochester Sym. Mer. 90223

Granted that Ernest Bloch blazed no paths inthe string -quartet writing of our century. Hisfive works in that form, however, aresplendidly written for the ensemble and con-tain, particularly in the earlier ones, impres-sively articulate savagery, tenderness, andtragic gloom. It is therefore high time for anintegral modern recording.

Meanwhile, collectors owning the deletedmono set of Bloch's first four by the GrillerQuartet (London LLA 23) may count them-selves fortunate indeed. The Fifth Quartetmakes an obvious supplement to that albumin the sturdy and polished performance of theFine Arts Quartet. The music isn't the com-poser's best (the ideas are getting tired, theworking out of them routinized), but the newconvert to Bloch will only too gladly grab whatlittle is available. Parenthetically, is it notshocking that the Second Piano Quintet re-mains to be recorded more than a decade afterthe composer's death?

Everest has put us in a dilemma by this cou-pling. The same performance of the quartetcan still be had on Concert Disc (CS 225).where it is paired with the only current editionof Hindemith's powerful Third Quartet. Thereissue combines the chamber work with ablazingly vital masterpiece from three decadesearlier in Bloch's creative career. The concertogrosso serves to introduce record buyers toDavid Epstein, a gifted young American whowas a Cleveland Orchestra conducting fellowand in recent years has made the MIT Sym-phony (Cambridge, Mass.) his base of oper-ations. In the Czech Radio Orchestra, whosepiano obbligato player is unfortunately un-identified. he has a competent group clearlyrevved up to peak form. The reading goes farbeyond any past or present rivals on at leasttwo counts: laying bare the harmonic texture,and appreciating the importance of pianis-simos and other hairpin dynamic effects.

How sad, then, that the present artists didn'trecord Bloch's Second Concerto Grosso whilethey were at it, which would have made thisrecord directly competitive with the richer -sounding Hanson coupling on Mercury. As itis, Everest's sound for the orchestral side is abit scrawny, but is worth putting up with forEpstein's exemplary interpretation.

A final point for collectors of Everestbloopers: The printed timings for the FifthQuartet total upwards of thirty-eight minutes.which would be a very generous LP side in-deed. In fact, the third movement (6:17) wascounted twice. A.C.

BRUCKNER: Symphony No. 1, in C minor(Linz version). Concertgebouw Orchestra ofAmsterdam, Bernard Haitink, cond. Philips6500 439, $6.98.Selected comparison:Abbado/Vienna Phil. Lon. 6706

Unless he is planning to record the F minorSchul-Symphonie (the composer's actual firstwork in the form, preceding the SymphonyNo. 0 in the carton, Haitink has now com-pleted his edition of the ten Bruckner sym-

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Bernard Haitink-a distinguished edition of Bruckner's symphonies now complete.

phonies in the international repertory. It is anedition distinguished by its consistent highlevel of musical achievement and the choice offirst -quality texts of the performing material.so that Bruckner's ideas are consistently setforth in the most effective manner. In this casethe record is drawn from the Haas version ofthe symphony in its original text, the Linz ver-sion of 1866. Bruckner's ill-advised revisionsof 1877-91 are wisely ignored.

It has long been my theory that the best wayto move into the rather special musical worldof the late Bruckner symphonies is to followBruckner himself, to begin at the beginningand hear for oneself how the composer's styleand manner were defined and developed. TheFirst Symphony is a work that a number ofconductors (Otto Klemperer is a conspicuousexample) have used over the years as a per-sonal vehicle with great success. In the righthands it is a very powerful score, undeservedlycast into the shadows by the majesty of Nos. 7,8. and 9.

Although Abbado's recent recording onLondon remains a musically effective state-ment based on a good text, it must now yield tothe Haitink. In terms of engineering the Phil-ips disc offers a higher volume level, a moreintimate orchestral quality, that extra soupconof realism that you can't help noticing. Moreimportant. Haitink always appears to be just alittle farther into the score. It's not a matter ofbig things but little ones: the right intuition forthe flow of accents in a phrase. the secondsight that always seems to put the proper pulseinto a heat, the ear that can balance a page ofBruckner orchestration with all the voicesfirmly registered in what seems to be the opti-mum relationship.

Even in this early a score Bruckner is a com-poser with a highly individual style, a distinc-tive artistic profile, and Haitink plays his mu-sic with a sense of intimate knowledge andaffectionate regard that few other conductorscan match. The effect is total conviction. Asthe performance unfolds I find myself saying."Of course, that is how it must be ... natu-rally...." When you have a recording that so

utterly disarms the critical faculties. it has tohe good. R.C.M.

IllaticKNER: Symphony No. 4, in E flat (Ro-mantic). Chicago Symphony Orchestra,Daniel Barenboim, cond. Deutsche Grammo-phon 2530 336, $6.98.Selected comparisons:Haitink/Concertgebouw Phi. 835 385Klemperer/ Philharmonia Ang. 36245Mena/L. A. Phil. Lon. 6695

With nine stereo editions presently available.the Bruckner Fourth has definitely come intoits own as a popular symphony. No other workof the composer is equally well represented ondiscs at this time, although the Symphony No.7 (for obvious reasons) is nearly as strong. Ofthose nine versions, this one and the threelisted above are of greater than average inter-est. All four discs are thoroughly acceptable.offering consistently valid accounts of thecomposer's score well realized in terms of re-corded sound. (Abram Chipman surveyed thefield in his May review of the Ormandy ver-sion.)

There is a tendency to think of showpiecerecords in terms of Schehera:ade or Wagneror. perhaps today. Mahler. but it has becomeincreasingly obvious that much of the appealof Bruckner is based on the Wonderfully dis-tinctive sound of Bruckner orchestration, par-ticularly his masterful writing for brass. Sincethe Chicago Symphony has the best brass sec-tion in the business (I'm prejudiced. but it'sstill true!), it can play this music with superbeffect-and does.

For the sessions I"Behind the Scenes."March 19731, DG took the orchestra to Chi-cago's Medinah Temple-a large, resonanthall-and arrayed the brass across the back ofa wide stage. I heard the original four -channeltape in playback. and it is really sensational.but the stereo mixdown is impressive as well.with the effect of a brass choir filling your wallfrom left to right and setting the room ringingwith brazen tones. In terms of sheer decibels.no other version can touch this one.

But more than decibels are involved. This isCIRCLE 10 ON READER -SERVICE CARD


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clearly one of the finest orchestral recordingsBarenboim has made. His approach is direct.consistent, and largely free of the mannerismsI have found troublesome in the past. Thesense of fantasy and poetry. which has such animportant role in his piano playing. is hereconveyed in orchestral terms with muchgreater effect than ever before, and he re-sponds to the lyric and dramatic qualities ofthe music in a direct, forceful manner thatconveys them to the listener with equal inten-sity. Seldom have I heard him establish andsustain a long line of musical developmentwith greater sensitivity and skill. In this per-formance, not only is there a strong sense ofunity in each movement, but the over-all ar-chitecture of the score is well realized-withthe work building steadily to a glorious senseof resolution and fulfillment in the final pages.

However, with fine performances at handfrom Mehta. Klemperer. and Haitink, the en-gineering factor becomes a decisive issue. Inthis DG set the brass is dominant, as com-pared to the Haitink (where it is-if anything-subdued) and the Mehta, where orchestralbalances are more orthodox. If you want aBruckner Fourth in exhilarating stereo fidelitywith spectacular brass playing given a promi-nent role, this is the obvious choice-theBruckner record that will be turning up at thesound shows. If you want something a littlemore conservative -1 for my part still love theold Bruno Walter set (momentarily out ofprint) -1 suggest the alternatives cited above.

It should be added that when the brass is si-lent, or playing quietly. the DG balances areexcellent. And if you feel, as Barenboimapparently does, that the big climactic mo-ments really belong to the brass, you can't helpbut feel shivers of pure animal response as thatsound gets to you.

The text, incidentally, is the Haas editionwith a few emendations and supplementalmarkings by (I presume) the conductor.

R.C.M.

CRAUSSON: Symphony in B flat. BER-LIOZ: Benvenuto Cellini: Overture.Paris Conservatory Orchestra (in theChausson); Orchestre de la SuisseRomande (in the Berlioz), Robert Den-zler, cond. Stereo Treasury STS15145, $2.98 (from London LL 1505,1957, and CS 6119, 1960).

Astonishingly there is no other recording ofthe Chausson currently listed in Schwann. Sothis third appearance of Denzler's Chausson/Berlioz coupling is welcome despite a few in-terpretive and technical flaws. The sound inthe symphony is generally clear and bright,marred only by some surface noise. In the Ber-lioz, however, the level has been cranked upunpleasantly so that tape hiss is always appar-ent and forte passages exist just this side of dis-tortion. Both works are too bottom -heavy formy taste, but this can be adjusted.

Denzler plays the Chausson very broadlyand expressively, injecting a peculiarly Ger-manic heartiness that may be considered outof place in this music. The climaxes, especiallyin the slow movement, sometimes sound morelike Strauss than like his Gallic contemporary.Denzler's other major failure is being unableto shape the slow introduction to the firstmovement so that it is properly integrated intothe whole. Munch (RCA) and Paray ( Mer-

BR

cury) offered more idiomatically French read-ings. (The Munch was reissued last year onEnglish Victrola.)

The Berlioz starts off with a hang that wouldsend any VU meter up to the pin, but the rest isfortunately more subdued. The playing is rich.dynamic. and robust, with the Suisse Ro-mande woodwinds at their excellent best.Probably the overenthusiastic engineering ac-counts for the muddiness of the low strings.

A. M.

CtioPiN: Piano Works. Vladimir Ashkenazy,piano. London CS 6794, $5.98.Sonata No. 2. in 8 flat minor, Op. 35. Mazurka in A flat, Op.59. No. 2. Nocturnes. Op. 15: No. 1, in F; No. 2, in F sharp.Valse brillante, in E flat. Op. 18.

This album-recorded on location at the Uni-versity of Essex, May 10. 1972-begins andends with bursts of applause. The audience ismiraculously attentive, with only an isolatedcough or two. The only thing in the playing it-self to indicate that these aren't studio -madeperformances is the special intensity and ex-citement-certainly one has to look far andwide for any technical lapses in these brilliantrenditions. If I had not heard Ashkenazy con-sistently give live recitals on this amazinglyhigh leYel, I would indeed be suspicious. Heplays the sonata in a thoroughly modern man-ner-full of powerhouse thrust but basicallyreserved and intense, eschewing grandioserhetorical gestures. The scherzo, in Ashke-nazy's remarkably headlong reading. gets itsmost brilliant statement on records sinceRachmaninofl's 1930 account (RCA VictrolaVIC 1534). This must be heard to be believed.The first movement is done with exposition re-peat (an increasingly common practice thesedays). while the sobriety of the Marcia fu-nebre and finale has its own tight-lipped elo-quence. The E flat Waltz is a bit more mercu-rial than Lipatti's celebrated interpretation.but similar in its swinging momentum. Thetwo nocturnes are rather slow and measured(even the stormy middle section of the F majorseems deliberate rather than frantic). Best ofall is Ashkenazy's treasurable account of theelusive late mazurka, done with unusual fresh-ness and a perfect synthesis of gaiety and nos-talgia. In all of this Chopin playing. there isconsiderable rubato leeway but never any ofthe usual disturbing disruptions of basicrhythm.

The sound is leaner than on many of Ashke-nazy's recent records and. I think, more ap-propriate and realistic. One quibble: Side 2 of-fers less than fifteen minutes of music. Whenthe performances are of this caliber. however.I'm inclined to look the other way. H.G.

COPLAND: Symphonic Ode; Preamble for aSolemn Occasion; Orchestral Variations.London Symphony Orchestra, Aaron Cop-land, cond. Columbia M 31714, $5.98.

The first recording of Aaron Copland's Sym-phonic Ode fills a significant gap in our knowl-edge of his music. In 1927, aware of the ulti-mate limitations of the symphonic jazz idiomhe had been working with, Copland began alarge orchestral score in a different vein. Com-pleted two years later (although not per-formed until 1932). the Symphonic Ode thusstands at the beginning of a new phase inCopland's development, one that we know


S4 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

best from subsequent works: Vitebsk, the Pi-ano Variations, the Short Symphony, andStatements. The original score was later with-drawn from circulation, and a revision pre-pared in 1955: according to the composer, thechanges were "not very extensive"-reducedorchestral requirements, rebarring, and othermodifications to facilitate performance.

The Ode is a "major" piece-indeed, itseems almost self-consciously so. It moves witha measured pace: even in the fast sections,where the jazzy accents of earlier works recur,harmonic motion is not rapid. and the deliber-ation of the proclamatory opening paragraph.with its characteristic up -thrusting phrases.stays with one as the predominant tone of thepiece. The transitions from this opening moodto subsequent contrasting joyous and lyricalmaterials and back are impressively made,and all three strands are woven into the finalperoration. As played and recorded here. thetutti passages seem occasionally even moreabrasive than they were intended to be-every-body gets a real workout at such points, andintonation in the upper reaches is not as pre-cise as it might be. Despite this flaw, and someimprecisions of ensemble, the LSO deliversfor Copland a spirited. authoritative readingof this imposing and unusual work.

The 1930 Piano Variations are a landmarkwork in concision, instrumental aptness, andincisive profile: the stark four -measure themeand its jagged rhythms are pursued with a ter-rific single-mindedness, generating what mayvery well be the most intense eleven minutesin the contemporary literature. Perhaps be-cause I so love the original form-where thepressure on the limits of piano and pianist issuch a palpable element of the total experi-ence-the orchestral transcription, made in1957. has never satisfied me. The piano ver-sion is a masterful cumulation of short epi-sodes, tightly and economically built up fromthe minimal initial gesture, and this sense ofnarrow, very sharp focus is already comprisedat the start by the vastly bigger scope that theorchestrated theme implies. Even the score'sundoubted structural cohesion has less impactwhen spread around the full orchestral com-plement of timbres-although there is noquestion about the skill of the actual instru-mentation. Just as there are black -and -whitephotographs that derive their force specifi-cally from their monochromaticism, so too thePiano Variations are better without color. Ifyou don't have a recording of the original ver-sion-or, better still, if you want to make thecomparison for yourself-rush right out andget the superb Masselos recording on Odyssey32 16 0040. Let it be noted that the new Co-lumbia disc is, at any rate, a vast improvementover the previous Louisville version of the Or-chestral Variations.

Preamble for a Solemn Occasion was com-missioned by NBC for a 1949 concert honor-ing the adoption of the United Nations Decla-ration of Human Rights. In its original form,there is provision for a speaker. reciting por-tions of the preamble to the UN Charter. butthis recording utilizes the alternative (onlyslightly different) version for orchestra alone.A stately piece for a stately purpose. it speakswith an accent familiar from other Coplandscores (including the Symphonic Ode), settingan oratorical mood leavened with touches oflyricism, avoiding the tendentious quality thatcan easily invade such pieces. It is well per-formed and recorded here-a first recording.incidentally, that was put on tape as far back

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as 1964. One hopes that Columbia will not solong delay other important Copland recordpremieres-Dance Panels and the Nonet forStrings, for example, which have been sittingaround the storage vaults for five years al-ready! D.H.

CRAWFORD SEEGER: Quartet for Strings-See Babbitt Quartet for Strings.

DONIZETTI: Anna Bolena.Anna BolenaGovanna SeymourEnrico VIIIPercyRochefortSmeton

Beverly Sills (s)Shirley Verrett (ms)

Paul Plishka(bs)Stuart Burrows (t)Robert Lloyd (bs)

Patricia Kern (ms)

John Alldis Chrous; London Symphony Or-chestra, Julius Rude!, cond. ABC AudioTreasury ATS 20015/4, $23.92 (four discs).Selected comparison:SouliotisiHorneiVarviso Lon. 1436

With Anna Bolena Beverly Sills completes onrecord-as next season at the New York StateTheater she will complete in stage perform-ance-her "Tudor triptych" of Donizetti op-eras (the other two being Roberto Devereuxand Maria Stuarda; and there is still // Castellodi Kenilworth. should Miss Sills decide that afourth panel is needed). Anna Bolena (1830)was the first of Donizetti's operas to he heardin London. and in Paris. It established his in-ternational reputation. And in our day it hasloomed large in the Donizetti revival-eversince the famous La Scala production in 1957.with Maria Callas in the title role. It is one of

Donizetti's best works-rich in ensembles, richin color and character, carefully composed,and with few perfunctory passages. Donizettishows great resource in preserving dramaticprogress through a flow of impassioned dia-logue and formal numbers. He varies the ac-companiment in passages of a kind wherecomposers of the time often merely instructedthe copyist to repeat the orchestral parts "fromA to B." In successive strophes he develops hismelodies instead of merely repeating them.He binds numbers into unified scenes by pick-ing up material from one section to use in an-other. The recitatives include long lyricalphrases, while the arias are sometimes de-clamatory. The orchestral scene -painting andmood -painting are unfailingly picturesque.And the final scene-consisting of introduc-tory chorus, three arias for the heroine, andmoving episodes between them-is amongDonizetti's finest and most sustained inspira-tions. Anna Bo/ena is an excellent opera-andyet this new recording is not strictly "neces-sary." While other excellent operas by Doni-zetti, such as Pallid°. Belisario, Pia de' To-lomei. and Il Furioso, remain unrepresented inthe regular catalogues, this is the second AnnaBolena to appear. That earlier version. onLondon. with Elena Souliotis as its heroine.was admittedly not all that one hoped for. Ifthe new version were markedly superior, itcould be welcomed with no more reservationthan a slight regret that a trodden path wasbeing preferred to new exploration. On bal-ance, however, the set does not strike me as su-perior to its predecessor.

So far as the title role goes, the choice is he-

tween a soprano who has a very intelligentidea of what is needed-agility, and delicacy-but a voice too thin, peaky, and monotonousin color to bring off a very dramatic part; and asoprano whose voice has far more power,more tone and body to it, but is too unwieldyto bring off all the fine detail. Souliotis can bestrident, and clumsy in passages. but she hasgreat spirit, and her recorded performance ofAnna Bo/ena was in fact far more deftly sungthan one might have expected. Sills can alsobecome strident, when she strives (in, for ex-ample, the final "Coppia iniqua") to put moreweight on the voice than it will bear; but thereal trouble is that she simply does not havethe vocal grandeur to fill the big phrases and todeliver the dramatic utterances at their fullstrength. With soft, quiet things she can en-chant us. "Cielo, a' miei lunghi spasimi." Doni-zetti's variation of Home Sweet Home in thelast act, is touchingly done.

Shirley Verrett sings Jane Seymour in a vig-orous, almost violent manner. Too often,nowadays. she seems intent on "energizing"whatever she does, pushing charges of vitalityinto every phrase. The results can be very ex-citing-but in this performance she seems toobumpy. Some notes and syllables are clipped.while others are banged out. Relax a hit, onewants to say, and just sing the music in thesmooth, lustrous tones we know you have.Marilyn Home. on London, can be faulted fortrying so hard to make an effect that whatshould register as intimate dialogue soundslike oratory. "Mr. Gladstone," Queen Victoriaonce remarked, "speaks to Me as if I was apublic meeting"; King Henry VIII might

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make the same complaint about this Jane Sey-mour. Stuart Burrows, on ABC, is a tasteful.reliable Percy; so is John Alexander on Lon-don. Not much to choose between them. Nei-ther of them has much ardor in his tones. Mr.Burrows is perhaps in general smoother andmore shapely, and Mr. Alexander more ex-pressive in "Vivi tu." Paul Plishka's Henry is adecent, unremarkable performance, satisfac-tory so far as it goes, but without the bright-ness and keenness that-particularly after hisPagano in the Carnegie Hall Lombardi-onehoped for. On London, Nicolai Ghiaurovmakes a slightly more formidable Henry. Pa-tricia Kern sings Mark Smeaton's two airsably, if with rather noisy breaths betweenphrases; Janet Closter, on London, brings atouch more vividness to the character of theyoung musician. Robert Lloyd, the mostpromising of England's young bassi cantanti,makes an admirable Rochford.

Julius Rude!, conducting. is not a very con-vincing Donizettian. He handles the scoreneatly. He plainly feels the merit of the orches-tral writing and aims to make something of theinstrumental passages (generally, they arerather slower than in Silvio Varviso's versionfor London). But triplets that should roll out ata slightly eased tempo tend to get skimped; ex-pressive woodwind phrases are sometimesflicked. What should be atmospheric (for ex-ample, the music before Smeaton's furtive en-try into the Queen's apartments) soundsmerely dapper. Naturalness is missing, and asa result the music sometimes takes the wrongcolor: The first finale, which Anne launcheswith the words "Ah, my fate is sealed," be-comes a jolly affair. Orchestra and chorus arecompetent, not inspired.

The recording, made in EMI's London stu-dios. needs handling with care, for it easily be-comes edgy, especially in the treatment ofMiss Verrett's voice. (Miss Sills does notsound so full and ample of tone as in those setsmade in All Saints, Tooting.) The suon festivoof the final scene, the sounds of street band.cannons, and cheers that recall Anne to hersurroundings, is very skillfully managed. afirst-rate piece of dramatic recording. The op-era is done complete (the four cuts in the Lon-don version are tiny and of no significance).There is a thorough album note by WilliamAshbrook -though I regret that, in correctingthe old conventional assessment of Donizetti,he repeats the old conventional assessment ofBellini and does not give him credit for origi-nating (in Il Pirata and La Straniera) a dra-matic manner we now deem characteristicallyDonizettian. The album libretto-in whichlines are often printed as they are sung; thesame phrase may appear five or six times-hasnot been checked against the performance.and its words sometimes differ from thoseused by the singers. A.P.

GRIEG: Sonata for Piano-See Bizet: Noc-turne

HAYDN: Symphonies, Vol. 6. Phil-harmonia Hungarica, Antal Dorati,cond. Stereo Treasury STS 15249/54,$17.88 (six discs).

No. 36, in E flat; No. 37, in C; No. 38, in C (Echo); No. 39, in

G minor; No. 40, in F; No. 41, in C; No. 42, in D; No. 43, in Eflat (Mercury); No. 44, in E minor (Trauer); No. 45, in Fsharp minor (Farewell); No. 46, in B; No. 47, in 0; No. 48,In C (Maria Theresia).

With the arrival of this volume, Dorati's edi-tion of the Haydn symphonies is completefrom No. 36 through No. 92, which covers alot of ground (and a lot of very importantHaydn). Actually the recording sessions forthis monumental project ended late in 1972[see "Behind the Scenes," May 19731, and allthat is involved now is editing tapes and discproduction. Vol. 7, containing Nos. 20-35, isalready out in England. Presumably one vol-ume will cover the final dozen symphonies ofthe London period, and-depending on albumsize, performance times, and coupling-one ortwo volumes will provide the unnumberedSymphonies A and B, and Nos. 1-19. The en-tire collection may be in our hands by a yearfrom now-perhaps sooner.

For this listener there is nothing more excit-ing going on in the field of recorded music to-day. To say that each successive volume seemsbetter than its predecessor is perhaps unfair tothe initial releases, which were and remain ex-cellent, and the fact is that Dorati and his col-leagues are now so completely into the style ofthis music that you have the same sense of au-thenticity in a performance tradition thatcomes from the Preservation Hall band in tra-ditional jazz or Stravinsky's finest earlyrecordings of his own music. Haydn never hadit so good-not even, I suspect, at Esterhaz.

The symphonies in this album date from be-tween 1757 and 1772. The numbers are sus-pect: No. 37 is really better designated No. 13or thereabouts, and No. 47 is really betterthought of as No. 54. The names are equallymisleading. No. 39 is often called The Fist, al-though the reason is a mystery. No. 38, on theother hand, is called Echo, and the reason isdelightfully clear. No. 48 is, by historical asso-ciation, called Maria Theresia, but H. C. Rob-bins Landon finds this erroneous and believesthe designation properly belongs to the Sym-phony No. 50 (in Dorati's Vol. 3).

These are transitional works. The early partof the series calls for keyboard and bassooncontinuo (both of them well achieved) and arewritten in a preclassical style with lingeringbaroque influences. The later symphonies aremuch more complex-true classical sym-phonies in the Sturm and Drang manner.

Several of the symphonies are among themost popular in the Haydn canon-the Trauerand Farewell, for example-and these scoresare played with the consistent skill that makesthese the most desirable recordings of thosepresently available. But the popularity ofHaydn symphonies frequently is capricious.The superb brass writing in No. 41, the incred-ible finale of No. 46, for instance, are exactlythe sort of things to make these works popularas well-were they generally known. (Neither,for example, has ever been heard at a sub-scription concert of the Chicago Symphony,and I doubt if the situation is much better inother American cities.)

As Robbins Landon points out in his notes(and his annotation of this edition is one of itsfurther distinctions), the Austrian symphonyaround 1770 came in two forms: the festivetype (for which Haydn preferred the key of Cwith high C alto horns, trumpets, and drums),

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and the chamber symphony (which has lesssonority and makes its musical points by differ-ent means). Some Haydn scores are clearly in-fluenced by both genres. and this album pro-vides welcome contrasts between the twoapproaches. Dorati and his players not onlysee this distinction well, but they respond withcomplete consistency in viewpoint to bothtypes of score-an achievement not to be un-dervalued if you have reviewed a large num-ber of Haydn recordings over the years.

Just to go through the thirteen works in thisalbum briefly, here are some capsule com-ments:

No. 36 is a fresh, lively work in Haydn'searly style that repays discovery. No. 37 is a

chamber symphony with possible influencesfrom Vivaldi. No. 38 is a festive score, but amore mature and developed work that pro-duces even grander effects. The distinctivefeature of No. 39 is the minor key that, as onemight expect, reflects an introspective work.No. 40 presents the more familiar Haydn witand verve. In No. 41 the festive mood returns.and the music is, as H.C.R.L. puts it, "packedwith nervous excitement." No. 42 is anotherhappy. extroverted score filled with the usualHaydn humor. In No. 43 the chamber style re-turns. but in a highly sophisticated manner.The symphony of mourning. No. 44. was tohave supplied music for Haydn's own funeral.but the Mozart Requiem was played instead.

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No. 44 was always one of his favorite works.No. 45. in a highly unorthodox key, is theFarewell Symphony. by which the Esterhazorchestra suggested to their noble employerthat they wanted to go back to Vienna. In No.46 Haydn is working in another unusual keywith that fabulous Presto e scher:ando finale.No. 47 is a serious work in the chamber man-ner. while No. 48 (even if improperly associ-ated with the Austrian Empress) is a verygrand score in the festive style.

Even if you do not plan to buy all the Dorativolumes, this is one I think you would fully en-joy. R.C.M.

HODDINOTT: Roman Dream, Op. 54; Trio forViolin, Cello, and Piano, Op. 77. TATE: Ap-paritions, for Tenor, Harmonica, StringQuartet, and Piano; Three Gaelic Ballads.Margaret Price, soprano (in Roman Dreamand Gaelic Ballads); Gerald English, tenor (inApparitions); Cardiff Chamber Players,James Lockhart, dir. Argo ZRG 691, $5.98.

Alun Hoddinott and Phyllis Tate are solid andrespected members of what might be calledthe older (not yet really old) school of Britishcomposers: Hoddinott. a Welshman, wasborn in 1929, and Tate, who is identifiedsomewhat pejoratively on the record jacket as"one of the most prominent of English womencomposers." in 1911.

Hoddinott's music reminds one immedi-ately that modern composers tend to be inter-national: Roman Dream sounds like a lot ofpost-Webern works turned out all over theworld in the Fifties, particularly in Americanuniversities. Margaret Price sings the angularline with all the precision one could ask, but itremains difficult to get involved with the piece,whose text is an Emyr Humphreys poemabout a man serving a dictator and trying tosurvive as a moral individual. The idiom isSchoenbergian expressionism, passed throughthe prism of sonority that one associates withPierre' Lunaire and its heirs. The crashingpercussion of Messiaen and Boulez come tomind as influences, as well as the Bartok ofMusic for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta. TheHoddinott trio, though later than RomanDream, goes even more directly back toSchoenberg. especially in an Erwartung moodin the Andante and its generally anguishedand nervous atmosphere throughout. Thetwelve -note theme is diligently worked out,but in spite of some striking moments, the ef-fect is that of prosaically skillful work.

In the Tate pieces, we hear more going on,musically and perhaps intellectually. Appari-tions, with a watery -toned harmonica provid-ing ghostly comments and veils of sound, hasgenuine power to stir the imagination. Tate,like any accomplished composer in any pe-riod, has the craft of her trade at her finger-tips: Apparitions is full of inversions and retro-grades and diminutions and augmentations.But one needn't be aware of them to admirethis little cycle of four songs, which GeraldEnglish sings in a beautifully clear and brighttenor. The vocal style, reminiscent of Walton'sFaçade or Stravinsky's Shakespeare songs, issometimes too mannered, with its wrong -notechanting in a kind of Sprechstimme that ismore song -speech than speech -song in its em-phasis. But the nice weirdness achieved by thecanonical conversations between voice andharmonica in the second song, The Suffolk


Miracle, shows a composer's gift. Tate is thatvaluable artist, the modest talent that doessmall things exquisitely. The Three GaelicBallads, sung by Margaret Price, are further il-lustration: traditional tunes set in a disturb-ingly dry and unfolksy harmonic languagethat throws such things as The Lake of Coolfininto an askew perspective. One is forced tohear its tragic old lines with an immediacy andsense of reality that the quaintness of a con-ventional ballad arrangement might succeedonly in denaturing. D.J.H.

B LOLLY: Thesee: excerpts. Anne Ayer,mezzo-soprano; Mimi Mattel, so-prano; Hugues Cuenod, baritone;Vienna Volksoper Orchestra, WillardStraight, cond. RCA Victrola VICS1686, $2.98.

It is about time that someone should comearound to revive the czar of French operaof the seventeenth century, so powerfuland influential that the whole of Europe lis-tened to him with awe. Unfortunately, wereally know little about Lully, despite hisfame. The timorous editors of his operas in thelate nineteenth century were shocked by his"audacities" and bleached them out of hisscores, as their contemporaries, the Englishmusic professors, did with Purcell. All we havereadily available are these faulty piano -vocalscores from the 1880s. Willard Straight com-mendably worked from the original full scoreof Thesee. which, much less com-mendably. he "edited and reconstructed."though without telling us in what way.

But even if we assume that Straight did notpull a Leppard on us, his recording is unac-ceptable as a specimen of Lully's art. The plotof this opera is complicated, and the way the"highlights" are imbedded in the action isconfusing: and when the eight roles are dis-tributed among three singers (Anne Ayerholds down four!), the recording resolves itselfinto a meaningless vocal concert. But thegravest offense, one that destroys even themeaning "highlights," is the omission of thechorus, the most distinctive feature of thetragedie lyrique. Furthermore, the unrelievedmelancholy of the singers' delivery, whichmust be the result of a mistaken concept of thenature of the style galant, becomes boring bythe middle of the first side. Everything is care-fully sung and played but thin in frame andflesh: the respectful dignity gets on one'snerves. Hugues Cuenod's voice (now a "bari-tone") still has a certain ring when he singsout, but in the quiet passages it is largely hisfine musical intelligence that saves the day.Anne Ayer has a somewhat hollow voice andonly moderate skill in inflecting a melodicline; Mimi Mattei does better:But the instru-mental numbers are spirited and the continuoquite good. This sort of thing illustrates thedanger that abridgment, if carried too far, re-moves just those touches that give a skeletonlife. P.H.L.

PERLE: Quartet for Strings, No. 5-See Bab-bitt: Quartet for Strings.

PURCELL: The Fairy Queen; CeremonialMusic. For a feature review of recordings ofthese works, see page 73.

RACHMANINOFF: Concerto for Piano and Or-chestra, No. 3, in D Minor, Op. 30. YevgenyMogilevsky, piano; Moscow Philharmonic Or-chestra, Kiril Kondrashin, cond. Melodiya/Angel SR 40226, $5.98.Selected comparisons:Ashkenazy/Fistoularl/London Sym. Lon. 6359Weissenberg/PretreiChicago Sym. RCA 3040

A remarkably successful Rachmaninoff Thirdfrom the young Soviet virtuoso (now twenty-eight) who took first place at the 1964 QueenElisabeth International Competition in Brus-sels. Mogilevsky is a blockbuster who com-mands huge mountains of sonority and yetnever forces his sound to ugliness. In the main,he strikes an ideal middle ground between the

whimsical fleetness of Ashkenazy's earlier(and better) recording with Fistoulari and thelaconic detachment and sardonic distortionsof the more fiercely demonic Weissenberg/Pretre version. His tempos are moderately ex-pansive, yet mcve along succinctly; he sur-mounts the technical hurdles with poise andexcitement and still finds ample room forbrooding Slavic poetry. The cadenza played,for better or worse, is the thick -sounding al-ternative one also favored by Cliburn, Giese -king. Watts. and Ashkenazy (the latter in hislater version with Previn). Mogilevsky, on theother hand, doe:. not play the more difficult oc-tave variant at the very end. Kondrashin's sup-port is superbly authoritative: You will recall

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he recorded the same piece twice with VanCliburn (Van Cliburn's faster, fresher Sovietversion. never released domestically, is. inci-dentally. far superior to the dry' on -locationRCA recording made with the Symphony ofthe Air upon his return home.) And for achange the orchestral texture counts for some-thing in this excellently balanced reproduc-tion.

Unquestionably one of the great recordedperformances of this flawed but ever -so -popu-lar concerto. N.G.

ROSSINI: Operatic Scenes. Marilyn Horne,mezzo-soprano; Ambrosian Opera Chorus;Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Henry Lewis,

cond. London OS 26305, $5.98.L'Assedio di Corinto: Avanziam . .. Non temer d'un bassoaffetto . Sei to che stendi. o Dio: Lora latal s'appressa

Giusto ciei. La Donna del Mgo: Mura felici; Tanti affetti.Selected comparison (soprano arias).Caballe RCA 3015

This is an exhilarating, delightful record-Marilyn Home at her best, in a recital that dis-plays all her astonishing abilities. There's asort of "anything you can do. I can do better/faster / higher / lower / louder / softer / longer"quality about it. which is perfectly winning be-cause Miss Home realizes that these Rossiniarias are at once display pieces and dramaticscenas of Rossini's maturity, in which virtuos-it\ must serve an expressive purpose as well as

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being astounding in its own right. So we canenjoy her power, her fleetness, her tre-mendous range. her sense of scampering funwhich recalls Conchita Supervia. and herlong -held notes that go on and on like SigridOnegin's-and also think what enjoyable mu-sic it all is. And the singing is not spoiled byany excessive banging down on the trombonetones.

The sleeve note rather skates over exactlywhat the pieces from The Siege of Corinth are:and. being at present far from my scores. I canonly do the same. But in brief: Rossini com-posed Maometto II in Naples with a contraltohero, in 1820. and then in Paris. six years later.he recast it as Le Siege de Corinthe with a tenorhero, the great Nourrit. In 1969 the work wasrevived for Beverly Sills's debut at La Scala.Thomas Schippers. who conducted, also pre-pared the edition. and since his hero was to beMarilyn Home. he conflated the more soberParisian score with the more florid Neapolitanoriginal-and gave Miss Home. so to speak.the best of both worlds. The big scena. nearlytwenty-five minutes of it. that fills the first sideof this record sounds to me like two piecesjoined together. First there is a full-scale.three -section grand aria in the manner of Isa-bella's "Pensa alla patria" in L'Italiana in Al-geri. An orchestral prelude includes virtuosomelodies for the oboe and for the clarinet-splendidly played by the Royal Philharmonicwind soloists-and then Neocles breaksdirectly into this prelude with his first utter-ances. joining in it along with the instrumentsfor a while until more conventional recitativeappears. Then comes a heroic air, "Non temerd'un basso affetto." in which Miss Horne dis-plays her command of decorated cantabile-ofspinning fioriture that nevertheless do not ob-scure the basic lyrical shapes. Then a veryenergetic cabaletta. But that is not the end:things start up once again as Corinthian maid-ens begin to lament. offstage. and to sing ahymn rather like "La Vergine degli Angell" inLa For:a del destino. while onstage. Neoclescomments, and then embarks on another aria.Miss Home runs fleetly through a range closerto three octaves than to two, hops, skips. andjumps with aplomb, is now vigorous. nowdelicate. and altogether astonishing. MarilynHome in this scena was one of the highlightsof the Scala Assedio di Corinto: another wasBeverly Sills, tall and beautiful. standing onthe prow of Mahomet's ship and ravishing herhearers with the long, flexible, melancholyline of Pamira's preghiera in Act III: one ofthose Rossini inventions that is very simpleand very beautiful. Miss Home's recital in-cludes this soprano number too. She does itvery well-though not quite so well asMontserrat Caballe does on her RCA recitalof "Rossini Rarities": more of that compari-son below.

La Donna del lago was composed the yearbefore Maometto it is an ambitious, very"romantic" opera. Rossini gives the orchestraa good deal to do. and in his vocal writing heseeks for unconventional expressive effects.Malcolm's "Mura Felice" opens with a depic-tion of rapt. almost reverent joy more deeplyand inwardly expressed than Arsace's in thesimilar situation of Sentiramide. or Tancredi'swhen he returns home. If I hear rightly. thearia is called "0 to che chiamo." and the caba-letta "0 quante lagrime" (there is no text withthe disc-a black mark against London, sincetext and translation are essential to a full ap-

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STRAVINSKY: Petrushka; FirebirdSuite (1919 version). Paris Conserva-toire Orchestra, Pierre Monteux,cond. Stereo Treasury STS 15197,$2.98 (from RCA Victor LM 2113,1957; Firebird also on RCA VictrolaVICS 1027, 1963).

Selected comparison (Petrushka):Monteux /Boston Sym. RCA 2376

The closest thing on records to an ideal Mon-teux Petrushka is his version on RCA with theBoston Symphony. The performance that ap-pears here. while good to have at last in stereo,is only a pale reflection.

The difference. of course, lies in the orches-tras: the Paris Conservatoire cannot match thevirtuosity of the BSO. The Petrushka the lattergives Monteux is crisp, strongly rhythmic. andsassy in all the right places. The Conserva-toire's playing is far less sharply defined.heavy. and sometimes imprecise. Add to thisthe bright. live sound provided by RCAagainst the distant and less resonant soundLondon presents in this reprocessing.

The Firebird sounds subdued and reticent-unlike its earlier Victrola incarnation. Lon-don's new Stereo Treasury transfer minimizesthe highs and thus loses much -needed bril-liance and color. A.M.

SZYMANOWSKI: Concerto for Violin and Or-chestra, No. 2-See Wieniawski. Concertosfor Violin and Orchestra.

B

preciation of Miss Home's performances). Therecital closes with Ellen's rondo -finale: again asoprano piece that Montserrat Caballe has re-corded, and again a piece in which florid deco-ration delicately enhances but does not over-whelm a lyrical melody. Caballe is lighter.brighter. and bouncier in her treatment, andher tone is more beautiful. She makes more ef-fect with those delightful little "stops" beforethe word "felicite-as if just for a moment allthe mingled happy emotions whirling withinin her had left her speechless. The accom-paniments from the Royal Philharmonic un-der Henry Lewis are bright and poised. Therecording is excellent. A. P.

Russo: Three Pieces for Blues Band andSymphony Orchestra-See Recitals andMiscellany: Romeo and Juliet.

BR

TCHAIKOVSKY: Works for Piano andOrchestra. Michael Ponti, piano;Luxemburg Radio Orchestra, Louis deFroment, cond. (in Concerto No. 3);Prague Symphony Orchestra, RichardKapp, cond. (in the remaining works).Vox SVBX 5460. $9.95 (three discs).

Concertos: No. 1, in B flat minor, Op. 23: No. 2, in G, Op.44; No. 3, in E flat (three -movement version), Op. 75/79.Concert Fantasy, Op. 56.Selected comparisons (Opp. 44 and 75):Graffman Col. 6755Zhukov Mel. JAng. 40097 and 40188

With this set Ponti and Vox complete theirtraversal of Tchaikovsky's piano music (twothree -record Vox Boxes of the solo piano mu-sic came out in 1971: SVBX 5455 and 5459).All of these performances are new except theThird Concerto, which was released last yearon Candide CE 31056. hacked with the Rim-sky-Korsakov Concerto.

The most unusual item here-again apartfrom the Third. of which Ponti's is the onlyrecording currently available in America ofthe "complete" three -movement version. us-ing Taneyev's reconstruction of the two move-ments of Op. 79 after the more familiar Al-legro brillante of Op. 75-is the ConcertFantasy. Op. 56. This is Tchaikovsky in a play-ful. unpretentious mood, and the result is aLisztian, exuberant delight, full of pleasingmelodies and sweet, uncomplicated good spir-its. The Second Concerto is also a relative rar-ity. but it would seem high time to overcomepopular prejudice in favor of the First: TheSecond is fully characteristic of Tchaikovskyin his grander moods. and the second move-ment-which suffered especially in thestripped -down Siloti version that seems finallyto be disappearing in favor of the composer'soriginal-sounds almost Brahmsian in its luxu-rious writing for piano. solo violin, and solocello.

Froment's accompaniment in No. 3 is onlyjust adequate. Kapp's accompaniments arerather more forceful and sympathetic, if stillwithout optimal orchestral finesse. The pian-ist's own work is typical of his previous efforts:fleet, strong -fingered. often exciting. often su-perficial. and just a bit heartless. The recordedsound seems unduly shallow, although thatmay have something to do with the kind oftone both Ponti and his cohorts produce.

As far as the competition is concerned, itshould be noted that a Philips set with WernerHaas (including the three -movement ThirdConcerto and the Concert Fantasy) is avail-able in Europe. and Angel has a Gilds/Maazel set (presumably including Nos. I and2 and the one -movement Third) in the works.On the domestic scene, however, Ponti has nocurrent competition in the Concert Fantasy orthe complete Third. For the one -movementThird and the Second. the alternatives areGary Graffman with Ormandy and the Phila-delphia Orchestra on Columbia and Igor Zhu-kov with Rozhdestvensky and the MoscowRadio Symphony on two Melodiya/Angeldiscs. The Graffman might seem the betterbuy. but it's not. Graffman plays less fluentlythan Ponti with hardly more in the way of sen-suous feeling, and he makes use of the Silotiedition for the slow movement of the Second,which hacks it almost in half. Zhukov tendssometimes toward clangorousness, and theMoscow orchestra is hardly the equal of thePhiladelphia. But the performances are con-vincingly idiomatic ones nonetheless, alter-nately full-blooded and poetic. As for the Firstand its nineteen other currently competingversions. one need only say that several sur-pass Ponti's otherwise worthy effort. J.R.

TATE: Apparitions; Three Gaelic Ballads-See Hoddinotf Roman Dream

VIVALDI: The Four Seasons. Pinchas Zuker-man, violin; Philip Ledger, harpsichord; Eng-

For information on Annuals pub-lished by High Fidelity, please circle=165 on the Reader -Service Card.



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Stereo Review EQUIPMENT TEST REPORTS3y Hirscn-Houck Laboratories

Pioneer SX-626 AM/Stereo FM Receiver

PIONEER'S new stereo receivers share many designand operating features as well as common styling. Al-though the SX-626 is one of the lower priced units, it is afully flexible and high-performance receiver. The FMtuner of the SX-626 has an FET r.f. amplifier, followed byan i.f. section employing three IC stages and three perma-nently aligned ceramic filters. An IC performs most of themultiplex -demodulation functions, and an unusually ef-fective insterstation-noise muting circuit is included. TheAM tuner, a simple and basic design, includes two ceram-ic filters as well as tuned transformers in its i.f. section. Arelative -signal -strength tuning meter is used for both AMand FM reception.

The continuous -power output of the audio amplifier isconservatively rated at 20 watts per channel (both chan-nels driven into 8 -ohm loads) from 20 to 20,000 Hz withless than 1 per cent distortion. The preamplifier has in-puts for two magnetic-phono cartridges, a microphone(mono, driving both channels), and a high-level AUX in-put, as well as the AM and FM tuner sources. There aretwo sets of tape-recording inputs and outputs, with sepa-rate monitoring pushbutton switches that make it possibleto copy tapes from one machine to the other. If desired,one of the sets of connections can be used to drive an ex-ternal four -channel decoder -synthesizer and rear -speakeramplifier. This still leaves a set of inputs and outputsavailable for use with a tape recorder.

Other pushbutton controls provide for stereo/monoswitching, FM muting, loudness compensation, and low -and high -frequency audio filters. Both the bass and treblecontrols have eleven detented positions; the balance andvolume controls are conventional. The speaker selector(which also controls the a.c. power to the receiver) canactivate any of three pairs of speakers or two combina-tions of two pairs at a time. An OFF position is includedfor headphone listening via the front -panel jack.

In the rear of the receiver, in addition to the signalinputs and outputs, there are separate preamplifier out-puts and main amplifier inputs ( with jumper plugs tointerconnect them), a DIN connector for one of the tape -recorder circuits, line and speaker fuses, and two a.c. out-lets, one of which is switched. The speaker connectionsare made with Pioneer's foolproof, easy -to -use plugs andjacks. The Pioneer SX-626 is supplied complete with awalnut cabinet. Price: $329.95.

Laboratory Measurements. The power output at sig-nal clipping with 8 -ohm loads was 27.8 watts per channelat 1,000 Hz. Into 4 ohms it was 36 watts, and into 16ohms the output was 16.5 watts. The harmonic distortion

for a 1,000 -Hz test signal was between 0.03 and 0.09 percent from 0.1 watt to about 23 watts per channel. Inter -modulation (IM) distortion was about 0.1 per cent up to5 watts, increasing to 0.5 per cent at 25 watts.

At the rated power of 20 watts per channel, the har-monic distortion was about 0.1 per cent from below 100to above 10,000 Hz, and reached a maximum of about 0.2per cent .at 20 and 20,000 Hz. Distortion was lower at allreduced power levels-typically a low 0.05 per cent orless over most of the audio -frequency range.

The magnetic-phono sensitivity (for 10 watts output)was 1.35 millivolts, with an overload point of 68 milli-volts and an excellent signal-to-noise ratio of 73 dB. Themicrophone input sensitivity was 1.15 millivolts with anoise level of - 75.5 dB. The AUX input sensitivity was0.11 volt, with an 81 -dB signal-to-noise ratio. All of thesemeasurements indicate very fine performance.

The tone controls had excellent characteristics, with asliding turnover frequency for the bass, and high -fre-quency control action effective principally above 3,000Hz. The RIAA phono equaliza:ion was within -±-2 dBfrom about 100 to beyond 15,000 Hz, with a slight riseof about 4 dB in the 50- to 70 -Hz region. Microphoneresponse was quite flat over most of the range, taperingoff to - 2.5 dB at 15,000 Hz.

The sensitivity was 2.1 microvolts,and a 50 -dB signal-to-noise ratio was reached at only 2.6microvolts. The ultimate quieting was exceptionallygood: - 76 dB for all signal levels above about 70 micro-volts. Distortion (including the 0.5 per cent residual ofour signal generator) totaled about 0.7 per cent at 100 percent modulation. The capture ratio was 1.7 dB. Imagerejection was notably good at 95.5 dB, as was the alter-nate -channel selectivity of 84.5 dB. The AM rejectionwas 55 dB, typical of most good tuners.

The muting threshold of 4 microvolts insured fullyquieted, low -distortion reception of any station that"un-muted" the receiver. The muting action was positive,with a slight "click." We noted that the un-muting oc-curred only when the receiver was tuned within about 50kHz of the channel center. When you hear a station, ithas to be tuned correctly!

Comment. The FM tuner of the SX-626 compares fa-vorably with many separate tuners selling for more thanthe price of the entire receiver. It has enough sensitivityand selectivity for practically any receiving situation, plusexceptionally easy and noncritical tuning.

From a user's viewpoint, we were especially impressedby the solidity and precise "feel' of the SX-626's controls.Clearly, nothing has been skimped in the mechanical de-sign and construction of this receiver. It is a joy to use, avery good value in every respect.

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lish Chamber Orchestra, Pinchas Zukerman,cond. Columbia M 31798, $5.98.Tape: I MA 31798, $6.98: VW MT 31798,$6.98. Quadraphonic: MO 31798 (SO -en-coded disc), $6.98. MAO 31798 (0-8 car-tridge), $7.98VIVALDI: The Four Seasons. MichelSchwalbe, violin: Horst Gobel, harpsichord;Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Herbert vonKarajan, cond. Deutsche Grammophon 2530296, $6.98

VIVALDI: The Four Seasons. JanTomasow, violin. Anton Heiller, harpsi-chord; I Solisti di Zagreb, Antonio Ja-nigro, cond. Bach Guild HM 15 SD,$2.98 (from Vanguard BG 564. 1957,and BGS 5001, 1959).

BP

It's the season for Seasons once again, and inthey pour-the reissued Janigro/Solisti ver-sion just in time to stand up and be countedwith two formidable new arrivals. A quicksummary of their relative attitudes toward thework is easy enough to make, for each takes itsown stance quite obviously. The Berlin groupis smooth, urbane, and just about flawless: theSolisti is fresh, spontaneous. unstudied.youthful: the English Chamber Orchestra isself-conscious, markedly individual, andtends to make an Othello performance out ofmusic that is closer to A Midsummer Night'sDream.

Neither the Berlin nor the Solisti-eachbeautiful and captivating in its respectiveway-need much commentary beyond this.except the observation that the Solisti reissueis slightly edgy in tone but quickly becomesacceptable to the ear. (The Berlin's smoothand rounded sonic ambience is in keepingwith the performance. and emphasizes thesurface sheen of the ensemble's tone.)

But Zukerman and the ECO pose a specialdilemma. They adopt a quite modern attitudetoward the score, and apparently vowed totake it apart and dig below the surface for anew look at its internals. Your response willdepend on how much you think Vivaldi wasconcerned with those internals-and that's therub. Maybe the continuo should be pushed tothe fore: maybe the bass line. when somethingspecial is happening there, should hit us head-on: maybe the realization of the harpsichordpart should he fancied up to include little link-ing passages and brief echoes of the solo violin(most apparent in the Fourth Concerto).Maybe I will get used to these things and cometo like them in time. But right now, at least.they seem distracting and-to use my earlieradjective-self-conscious. It goes without say-ing that Zukerman's violin playing is superb:for better or for Worse. the generally slowertempos taken in this recording encourage himto magnify what the Berlin and Solisti soloistsdo more casually: The detached bowing in thethird movement of La Primavera, for instance.is far more emphatic in Zukerman's handsthan with Schwalbe or Tomasow. Once again.very self -aware. Well. try it. You may like it.

S.F.

WIENIAWSKI: Concertos for Violin and Or-chestra: No. 1, in F sharp minor, Op. 14; No.2, in D minor, Op. 22. ltzhak Perlman, violin:London Philharmonic Orchestra, Seiji Oza-wa, cond. Angel S 36903. $5.98.WIENiawski: Concerto for Violin and Or-chestra. No 2. in D minor, Op. 22. SZYPAA-

96HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

Nowski: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra,No. 2, Op. 61. Henryk Szeryng, violin; Barn -berg Symphony Orchestra, Jan Krenz, cond.Philips 6500 421, $6.98.

It's hard to believe that there is no other pair-ing of the two Wieniawski violin concertos inthe catalogue: and hard to believe that onlyone version of each was available before thearrival of this really stunning disc by ItzhakPerlman and the London Philharmonic.strongly seconded by Henryk Szeryng's over-lapping appearance with No. 2.

Wieniawski as a violinist seems, from con-temporary accounts. to have had everything-elegance. passion. a faultless technique. a fas-cinating quality of tone. One can't help won-dering how he could be any better than Hz-hak Perlman, whose infallible intonation andequally infallible technique. coupled with awide resource in tone color and a simply irre-sistible rhythmic punch. enable him to bringout in these two concertos everything they'vegot. And they've got a lot, not only in terms ofviolinistic display (especially No. I) but in therealm of melody and imaginative touches ofscoring. No. I is usually snubbed as derivativeand structurally weak, but all I can say is-whocares? From the moment the soloist enters, inan electric passage of double -stopping. thered-blooded romanticism is unabashed andall -encompassing. and I don't see how anyonewho enjoys violin playing can resist it. Thereare grand rhetorical sweeps. melting momentsof lyricism, incredible spurts of derring-do.quick shifts of coloration from low and huskyto high and silky. Without compiling a cata-logue of Perlman's virtues in exploiting allthese things. let's just say that he does indeeddo so. He generates the virtuoso passages likea dynamo at Grand Coulee and never soundsas if his teeth are clenched while doing it. andhe shifts with utter finesse from the rich, luxu-riant tone demanded in the slow movementinto the bright -as -mercury legato line of the fi-nale.

The Concerto No. 2 is a less spectacularwork, more subtly conceived. A pure. singingtone counts for much in the first movement.and a melancholy gentleness in the second.The finale, of course, summons forth the ex-pected flashes of lightning, and a dancingverve in rhythm. Perlman-supported withvirtuosic flair by Ozawa and the London Phil-harmonic-is with it all the way.

So is Henryk Szeryng, whose lyric warmthand purity of tone are perfect for such music.His playing is somewhat more "old school"than Perlman's-by which I mean that it is alittle more highly inflected, creates a littlemore light and shadow in dynamics. Szeryngis more distantly miked than Perlman. and as aresult his performance does not stand forwardquite so boldly. At times he is almost obscuredby the orchestra, and we regret missing even acouple of measures.

The Szymanowski No. 2. the composer'slast major work (written in 1933). is a very dif-ferent proposition from the Wieniawski-rhapsodic. impressionistic, requiring an on-going propulsion of singing line that must befree and cohesive at the same time. Szeryng in-vests it with great life and vitality, and eventhough the violin must contend with a welterof surrounding orchestral sound at times. onthis side of the disc we never lose the threadfor a moment.

Szymanowski was of course much in-

fluenced by his Polish heritage, and sugges-tions of that fact prevail in the concerto inabout equal measure to the suggestions of De-bussyian influence. There is at least one veryfolkish melody here, and doubtless Szeryng'sown Polish heritage allows him his specialsympathy for it.

Without any suggestion of pinpoint miking,conductor Krenz still manages to bring forththe individual instruments that converse withthe soloist enough so that we are aware of theinterworkings of the score. It is a good col-laboration. S.F.

recitalsand miscellanyE. POWER Bioos: Famous Organs of Hol-land and North Germany. E. Power Biggs,organ. Columbia M 31961, $5.98.Tape: MT 31961, $6.98.BACH: Allein Gott in der Hoh sei Ehr! Samoa: Fantasias inEcho Style: ii G; in F. TELEMANN: Ana in C minor.SWEELINCK: Fantasias: in A minor; in the Dorian Mode; inA minor. BUXTEHUDE: Cantata, Ihr lieben Christen, freuteuch nun: Sintonia; Lobt Gott. ihr Christen, allzugleich.PAUMANN: Fundamentum Organisandi Mit ganczemWillen. CORNET: Courante met Varieties. ROEMER: Par-tita for English Horn and Organ, Op. 41, No. 1 (with Leovan der Lek, English horn).

This collection of miscellany is related in for-mat to Biggs's "Historic Organs of..." series:but here Biggs concentrates on a geographicalarea with artistic -not political-boundaries.Holland and North Germany have a commontradition of organ building. and that traditionincludes the culmination and highest flower-ing of the organ -building art, since it is herethat Arp Schnitger worked at the turn of theeighteenth century.

The record includes recordings of the twogreatest organs of all time: the magnificentSchnitgers in Zwolle and Alkmaar. On theZwolle instrument we hear three SweelinckFantasias and on the Alkmaar instrument a setof variations by Pieter Cornet (1562-1626). ABach harmonization of the chorale Allein Gottwith interludes is played on the equally splen-did and sparklingly brilliant Niehoff organ atthe Johanniskirche in Luneburg, built in the1550s (Bach surely knew this instrument fromhis student days in that town). There are alsoworks played on the Schnitger organs at Uit-huszen, Liidingworth, and Dedesdorf.

Side 2 ends with a surprise and a real treat: anew work for organ and English horn by theDutch conductor/composer, Jan Koetsier(born 1911), played on the new Flentrop or-gan at the Church of the Holy Sacrament inBreda (not to be confused with the Flentrop"restoration" and extension in the Church ofOur Lady in Breda). The ten-minute piece,written in a conservative and lyrical vein, cul-minates in an English horn statement of thechorale "How brightly shines the morningstar." and is really quite beautiful. Leo van derLek plays the English horn superbly.

The record. however, will be of primaryinterest for the clear, clean recordings of theZwolle, Alkmaar, and Luneburg organs. Biggsgives his usual attractively enthusiastic per-formances. Unfortunately no specifications orregistrations are given, with only brief notesabout each instrument and piece. C.F.G.

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nPETER KATIN: Piano Recital. PeterKatin, piano. Stereo Treasury STS15124, $2.98 (from London CS 6085,1960).

Bach: Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue. S. 903. BEAMS: In-termezzo in 8 flat minor, Op. 117, No. 2; Rhapsody in Gminor, Op. 79, No. 2. Ceara: Berceuse in D flat. Op, 57:Waltz in C sharp minor, Op. M. No. 2. RAGNMANINGFE:Melodic in E, Op. 3, No. 3. SCAMATEI: Sonatas. in E,L. 23; in D minor, L. 413. SCHUMANN: Novelette in E,Op. 21 No. 7; Romance No. 2. in F sharp. Op. 28. No. 2.

Peter Katin's artistry-impeccably poised andcivilized-has always been a trifle too British toappeal to American tastes. In the big, flam-boyant virtuoso concertos of Rachmaninoffand Tchaikovsky, his low-keyed sobrietymisses some of the requisite abandon. In thepresent situation, though. very different quali-ties are called for, and it is difficult to find anyshortcomings. This is a perfectly lovely record.played with musicianship. patrician finesse.sincerity, and-when appropriate-decidedwarmth of spirit. Katin's liquid trills are asource of sensuous delight in the Scarlatti Emajor Sonata, and its companion piece in Dminor has altogether touching simplicity(though how subtle the playing is!).

Adroit use of the sustaining pedal gives anattractive wash of color to the romanticallyprescient Bach Chromatic Fantasia andFugue, but this too for all its pianistic splendoris kept strictly within stylistic bounds: The at-mosphere in no way detracts from the sec line-arity and stylized, severe phrasing. In the nine-teenth-century repertory. Katin opens upappropriately: His Chopin Berceuse, Op. 57has a shimmering repose and drifting, gentlemomentum (it reminds me of Solomon's cele-brated recording); the Schumann Novelette isvery robust both in sound and in contouring. Ialso like Katin's chiseled, slightly reticent waywith the Schumann romance and Brahms in-termezzo, though I find his account of theBrahms rhapsody too angular and unflowingfor my taste. The early Rachmaninoff trifle, onthe other hand, sings with beguiling succinct-ness.

The piano reproduction has exemplary clar-ity and a marvelously rounded, clingingwarmth. A bargain offering from a woefullyunderestimated artist. H.G.

THE PERILOUS NIGHT AND OTHER NEWSOUNDS IN AMERICAN MUSIC. Richard Burl-ger, piano. Ayant AV 1008, $6 (AvantRecords, 6331 Quebec Dr., Hollywood, Calif.90068).CAGE: The Perilous Night, Suite for Prepared Piano: TVKoln SUBOTNICK: Prelude for Piano and Electronic Tape,No, 4 WAAGE Cadence IV CtuLos: 37 Songs. Iv's: Cho-rale for Quarter -Tone Piano.

Selected comparison (The Perilous Night):Kirstein Col. M2S 819

This record should be of great interest both toenthusiasts of the prepared piano and to any-body who likes the more accessible, color-istically ingenious kinds of modern Americanmusic. (The prepared -piano buffs are also di-rected to Bunger's manual for the instrument,The Well -Prepared Piano, published in 1973by the Colorado College Music Press in Colo-rado Springs.) The fare here has its ups anddowns, but more ups. The Cage pieces arerather different from each other. The PerilousNight (1943-44) is one of his most fascinatingexplorations of the prepared piano. andnoteworthy here for Bunger's care in the prep-aration of the instrument. TV Köln (1958) is athirty -two -second joke, played twice-or more

accurately a Scherz,since this gently inconclu-sive bit of graphic notation was produced, asthe title tells us, for Cologne television. BarneyChilds's 37 Songs (1971) is a moving, effective,idiosyncratic juxtaposition of short, simple.leitmotiviclike ideas, ritualistic and mystical.The Ives (played here on two pianos tuned aquarter -tone apart, rather than on the two -manual quarter -tone piano Ives envisaged) ischaracteristically witty and disturbing. Su-botnick's Prelude No. 4 (1966) has its strikingmoments and demonstrates a good deal ofsensitivity in blending piano and synthesizedsound, even if it does lapse periodically intothe composer's characteristic cuteness. TheLazarof (1970) is by far the most conservativeeffort here, a virtuosic but faceless exercise.

Bunger himself was born in Pennsylvania,educated at Oberlin. and now teaches andlives in Los Angeles. The performances hereall sound excellent, and make it easy to under-stand why he seems to be enjoying a bur-geoning career as a new -music piano recitalist.All of the pieces here, except for the Subotnick, were recorded live in concert at Oberlin,complete with applause-an odd choice, onemight think, especially since it diminishes theimpact of the recorded sound (Jeanne Kir-stein's version of The Perilous Night on Co-lumbia, for instance, is recorded with fargreater immediacy). Still, it's fun to hearlaughter during the Ives. J.R.

ROMEO AND JULIET. San Francisco Sym-phony Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa, cond.Deutsche Grammophon 2530 308, $6.98.TCHAMOYSItY: Romeo and Juliet. Pmmormr: Romeo andJuliet: Excerpts. BM.= Romeo et Juliette: Love Scene.

Bismsrms: Symphonic Dances from WestSide Story. Russo: Three Pieces for BluesBand and Symphony Orchestra., Op. 50.Siegel-Schwall Band (in the Russo); SanFrancisco Symphony Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa,cond. Deutsche Grammophon 2530 309,$6.98.

The recording companies were interested inthe San Francisco Symphony as long as Mon-teux was its conductor, but when he departedtheir interest departed too, and these are thefirst records the orchestra has made in manyyears. They are typical of the Ozawa regime inthat the sound of the ensemble is magnificent,rich, colorful, and accurate, and the inter-pretations are full of drama and life. But thecultural imperatives involved in bringing amajor orchestra back into the recording listshave been flouted, and that too, alas, is typicalof the Ozawa regime.

The gimmicky "Romeo and Juliet" albumis typical of the slick packaging of the youngJapanese conductor: Everything is geared toselling, as if a symphony orchestra were somebrand of cornflakes. That there are more thantwenty competing versions of the Tchaikovskycurrently in Schwann. that the excerpting ofone movement from a symphony by Berlioz isas provincial as it is antediluvian, and that theProkofiev amounts to very little doesn't seemto enter into the calculations of the retailersand advertising executives behind this enter-prise. But matters really hit the fan with theBernstein/Russo record.

As Peter Davis put it in this magazine notlong ago, if you throw enough garbage againstthe wall, some of it will stick. Garbage -throw-ing may perhaps be excused when private en-trepreneurs indulge in it. but there is no justifi-cation whatsoever for such activity on the part


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of an organization subsidized by its local com-munity and by the National Endowment forthe Arts so that it does not have to sell out butmay maintain the highest cultural standards inits special field.

They all know perfectly well that theseworks are stale, old-fashioned, worn-out,ninth -rate stuff. Putting the San Franciscoback into the discographic running with theseshoddy goods is typical of the managerialmentality that tries to work both sides of thecultural street: The orchestra is a commercialinstitution when there is money to be made, orthey think there is money to be made, but it isstrictly an idealistic cultural institution whenthe money must be asked for. The sad thingabout all this is that it never works; even sad-der, however, is the fact that people like SeijiOzawa, who pretend to be artists, go alongwith it. A.F.

TEBALDI IN CONCERT. Renata Tebaldi, so-prano; Richard Bonynge, piano. London OS26303, $5.98.mammy Me voglio fa 'na casa. MASCACINE La tua stellarSerenata. Torn: Sogno. Raison: L'invito. ZANDONAI:L'assiuolo. CNAARA: Stornello. Powooku.i: Non legge-vamo insieme. PERCIOLS111: Se to m'ami, se sospiri. PARA-DISE M'ha press alla sua ragna. A. SCARLATTI: II Pompeo.0 cessate di piagarmi. GLUCK: Parade ed Elena: 0 del miodolce ardor. F. Ricci: II carretiere del Vomero. MERCA-DANTE: La sposa del marinaro. BELLINI: Malinconia, ninfagentile. Puccum: E I'uccelino.

Renata Tebaldi is not a very accomplishedrecitalist-not, at least, on the evidence of thisdisc. For one thing, she appears to lack thenecessary sense of scale. During the lasttwenty-five years she has concentrated on thelirico spurt° repertoire. devoting herself princi-pally to roles like Maddalena in Andrea Che-nier, Adriana Lecouvreur, Tosca, and Desde-mona-all of them impassioned creatures.larger than life, extravagantly conceived. Suchspecialization seems to have left Tebaldi un-prepared to cope with less expansive musicalmodes. In the present collection of mainlyamorous trifles she sounds quite out of phase-oppressive. grand, and unsmiling, where sheshould be intimate, light, and charming. Thesesongs are all miniatures and Tehaldi's ap-proach is broad, even distended. To hear herbearing down in full cry on such inconsequen-tial material as the Donizetti, Rossini. andRicci items is awesome-like witnessing, help-less to interfere, the Slaughter of the Inno-cents. In the more reflective songs. too, hermanner is excessively ponderous. Caught inher overstrong embrace Ponchielli's Non leg-getynno insienze suffocates. At the same time.dramatic or at least pictorial song likeL'assiuolo fails to respond properly to her el -forts. Zandonai's evocation of a stormy nightand the ominous sound of the owl draws fromher little more than generalized melancholy.The text is not vividly enunciated; the music isunimaginatively phrased; the terrors remainunplumbed.

A lot of the trouble is vocal. Tebaldi. thoughwise enough to confine herself to a fairly nar-row compass (she hardly goes above or belowthe staff), nevertheless sounds mostly clumsy.ill at ease, rhythmically slack. She finds a lot ofupward intervals hard to negotiate. The sus-tained E flat that concludes the Ponchielli songis badly supported. The leap to high F at theend of the Donizetti is very ugly. Worst of all.perhaps, the bloom has quite gone from hervoice, even in the middle register. and what re-mains is hard -driven, inelastic, and dead in

quality. There is little here to show why Te-baldi was once so extravagantly admired as avocalist. Only a few phrases sung in a headtone testify to the former mellifluousness:parts of the first verse of Cimara's Stornello,parts of the opening of Bellini's Malinconia,ninfa gentile. Otherwise the voice is unattrac-tive and, one is forced to conclude, burnt out.

Though the early pieces (Scarlatti, Pergo-lesi, Gluck, Paradisi) are remote from Te-baldi's stylistic understanding (or technicalskill-faced with a cadential trill, all she cansummon up is indecisiveness), the rest of theprogram is not without intrinsic interest. To besure, these songs are slight, yet they are grat-ifyingly vocal: A long tradition of lyricism liesbehind them. Richard Bonynge, who helpedto select them, is the discreet, sensitive accom-panist. The miking, however, is close andtends to favor the singer unduly. Disgrace-fully. there are neither texts nor translations.

D.S.H.

THE TEN -STRING GUITAR INTERPRETS CLAS-SICS. Vincent Macaluso, guitar. K'avier KS508, $5.98.mica: French Suite No. 5: Well -Tempered C'avier, BookII: Prelude No. 17. PAGIANINI: Moto perpetio. Op. 11.Sane: Gymnopedies Nos. 2 and 3. MACALUSO: Song forRayanne. Son: Variations on a Theme of Mozart, Op. 9.BLOCH: Suite for Violin, No. 2: Andante and Motto allegro.

Vincent Macaluso, a jazz and classic guitaristwho makes his solo recording debut with thisprogram, plays the ten -string instrument fa-miliar to classic -guitar enthusiasts through themany live recitals and appearances on disc of

Narciso Yepes. Yepes has been proseltyzingfor the laudarra, as it is sometimes called, forat least a decade, but Macaluso is the only ten -string recruit this listener is aware of. Unfortu-nately he is not as polished a musician asYepes, who for all his tendency to approachsome music stolidly and coldly does play con-summately. As here recorded, at least, Maca-luso is one of the hard -finger boys, and hismetallic -toned, rattling reading of Paganini'sMoto perpetuo makes difficult listening. Satieis trivialized at once by a statement of thetheme of No. 2 in artificial harmonics, and theguitarist's way of socking at the strings is par-ticularly inapt for these gentle little pieces. Hisown Song for Rayanne is thin pop stuff: theSor variations are played doggedly, as exer-cises; and the Bloch transcription emerges alljangle and punch. with too little attempt- tocolor or shade in the ways so beautifully pos-sible on the guitar. The Bach items are prosa-ically done in transposed versions (the FrenchSuite in G goes up to A; the Prelude in A flatcomes out in E flat). Throughout'the record-ing, Macaluso takes the usual Segovian liber-ties, adding basses and so on, without per-suading one of their inevitability, as the besttranscribers sometimes can do, even withBach.

The assets and potential of the ten -stringguitar. unquestionably real and not yet fullyexploited, seldom become apparent on thisdisc, partly because the extra four strings arechiefly valuable in adding resonance on cer-tain weak notes of the standard six. Macalusodoes not play well enough to make such sub-tleties apparent. D.J. H.

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DEUUS: Florida Suite; Dance Rhapsody No. 2; Overthe Hills and far away (ed. Beecham). Royal Philhar-monic Orchestra, Sir Thomas Beecham, cond. Sera-phim S 60212, $2.98 (from Capitol SG 7193, 1960).

in brief

This is Seraphim's "Music of Delius, Album 2"; there will be no Album 3. Sir Thomas' secondstereo program devoted to the composer, whose magic he unlocked for the world, was to be hislast. It is an important record also in that none of these works may currently be purchased else-where. If Florida and the Second Dance Rhapsody are not the ultimate realizations of Delius'extraordinary fantasy life, Over the Hills and far away surely is one with its mist -colored orches-tral canvas and a melodic outpouring as prolific as Schubert's. This-Beecham's third recordingof it-grows on rehearing, though there are still unique things to savor in his multi -coupled monoLP, to say nothing of the 78s with the London Philharmonic in Vol. II of the Delius Society sets.Seraphim's sound strikes me as a shade more subdued on the high end than the earlier Capitolissue. A.C.

MOZART: Quartets for Strings: No. 17, in B flat, K.458 (Hunt); No. 19, in C, K. 465 (Dissonant). Colle-glum Aureum Quartet. BASF KHB 20344. $5.98.

Few Mozart chamber works rival these two quartets from the set of six dedicated to Haydn. Theyare played here by a group of first quality, which follows orthodox interpretive lines and offers a"standard reading" that is nonetheless vigorous, communicative, and attractive. Technically, thequartet seems to be excellent, but it is difficult to say because of the recording. The sound is veryhard, metallic, and assertive-for me quite inappropriate to music of this character. (I furtherprotest the omission of separating bands.) With a more natural string tone this would have been amost welcome disc. R.C.M.

171

SAINT-SAENS: Symphony No. 3, in C minor, Op. 78.Pierre Segon, organ; Orchestre de la Suisse Ro-mande, Ernest Ansermet, cond. Stereo Treasury STS15154, $2.98 (from London CS 6331, 1963).

When this recording first appeared as a full -priced release it was so outclassed in the sonic -spec-tacular sweepstakes (especially by the Munch and Paray versions) that probably relatively fewdiscophiles even bothered to give it a hearing, much iess evaluate it on its own terms as an at-tempt to stress the music's poetic and ceremonial rather than melodramatic and grandiloquentqualities. I hope it will receive better justice now. At any rate, the present low-cost reissue prof-fers what still must rank as exceptionally beautiful, transparent, and floating sound, as well as anilluminatingly different approach to the familiar warhorse itself. R.D.D.

STRAUSS, R.: EM Heldenleben, Op. 40. Anshel Brusi-low, violin; Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Or-

mandy, cond. Odyssey Y 31922, $2.98 (from Colum-bia MS 6249, 1961).

Ormandy fans will welcome this reissue, but Strauss fans may want something more sensitivelyhandled. Between hero Ormandy's bombast and the engineers' extremely high levels, evenmezzo forte passages are shouted out. In climaxes like the battle scene, only turning the volumewell below normal can save the ears. Whoever wins this battle, it won't be the listener. The hero'senemies are not only carping but confused; the Philadelphia woodwinds here create more of abewildered scramble than an organized attack. Brusilow's solo is not especially distinguished,although in other respects this section is the best played. At budget prices you can get the morescrupulous readings of Reiner (Victrola VICS 1042) or Beecham (Seraphim S 60041). At fullprice. Haitink's recent recording (Philips 6500 048) gives a lean, transparent performance withexcellent work from all sections of the orchestra and clean, spacious sound. A.M.

TCHAIKOVSKY: 1812 Overture, Op. 49; Marcheslave, Op. 31; Romeo and Juliet. London SymphonyOrchestra, Andre Previn, cond. Angel S 36890,$6.98. Tape: .8XS 36890; $7.98; fi 4XS 36890,$7.98.

Despite the snappy title, "A Tchaikovsky Spectacular," this record contains musically solid andsuperbly articulated performances of these Tchaikovsky staples. It will satisfy anyone seekingfirst-class performances of this coupling (though hearing the Marche slave immediately after the/812 Overture is a pretty thick dose of bombast). Previn's Romeo and Juliet is extremely expan-sive, his phrasing expressive without lapsing into sentimental overindulgence, his control of bothtonal and dynamic balance extremely firm. The less substantial overture and march receive thesame conscientious effort. The cannon and carillons in the 1812 Overture are handled in goodperspective without detracting from the musical flow. P.H.

TRIMBLE: In Praise of Diplomycy and CommonSense. OVERTON: Pulsations. Richard Frisch,baritone (in the Trimble); The Ensemble, DennisRussell Davies, cond. Composers RecordingsSD 298, $5.95.

Lester Trimble's piece is a choral setting of news items dealing with human idiocy, greed, cruelty,stupidity, and blockheadedness, all of them published during 1965. The voices are accompaniedby a large percussion ensemble with which some interesting things are done; the vocal setting,unfortunately, makes the whole thing sound like the track for a Grade Z movie about Adolf. HallOverton's Pulsations, on the other side, is another unsuccessful effort to combine jazz with sym-phonic writing. Its recording does the memory of its composer a disservice. A.F.

WEBER: Overtures to Der Freischiitz, Der Beherr-scher der Geister, Oberon, Euryanthe, Abu Hassan,and Peter Schmoll. Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra,Herbert von Karajan, cond. Deutsche Grammophon2530 315, $6.98. Tape: S, 89 462, $6.98; WM3300 294, $6.98.

It is difficult for me to imagine anyone wanting to listen for the better part of an hour to a series ofWeber overtures; I want an overture to be something more than a preface to another overture.But for those not bothered by this, here is a superbly played and recorded disc. Karajan lavisheshis familiar depth and warmth of texture (to my taste the ideal of how an orchestra should soundon records) on these six pieces as if all were symphonic masterpieces. Three of them (Freischutz,Oberon, Euryanthe) are of course just that, and they enjoy deserved popularity in the concerthall. But of the others only Abu Hassan-a Germanic version of Rossinian wit-makes much ofan impression. P.H.

RUDOLF SERKIN: Romantic Showpieces for Pianoand Orchestra. MENDELSSOHN: Concertos: No. 1, inG minor, Op. 25; No. 2, in D minor, Op. 40; Capricciobrillante, Op. 22; SCHUMANN: Concerto in A minor,Op. 54; Introduction and Allegro, in D minor, Op.134. Rudolf Serkin, piano; Philadelphia Orchestra;Columbia Symphony Orchestra (in Mendelssohn Op.40), Eugene Ormandy, cond. Columbia MG 32042,$6.98 (two discs; from various Columbia originals).

All these performances are distinctive and unique, even if many will take violent exception toSerkin's fiery, high-strung accents and biting tone in the two Mendelssohn concertos. Schu-mann's music seems to absorb the vehemence and passion more comfortably. At the cut-rateprice this is a decidedly worthwhile album though, frankly, I personally would advise the earlierincarnations, which include Serkin's incomparable readings of the Richard Strauss Burleske(with the Mendelssohn Op. 22 and Schumann Op. 134 on MS 7423) and Schumann's Op. 92Konzertstiick (with the Schumann concerto on MS 6688). The two Mendelssohn concertos inthese same accounts are, of course, also issued as a full -priced single (MS 6128). Save for a pro-nounced background hiss on the pre -Dolby Mendelssohn concertos, Columbia's reproduction isfaultless. H.G.


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Jut 1973 103

4 -channeldiscs/tapes BY ROBERT LONG

Vanguard's Dolby ORs. At last the prom-ised Dolby -13 processed open -reels fromVanguard have arrived, and I've had achance to sample them. They containedno surprises, really-outside of the basicsurprise that even a company as enter-prising as Vanguard would issue quadra-phonic recordings in a format that seemsso formidably esoteric.

The catch is that for "correct" play-back you need four channels of Dolbyprocessing. I used a pair of Advent IOOAnoise -reduction units (driven by a Sony/Superscope TC-854-4S deck, and drivinga Heathkit AA -2004 quadraphonic ampand Onkyo Model 20 speakers). This isa logical approach if you want to go fourchannel from a present stereo Dolby sys-tem. If you want to start from scratch,Teac has a nifty stereo/quadraphonicDolby B unit: the AN -300, which can beused as a recording/monitor unit (com-parable in that respect to the IOOA) or asa quadraphonic playback unit (for whichpurpose the two erstwhile recordingDolby circuits are converted to use as asecond playback pair). Of course youalso can do what music lovers withoutDolby equipment are doing to hearDolby -processed cassettes and broad-casts: cut back on your treble controls toget a fairly convincing approximation ofthe intended sound.

The program material all has been is-sued (and reviewed in this column) inother formats: SQ discs and, in somecases, Q-8 cartridges. Instrumentalplacements are more unequivocal thanin the SQ issues; noise is less noticeablethan in the cartridges. But it isn't muchless in some recordings-and particularlyin the spoken instructions for speakersetup that you'll find at the head of eachtape. Those instructions will become anawful bore once you've got your systemtuned; I'd suggest you chop them off andsplice leader in ahead of the music-or atleast put leader between instructions andmusic so that you can easily skip the pre-liminaries except when you want to re-check the system.

Most impressive of the tapes I'veheard is the first volume of the Joan Baez"Blessed Are ..." album (Vanguard VSS12, $14.98). I can't find any suggestion ofmaster -tape hiss, and the quadraphonicsare crisper than in the SQ release. Aclose second-for a different reason-isthe Stokowski recording of the Tchai-

kovsky Fourth (VSS 15, $14.98). I hadpreviously heard it only in the cartridgeversion, which seemed excessively hissyon wide -range equipment. The superior-ity of the open -reel version is partic-ularly noticeable in the back channels,which are used for ambience and there-fore contain relatively low signal levels.

The Messiah highlights (VSS 16,$14.98) also have ambience informationin the back channels, but at fairly highlevels, as it might be in a church. The rel-atively blurred perspective of the SQ re-lease provides the pleasant sensation ofwallowing in Handel-and of plenty ofspace around you to wallow in. Thegreater definition of the open -reel ver-sion results in an unpleasantly echoeyquality at times. I'm afraid that as quad-raphonics this recording already is be-ginning to show its age-which demon-strates just how far and how fast thingshave moved.

Fun and Games? When a reworking ofthe classics works, we have somethinglike the "Switched -On Bach." When itdoesn't, we get musical low finks, whichsoon becomes a crashing bore. RCA sub-titles its "Stolen Goods" Quadradisc(Red Seal ARD1 0015, $5.98) "TheOutrageous Dr. Teleny's IncrediblePlugged -in Orchestra." A further idea ofwhat an overworked put-on this disc is issuggested by the cut titles: Wild Turkey(Mozart's Rondo alla turca), Rhapsodyfrom Hunger (Liszt's Hungarian Rhap-sody No. 2), and so on. The few goodthings in the album are ruined by non -pertinent (if not downright impertinent)intrusions. King of Kings (the "Hallelu-jah" chorus), for example, opens with aquiet and eminently musical passage forfront -center "harpsichord" and "double-bass"-actually, as you must haveguessed, their synthesized counterparts-and just as the interplay gets absorbingthe back right channel takes up somewigged -out jews-harp sounds that bearno musical relationship I can discover tothe other two "instruments." Similarly,the end of this cut discards the climax ofthe Handel original without substitutinganything of comparable interest.

And what is one to make of an SQ discbilled as "Quadraphonic Spectacular ...10 Pianos/16 Pianists . . . Monster Con-cert ... Members of the Eastman Schoolof Music Piano Faculty, and Eastman

School Graduates, Samuel Adler, Con-ductor ... Featuring Eugene List, FrankGlazer, Barry Snyder, and Maria LuisaFaini" (Columbia MQ 31726, $6.98)?The record contains multipiano arrange-ments of everything from the WilliamTell overture to The Stars and StripesForever by way of Johann Strauss, CarlCzerny, Louis Moreau Gottschalk, andScott Joplin. Again there are some inter-esting passages, and perhaps these clang-orous bagatelles will attract a followingas highbrow camp; but since the sixteenpianists make their presences felt lessthrough the marvels of quadraphonicsound than through their want of unani-mous rhythmic impulse. I'll take theoriginal scorings, thank you.

The Remixes Are Coming. As this col-umn is being readied for the printerthere has appeared on my desk a gaggleof SQ "Greatest Hits" discs from Co-lumbia (MQ 32054/59: Bach Vol. I,Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, Mozart, Cho-pin, and Johann Strauss respectively;$6.98 each). I say gaggle because this sortof repackaging is something I gag at.Does the sharing of a single composerreally justify mixing Pablo Casals ("Airfor the G String") with Walter Carlos (fi-nale of the Third Brandenburg)? And isthere really any excuse for dismember-ing masterpieces to present individualmovements as the "Ode to Joy" or the"Theme from Elvira Madigan"-or forsampling music as pianistic as Chopin'smostly in orchestral transcriptions? Ifthere is, it escapes me.

Columbia has been honest about itsintentions at any rate. All the discs haveclear credits for Arthur Kendy, quadra-phonic remix engineer, and Jay DavidSaks, quadraphonic sound supervision.(RCA's innumerable early Q-8 cartridgeremixes left the impression in the label-ing that all the recordings were spankingfresh and engineered from the outset forquadraphonics.) But if I were a pur-chaser instead of a reviewer I would re-sent deeply being asked to pay full pricefor the patchwork samplers (to mixstitchery metaphors) by which therecording companies seek to stretch theprofits in their properties.

If you can stomach the hodgepodgepresentation, however, Columbia has atleast demonstrated its ingenuity in quad-raphonic remixing.


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K.VCIArtistry in Sound

JULY 1973

CIRCLE 32 ON READER -SERVICE CAF D

105

the lighter side

reviewed bl

MORO VS \

ROYAL S. BROWN

K. DARRLI

HENRY EDWARDS

MIKE. JAHN

JOHNS WILSON

BILL QUATEMAN. Bill Ouateman,song, vocals, guitar, piano; TomRadtke, drums; Sid Sims, bass; KenAscher, arr. Circles; Get It Right OnOut There; Too Many Mornings; sixmore. Columbia KC 31761, $5.98.Tape: rip. CA 31761, $6.98; tt CT31761, $6.98.

It is no great trick for a producer or an artist torecognize a great new song when he hears it.Both Carly Simon and producer RichardPerry must have known early in her last proj-ect that the first single would he You're SoVain. It was a natural. No, the great trick is torecognize an ordinary song when you hear it-and to avoid it. That is how so many mediocresongs get on so many albums. What happens.in the absence of really good material or art-ists, is that the producer (or record companyor promo department or disc jockey or you -name -it) talks himself into believing in thenext best thing, or less. A contract is signed: alot of time, money, skill, and effort go into aproject; and then it is presented to the public.The public has an unthinking, uncanny.nearly unerring way of informing the pro-ducer whether he was right or wrong. You'reSo Vain was a hit about ten minutes after it hitAM radio. When a record flops the producer isback where he started, back when he knew itwasn't a hit anyway.

This philosophizing comes out of hearingthe first five bars of this new (album by BillQuateman. Not the first five minutes but thefirst five bars. That's how long it takes to stopfooling around, stop listening passively as thepiles of passively competent, IBM -card popalbums go by the record player. Reviewers.like producers. do the best they can with whatis available.

I do not say that this album by Bill Quate-man, whom I've never heard of, is a hit. I dosay that it is of hit quality-ninety per centabove most albums released.

Quateman's sensitive, strong, supermusicaltalent is immediately discernible. He remindsme just a bit of David Crosby. He writes hisown material, sings beautifully if you likerough real voices, and plays guitars and key-boards well. The album takes off like a glider(the new ones with the engines) and soarsthrough several moods, styles, and stories. Thenucleus of the music comes from Quateman,drummer Tom Radtke, and bass player SidSims.

The album has been sweetened in thechoicest way by Ken Ascher, who also co -pro-duced with Robin Geoffery Cable. Ascher,

Bill Quateman-immediately discernible supermusical talent.

whom I first heard of five or six years agowhen he was the youngest member of WoxlyHerman's band, has written some lovely stringarrangements. plus percussion, rhythm, andone flute. The charts are carefully wed to thesoloist, unobtrusive but supportive. They arealso mixed in with clarity and a sense of space.The engineer was Michael Stone. There is an-other credit I don't understand: "Sound-Robin Geoffery Cable." I wish I knew whatCable did (besides producing with Ascher).because the sound is very good indeed.

If Quateman has a weakness, it is his lyricwriting, which moves from clarity to vague-ness and then back. Some songs are quite to-gether: Mt Music and a charming look back-wards in Only the Bears Are the Same. KeepDreaming gets lost, lyrically. Musically.Quateman is steady as a rock, with melodiesswaying hypnotically (Only Love). His voice iseasy and his feelings are out front. What AreYou Looking For is performed with pianoonly, that is, nearly naked. Quateman's emo-tional level reminds me of Bette Midler's onSupersar.

In all, this is a splendid debut album, and itreally cheers my day. M .A.

SHA NA NA: The Golden Age of Rock'n' Roll. Vinnie Taylor, guitar; LennieB., sax; Screamin' Scott Simon, piano;Gino, guitar; Zoroaster Clarke, bass;Jocko, drums; Bowzer, FrederickDennis Greene, Johnny Contardo,Donny, Joff, and Capt. Outrageous,vocalists. A Lover's Question; His Lat-est Flame; Chantilly Lace; HeartbreakHotel; Wild Weekend; Rock Aroundthe Clock; twenty-four more. KamaSutra KSBS 2073-2, $11.96 (twodiscs).

For four years, Sha Na Na has been the mostappealing and the most creative group in therock 'n' roll revival. Their versions of the oldrock 'n' roll songs range from excellent to notbad, with only a few shoddy performances.Anti their choreography more than makes upfor any flaws in their performances. But onrecord, where one can't see them combingtheir hair and wiggling their pelvises. Sha NaNa has come off less than the spectacle it is.With the issuance of this new, two -disc album.

the group has changed that situation. I am an-noyed. however, that Sha Na Na still insists onperforming many of the up -tempo songs fasterthan the originals. But on the whole this is agreat album, especially the studio -recordedside. Scott (Capt. Outrageous) Powell's ElvisPresley imitations remain the wonder of therock 'n' roll revival. The best of the three "inconcert" sides is the medium -tempo materialsuch as Rock Around the Clock. M.J.

KAMARINSKAYAI: Popular Russian Folk Mu-sic Played on Authentic Instruments. Vari-ous soloists and ensembles. The Birch Tree;A Guelder Rose on the Hill; Polka; ThreeBylorussian Round Dances; nine more. Melo-diya/Angel SR 40223, $5.98.

You may know a balalaika when you hear one(or a whole orchestra of various -sized exam-ples) and you'll probably dig a bayan as a con-certina or accordion with a Russian accent.But how about a gusli (a kind of Russian dul-cimer/psaltery)? A domra (Russian lute)? Andabove all a double zhaleika (unidentified herebut sounding like some extremely primitivedouble-reed instrument)? You'll meet 'em allhere in this mostly high -voltage program ofperformances presumably anthologized fromearlier Melodiya recordings by a dozen ormore virtuoso soloists and a wide variety ofgroups including the Beryozka, Pyatnitsky.and Soviet Army Ensembles: Andreyev FolkInstrument and Osipov Balalaika Orchestra.etc. Some-perhaps most-of the pieces areprobably more truly traditional and pop thanfolk, and among those credited to specificcomposers there are the Fair Scene from TheGadfly film score by Shostakovich and theRussian Quadrille from Shchedrin's ballet

Explanation of symbols

I* exceptional recording

Recorded tape Open Reel8 -Track CartridgeCassette


The Humpbacked Horse. But what's most gen-uinely exciting here is the dazzling bravura ofthe playing, the toe -tickling stimulation of thedance rhythms, and perhaps most of all thevividly vibrant recording of a whole newworld of exotic tone colors. It's well worth vis-iting. R.D.D.

GENESIS: Foxtrot. Tony Banks, organ, mel-lotron, piano, electric piano, twelve -stringguitar, and back-up vocals; Steve Hackett,electric guitar, twelve -string and six -stringsolo; Phil Collins, drums, back-up vocals, andrhythm accompaniment; Peter Gabriel, leadvocals, flute, bass drum, and tambourineoboe; Michael Rutherford, bass, bass pedals,twelve -string guitar, and cello. Watcher ofthe Skies; Time Table; Get 'Em Out by Friday;three more. Charisma CAS 1058, $5.98.Tape: M81058, $6.95; IBP M51058, $6.95.

When Genesis' lead singer, Peter Gabriel, ap-pears on stage he dons a number of disguises.He emerges from the wings dressed as a fox, anun, a bat, a flower, a woman. Even with theseunusual theatrical touches, Gabriel is not justanother disciple of the Alice Cooper -DavidBowie "freak -rock" -"glitter -rock" syndrome.Gabriel views himself as an actor; Genesisviews itself as a spinner of tales. The band isdevoted to bringing drama to rock-and-roll,and "Foxtrot" presents Genesis' latest collec-tion of dramatic narratives with Gabrielenacting a number of roles, highlighted byTony Banks's sweeping use of the mellotron tounderline Gabriel's vocal effects. The musicand the performances shine with intelligence.but Genesis is still a frustrating listening expe-rience. The stories lack coherence and matur-ity, and while one marvels at the effects onewishes they served a better purpose. Get 'EmOut by Friday, for example, tells the story of agovernment that wishes to evict its populationand replace it with people half their size, in or-der to increase its profits. It's a whimsical no-tion, but whimsey cannot co -exist with eitherobscure lyrics or complicated instrumenta-tion. Nevertheless, I do not wish to downgradeGenesis. Rock should be lifted from itspresent almost primitive theatrical form.When Genesis brings its concepts to life withsome degree of depth, this mission may verywell be accomplished. H.E.

FANNY: Mother's Pride. Jean Millington,June Millington, Alice de Buhr, and NickeyBarclay, vocals and instrumentals. LongRoad Home; Old Hat; I Need You Need Me;ten more. Reprise MS 2137, $5.98.

As far as I know, Fanny is the only all -ladyrock group to survive beyond an exploitativeone-shot album. This is Fanny's fourth album,not counting its major contribution to BarbraStreisand's pop -market records.

Fanny has even survived its name. The factis that, in spite of the har-hars, it's a goodgroup. But though this album has its moments.it is not Fanny's best. It is not the group's fault,but more of that later.

Most of the good stuff is on Side I, includ-ing Randy Newman's Last Night I Had aDream. Long Road Home is sung by June Mil-lington, who wrote it. This lady could be an ef-fective solo singer with a little well -placed di-rection, which should have come from the

producer. As it is, she just sings into the mikewithout using it. With voices such as June Mil-lington's. the vocal mike can be a particularlygood friend if you ask it to be. She also singsshy and scared, as if she needs permission. Afoxy producer would have given it to her.

Solid Gold is a cute song about a hit record,written by pianist Nickey Barclay and sung bydrummer Alice de Buhr. Miss De Buhr gives itjust the irreverent, comical treatment it needs.Is It Really You is by Nickey Barclay. whosings lead. She is the group's strongest solosinger, though all perform well as backgroundvoices. Al/ Mine, by June and Jean Millington.is one of the better tunes and benefits from alittle sweetening-a couple of instruments andthe singing "Fannets." One track. SummerSong, was recorded and mixed in London byGlyn and Andy Johns. Its presence is notice-ably different from the rest-crisper, moreenergetic, and truer to the group. The othertracks are mostly phone-ins, substandardtunes, nondirectional vocals, sparse andunaided instrumentals.

My quarrel is with Todd Rundgren. Tal-ented as he is, he took on far too much here,functioning as producer/engineer/mixer. Agreat many engineers will not produce at thesame time (and vice versa), and albums suchas this explain why. Because Todd Rundgrentook all this upon himself. a great deal was in-evitably missed. (It is amazing that he got asmuch as he did. That and a quarter will getyou half a pack of cigarettes.) Among theproblems: the faulty vocal mentioned earlieron Long Road Home: the inconsistent mix onSolid Gold. leaving the words on the bridgeunintelligible; the boomy bottom -heavysound on Polecat Blues. Indeed, Side 2 is

barely "produced" at all. It just happened.and it sounds like it.

It's difficult to understand why a man delib-erately dilutes his own effectiveness, ties hisown hands, but peace and love, love andpeace. The album could have been far moreexciting if its primary chores had been spreadout more sanely. Live and maybe learn. M.A.

CHET ATKINS: Alone. Chet Atkins, gui-tar. Take Five; Smile; Me and BobbyMcGee; nine more. RCA APL 1-0159,$5.98.

Chet Atkins has for years produced recordingsof great taste, both with and without accom-

Chet Atkins-another legendary album?

paniment. His several recordings of duets withguitarist Jerry Reed have in just a few yearsbecome legendary in country music. This soloLP may be destined for the same honor. It is agreat recording. a simple and honest one. At-kins has given to his music the kind of talentand dignity that makes it easy to suggest to fol-lowers of more serious guitar music. Best isTake Five. M.J.

THE MOVE: Split Ends. Jeff Lynne, vocals;Bev Bevan, drums, Ray Wood, guitar. Do Ya;Message from the Country; Chinatcwn; ninemore. United Artis's UAS 5666, $5.98.

The jacket sleeve of this album contains tencolumns of Move history by Ben Edmunds.The notes could earn Edmunds a doctorate inhistory. The author traces the English groupfrom its birth in the mid -Sixties through itsbubble -gum, psychedelic, and post -psyche-delic symphonic reincarnation as the ElectricLight Orchestra. As intriguing and complex asthe plaits for the invasion of Normandy, theseliner notes are packed with details as Ed-munds eagerly displays his knowledge of suchobscure English bands as Carl Wayne and theVikings. Mike and the Nightraiders, the AceKefford Stand, Sight and Sound. the Uglys,and Balls. They are far more fascinating thanthe disc itself.

"Split Ends" cansists of eight cuts fromMove's 1971 album, "Message from theCountry," released on the Capitol label (thethird of the four American companies forwhom the Move has recorded). The set isrounded out by recent Move singles includingDo Ya which has received plenty of attentionin the United States.

The music is perfectly competent, but noneof it is very excising. Indeed, at its best theMove only conjures up memories of otherEnglish bands and occasionally even suggestsderivative Beatles and Bee Gees. Reaching itslowest ebb on California Man, in which thestyle of American Fifties rock clashes head onwith a heavy-handed English approach, "SplitEnds" offers rewards only for those who arenot discriminating. H.E.

PROCOL HARUM: Grand Hotel. Gary Brooker,piano and vocals. Alan Cartwright, bass; B. J.Wilson, drums, percussion, and mandolin;Mick Grabham, cuitar; Chris Copping, organ;Keith Reid, lyrics; vocal and instrumental ac-companiment. Grand Hotel; ToujoursL 'Amour; seven more. Chrysalis CHR 1037,$5.98.

Ever since 1967's A Whiter Shade of Palefaded away, Keith Reid has been one of themost consistently lame lyricists in rock. Butwhat's interesting is not that he's lame, butthat despite his infirmity he manages to limpto the bank with regularity. The other mem-bers of Procol H arum must hear something inhim. for they use him exclusively. Perhaps, aswith certain whistles, only dogs can hear it.The combination of Reid's elusive, say -noth-ing lyrics with Procol Harum's rich, melo-dramatic, and, more often than not, over-blown rock is amusing now and then, butusually it is just pathetic. I thought that, withthe departure from the band of MatthewFisher and his omnipresent liturgical organ,some needed understatement might enter the

JULY 1973 107

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music. I thought that if he pounded the type-writer long enough Keith Reid might findsomething to say. I was wrong. M.J.

GENTLE GIANT: Octopus. Gentle Giant, vo-cals and instrumentals. The Boys in the Band;Dog's Life; River; five more. Columbia KC32022, $5.98. Tape: do. CA 32022, $6.98;or CT 32022, $6.98.

This is a curious album. Members of GentleGiant are Kerry Minnear, Raymond Shul-man, Gary Green, Derek Shulman, PhilipShulman. and John Weathers. If things gotany more British we wouldn't be able to hearthem at all.

Gentle Giant strikes me as the British rockequivalent of the West Coast cool school ofjazz of the late Fifties and Sixties, with guyslike Lee Konitz, Warne Marsh. and Paul Des-mond. Emotionally the stance is the same: becool, be clever. This group makes no mistakeswhatever. Surgical instruments could be ster-ilized in this music. The players are excellentand the singers the most precise since the HiLo's, where the resemblance ends.

So what is this music? It falls somewhere be-tween Elizabethan balladry and rock. I realizethat is like saying Kansas lies somewhere be-tween the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. It's all Ican do.

The first track is called The Advent ofPanurge, followed by Raconteur Troubadour.The lyrics mean as little as the titles. Each onebears a note that reads as though it were writ -

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ten with a quill while leaning on an uphol-stered couch in the library at Eton. It does notgive me much to relate to. There is an extraor-dinary track called Knots, dedicated to R. D.Laing. vastly complex musically, spotlesslyperformed. Its lyric is one of those pompousriddle affairs: "... It hurts him to think thatshe is hurting her by him being hurt to think."

When the level of musicianship is as high asthis, one is obliged to listen closely. The longeryou do it. the harder it is. For all their incred-ible fluidity. Gentle Giant says nothing.What's worse, it seems to feel nothing. It is anexercise group. a test-tube truth, an endlessstudy class. Think of Me with Kindness isnearly warm and then apologizes in the notes:"A personal song. It has been kept simple toretain the essentially intimate mood of thepiece." Presumably cleverness and facility aremore comfortable than feeling. This track isthe only break from it.

This is a splendid album in a science-fic-tionish way. all slick and tubular. The longer Ilisten the madder it gets me. So cool and self-contained and organized. So unlike life. M.A.

ROBERT KLEIN: Child of the Fifties. All mate-rial and songs written and performed by Rob-ert Klein. Civil Defense (No Talking); PublicSchool; School Lunch; twenty-one more.Brut 6001, $5.98.CHRIS RUSH: First Rush. All material writtenand performed by Chris Rush. Even NicePeople Get TV; Ca-ca-ah-ah-doody-poo-poo; Grass; eight more. Atlantic SD 7257,$5.98.

These two comedy albums present an estab-lished young comedian. Robert Klein. and anunderground favorite, Chris Rush. Klein hasappeared many times on television: he hashosted late -night talk shows and he has playedmajor nightclub dates. His material is hipenough to appeal to young people and yet isgeneral enough to engage other audiences.The comedian is preoccupied with memoriesof his youth and can regale his listeners withstories of his attempts to sneak into the bestseats at ball games. He also applies hisenergies to TV commercials, makingmincemeat of such epics as Kraft's Velveetacheese. Klein believes in the hard sell, and hisstyle can best be described as bombastic.Along the way he does deliver many sharplyetched lines and he does employ considerablewit. But his comic intelligence should bemated to more significant material. Klein hasthe potential: he could become an authenticsatirist.

On his debut disc Chris Rush deals withsuch topics as female -hygiene sprays, euphe-mistic language. nostalgia, Howdy Doody, thegeneration gap. marijuana, Jesus freaks, chil-dren's toys. science fiction, the Fifties, andgrowing up Catholic. It seems that the success-ful underground comedian is one who is pro -dope. pro -sex. and pro -four-letter words. Theunderground audience seems to hunger for areinforcement of its values (or alleged values),and Rush eagerly plays patty -cake with hisfans. It's the kind of obsequiousness thatLenny Bruce would have destroyed. BothChris Rush and his audience are advised totake a refresher course in the works of LennyBruce in order to observe what a real come-dian achieved when he applied his talents tocontemporary material. H.E.

CIRCLE 48 ON READER -SERVICE CARD CIRCLE 12 ON READER -SERVICE CARD


The New England Conservatory Ragtime Ensemble-foot-pounding ragtime.

JOHNNY WINTER: Still Alive and Well.Johnny Winter, vocals, guitar, and mandolin;Randy Jo Hobbs, bass; Richard Hughes,drums; Rick Derringer, guitar; Jeremy Steig,flute; Todd Rundgren, mellotron; Mark Kling -man, piano. Rock Me Baby; Rock & Roll; TooMuch Seconal; Let It Bleed; six more. Colum-bia KC 32188, $5.98.

For two years after his major concert debutearly in 1%9, Johnny Winter was consideredby many the leading white blues guitarist. Hevas, at any rate, certainly the most popular.Then a long hospitalization and convales-cence intervened, and as a result this new LP isWinter's first since 1971. It is, unfortunately,little more than a sign that he is still alive. Itcontains all of the flaws that have hurt Winterin the past: flashiness, aggression rather thantaste, and poor choice of material. Thoughthere is an undeniable excitement in some ofthe tracks, it's an excitement that can be foundin many heavy-handed British bash -away -at -it rock bands. Winter's potential as a bluesmaster is wasted here. He has done much bet-ter in the past. And now that it's establishedhe's still alive, perhaps he will do better in thefuture. M.J.

Focus: Focus 3. Thijs van Leer, vocals, or-gan, piano, alto flute, piccolo, and harpsi-chord; Jan Akkerman, solo and acoustic gui-tar; Bert Ruiter, bass guitar; Pierre van derLinden, drums. Round Goes the Gossip; LoveRemembered; Sylvia; seven more. Sire SAS3901, $5.98.

Focus. Holland's premier jazz-rock band, hastaken all of the continent by storm. HocusPocus, their hit American single. with itsthrobbing repetitions, yodels. and unearthlyscat singing, allowed the band to build anAmerican beachhead. "Focus 3" will enablethis band to capitalize on its gains.

In concert, this band presents its audiencewith a "wall of sound." Extremely musical, theband uses a ferociously high level of volumeand bombards its fans with the Focus sound.On record, one need not be subjected to thisassault in order to appreciate the talents of thisensemble; there's talent to spare on "Focus 3."Destined for immediate popularity are thegay, carefree Sylvia and Focus III. a romanticinstrumental composed for two pulsating gui-tar lines. The Happy House of King, Focus'first Dutch hit, is also included, as is Elispeth ofNottingham, which features a lute andrecorder line. Over and over again, Focuspresents a brilliant melody and then repeats it

with increasing intensity until the listener isdrenched in sound. This technique works per-fectly on short numbers. On longer cuts, how-ever, Focus seems to lose its inspiration: theimprovisations are not imaginative enough,and the band's melodic invention falters.Anonymous II, a twenty-seven minute instru--nental spread across two sides of the disc.points up these faults. When Focus finds a wayto deal with an expanded format, it will havetruly made major innovations in the rockform. H.E.

theater and film

A Lima NIGHT MUSIC. For a feature reviewof the original -cast recording, see page 70.

ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK:The History of MGM Movie Music, Vol. 1.Lara's Theme; Love Theme of Ben Hur;Themes from Brigadoon; Overture from Gigi;Slaughter on Tenth Avenue; An American inParis Ballet; ten more. MGM 2-SES-15-ST,$6.98 (two discs).

This selection from the history of the musicalsoundtracks to MGM motion pictures varies,as do the films, from the heavy and ponderousto the light and lively. The films honoredrange from Gone with the Wind (1939) to TheUnsinkable Molly Brown (1964). There havebeen better recorded versions of Lara'sTheme, for example, and certainly of AnAmerican in Paris. But these are the movieoriginals, and valuable on that basis alone.MGM, both movie and record divisions, hasseen better times. The record division latelyhas been doing a lot of looking back andreissuing. This is the best reissue from MGMyet. M.J.

jazz

ast_i NEW ENGLAND CONSERVATORY RAG -W TIME ENSEMBLE: Scott Joplin: The

Red Back Book. New England Con-serva:ory Ragtime Ensemble, Gunther

Schuller, cond. The Entertainer; SunFlower Slow Drag; Maple Leaf Rag;seven more. Angel S 36060, $5.98.Tape: NE 8XS 36060, $7.98; 0134XS36060, $7.98.

Gunther Schuller, who not only seems to beable to find the time to do everything in themusical world that there is to do but to do it allunusually well, has now turned his attention tothe ragtime revival. Along with composing,conducting (in the classical field), serving aspresident of the New England Conservatory,and-possibly-even writing the much -post-poned second half of the history of jazz he be-gan so well with Early Jazz, Schuller is nowconducting the New England ConservatoryRagtime Ensemble and going on the road withit to Washington ani New York, among otheroutposts. On this disc the Ensemble plays thearrangements of Scott Joplin pieces that ap-peared in that basic New Orleans source book,Fifteen Standard High Class Rags, betterknown as The Red Back Book. This is some ofthe same material that has been recordedrecently by the New Orleans Ragtime Orches-tra, so comparisons are inevitable. The NOROhas been improving steadily, performance byperformance, but nothing it has yet recordedcan match the ensemble attack and the soloverve of the Conservatory Ensemble. Thereare high spirits at work in the Ensemble (notethe exuberant foot -pounding passages on TheRagtime Dance) that give Joplin's pieces thesense of joy, combined with graceful beauty,that one hears in the playing of the better rag-time pianists. And the Ensemble includes pi-anist Myron Romanul, who not only rollicksthrough the Ensemble performances but has apair of solo pieces which he carries off with acommendable mkture of stately proprietyand happy rhythm. J.S.W.

ART TATUIA: God Is in the House. ArtTatum, piano, vocals; Frankie New-ton, trumpet; Chocolate Williams andEbenezer Paul, bass; Reuben Harris,whiskbroom; 011ie Potter, vocal.Georgia on My Mind; Sweet Lorraine;Sweet Georgia Brown; ten more. Onyx205, $5.98.

52ND ST., VOL 1. Groups led by Tony Scott,Slam Stewart, Don Byas, and Sid Catlett. AllToo Soon; Three Blind Micesky; Melody inSwing; twelve mo-e. Onyx 203, $5.98.THE Foaasiosil 3roups led by Teddy Ed-wards. Dexter Gordon, Leo Parker, andWardell Gray. The Duel; Rollin' with Leo;Blues in the Closet; ten more. Onyx 201,$5.98.RED RODNEY: The Arrow. Red Rodney, trum-pet; Ira Sullivan, tenor saxophone and trum-pet; Tommy Flanagan, piano; Oscar Petti-ford, bass; Philly Joe Jones and Elvin Jones,drums. Star Eyes, Stella by Starlight; Red Ar-row; three more. Onyx 204, $5.98.BIO Rims! Mills Blue Rhythm Band, led byVan Alexander; Louis Bellson's Band. BlueRhythm Jam; Blue Rhythm Blues; Blue Lou;ten more. Onyx 202, $5.98.

The role that Arnold Caplin's BiographRecords has carried out so successfully inreissuing jazz and blues from the smaller andoften quite obscure labels of the 1920s is

apparently being undertaken in the fallowfield of small labels of the Forties and Fifties

JULY 1973 109

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by Don Schlitten's new Onyx label. Schlitten-who produced jazz records for Prestige formany years and more recently for MPS/BASFand Cobblestone-has launched Onyx with agroup of releases that are bound to bring backnostalgic memories to those who knew NewYork's Fifty-second Street when it was still"The Street" to all musicians. It was a blockbetween Fifth and Sixth Avenues lined withsmall, dark clubs (including the Onyx. forwhich the label is named), through whichdrifted most of the great jazzmen of theThirties and Forties. Many of the young musi-cians who were on The Street when the soundof jazz was changing in the Forties are onthese Onyx discs-Tony Scott. Dizzy Gillespie(as "B. Bopstein"). Ben Webster. SarahVaughan. Slam Stewart. Erroll Gamer. DonByas, Coleman Hawkins. and Sid Catlett turnup on "52nd St., Vol. I." garnered fromrecords originally issued by Gotham. Manor.and Super Disc. Records made for Dial in1947 by Dexter Gordon and Teddy Edwards,for Gotham in 1950 by Leo Parker. and a Chi-cago session by Wardell Gray in 1955 make up"The Foremost!" Red Rodney's Signal ses-sion of 1957 with Ira Sullivan is dusted off as"The Red Arrow." And a pair of big -band ses-sions that have scarcely seen the light of dayare collected on "Big Bands"-the Mills BlueRhythm Band organized by Van Alexander in1947 and a Louis Bellson band recorded in1964.

These discs, however. are just the routinefare on this first Onyx release. The real event isthe appearance of "God Is in the House." acollection of Art Tatum after-hours solos re-corded in Harlem clubs in 1940 and 1941 byJerry Newman on his portable disc recorder. Itwas Newman, using the same machine, whomade the celebrated records at Minton's Play-house in those same years that gave us the onlyrecordings of Charlie Christian stretching out.away from the studio situations with BennyGoodman's septet (now on Counterpoint5548). These Tatum performances are equallyvaluable because, although he was recorded attremendous length in studios by NormanGranz. Tatum was at his best in the relaxationand challenge of after-hours sessions. This isthe only collection of Tatum playing in suchcircumstances. And what a ball Tatum has!He fills his performances with all the tradi-tional Tatum filigree. performing fantasticmusical balancing acts as he throws out lineswith abandon and pulls them all together.romping and rollicking through everythingfrom Sweet Georgia Brown (with the addedtouch of Frankie Newton's muted trumpet) toMighty Lak a Rose! He sings. too, with a dark,chuckling mumble and plays so buoyantly be-hind a singer named 011ie Potter that hemakes her seem good.

Newman often played his acetate discs ofthese Tatum performances for friends and onradio programs and, over the years. they in-evitably became worn. As a result some of thesound is not all that it might be. But now thatthese performances have finally been issued.they automatically become an essential part ofthe Tatum discography. There's nothing elsethat shows off the full Tatum brilliance quiteas well. J.S.W.

JIMMY RANEY: Strings and Swings.Jimmy Raney, guitar; Gene Orloff. vio-lin; Walter Trampler, viola; Charles


McCracken, cello; Jack Brengle andPeter Ind, bass; John Roy and NickStabulas, drums (in Suite for GuitarQuintet); Bobby Jones, tenor saxo-phone; Bob Lam, piano. 'Round Mid-night; Stella by Starlight; two more.Muse 5004, $5.98.

Jimmy Raney, who was one of the most dis-tinctive jazz guitarists in the Fifties. when thejazz world seemed to be crawling with guitar-ists. has been staying close to home (Louis-ville. Kentucky) in recent years. But a visit toNew York in 1972 got him back into theGotham jazz swing. and this record -made upof two belatedly issued sessions -should re-mind the rest of the world that a major jazz tal-ent has been going unrecorded and largely un-heard for too long. The more fascinating ofthese two sides is the one devoted to Raney'sSuite for Guitar Quintet -by which is meantguitar. string quartet, and drums. Recorded in1957. after Raney had been studying with thelate Hell Overton. the Suite uses the stringquartet brilliantly in a jazz context. Raney de-rived from Bela Bartok and Alban Berg a clas-sical string approach that actually enlivens thejazz element instead of deadening it. The Bar-kik influence is quite overt (one of the Suite'sfive sections is called -1-loinage to Bartok") asRaney. shifts back and forth between sectionsthat place his guitar within the body of thestring ensemble and those in which it is used inthe more traditional jazz solo style with thestrings as support. The second side. recordedat. a concert in Louisville in 1969. puts Raneyback in a situation somewhat similar to hisdays with Stan Getz. With Bobby Jones ontenor saxophone taking the Getz role. the twocreate music that moves with a remarkablylight and airy swing on Bernie's Tune (whichsounds delightfully fresh after all these years).Raney's solo work. beautifully realized. is fea-tured on two ballads. J.S.W.

MOAC.IR Smrros: Maestro. Nana: Bluish -men; Luanne, five more. Blue Note LA007-F,$5.98.

Moacir Santos is. according to the liner noteson this disc (remarkably informative for a BlueNote record but printed, as is all informationon Blue Note records, in such obscure fashionthat it is very difficult to decipher). a highlysuccessful Brazilian musician from Pernam-buco whose career has built up steadily frombands playing in northern Brazilian villagesand towns to Radio Recife and to the fullmusic scene of Rio de Janeiro. Now, in hismaturity, he has come to California and madehis American recording debut with this disc.which combines suggestions of bossa novawith straightforward American jazz. Santossings. plays baritone saxophone. and is thecomposer of most of the pieces. The collectionhas a generally exotic quality. but the mostviable parts of the record come from theAmerican musicians Santos brought to thesession -Don Menza on tenor saxophone andflute. Frank Rosolino on trombone. RayPizzion soprano and alto saxophones. OscarBrashear on trumpet. and Clair Fischer onorgan. The set moves up and down. dependingon how much formal arrangement is involved-the less the better. It all comes together inits hest form on Mother /raceme. which isdriven by the searing solos of Pizzi. Fischer.and guitarist Joe Pass. J.S.W.

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in briefWILSON PICKETT: Mr. Magic Man.RCA LSP 4858, $5.98. Tape v. P8S2142, $6.95.

For his debut disc on the RCA label, WilsonPickett provides another collection of soulful-ness: he is a musical master, in his prime. H.E.

RICK WAKEMAN: The Six Wives of HenryVIII. A&M SP 4361, $5.98.Yes's rock keyboardist Wakeman combinesrock, jazz, and classical modes to create thesesix instrumentals. Yes, it is a musical conceit, amusical conceit that Wakeman pulls off. Don'tbe surprised if Catherine of Aragon becomes ahit single. H.E.

BERT JANSCH: Moonshine. Reprise MS2129, $5.98.The latest recording of slightly modernizedmedieval ballads and medieval -soundingmodern songs by the noted British musician.Predictably, it's a good one. M.J.

Gums KNIGHT & THE Pups: Neither One ofUs. Soul S 737L, $5.98.As always, this truly soulful group delivers thegoods. Though nothing on this disc matchesthe fervor of Gladys Knight and the Pips's big-gest hit, I Heard It Through the Grapevine, thetitle tune is invigorating and the entire albumis filled with exuberance framed by a sterlingsense of discipline and tastefulness. H.E.

KEN MUNSON: Super Flute. Paramount PAS6049, $5.98.Even though Munson's flute performances onsuch current hits as I Can See Clearly Now,Brandy, and Me and Mrs. Jones eventually be-gin to pall, this disc still makes for a pleasantdiversion. H.E.

MICK GREENWOOD: To Friends. MCA307, $5.98.

This young singer/songwriter writes evoca-tively and sings with suitable intensity. He willinevitably be a superstar, a fitting reward forsomeone with so much talent. H.E.

HANK SNOW: Hank Snow Sings Grand OleOpry Favorites. RCA APL 1-0162, $5.98.It's easy to appreciate the honesty of countrymusic when it's done by someone who's beena master of it for more than twenty years. Thetunes on this excellent recording are not thebest-known country songs. but they areamong the best. M.J.

DANA COOPER. Elektra 75052, $5.98.Here they are again: the best sidemen in townripping off another group of tracks for anothernew singer, Dana Cooper. He's okay, he'sfine, with a high tenor that is popular now. Hewrote the songs. Nothing new. If there were itwould be hard to tell, since the backup grouphas appeared on hundreds of albums. They allsound alike somehow. A singer has to bedamned strong to outshine the stars in theband, such as Jim Gordon. Leland Sklar. etc.Some singers are, most aren't. M.A.

TRACY NELSON: Mother Earth. Columbia KC31759, $5.98.Fine, earthy performances recorded in Nash-ville. but much more into blues and boogiethan into country. Happy music. M.A.

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JULY 1973


III

the tapedeck BY R D DARRELL

"Safe Adventures" may strike you, atfirst glance, as an obviously self-contra-dictory category for any kind of listeningexperience-unless you have already en-countered some entirely unfamiliar mu-sic that unexpectedly lacks the un-known's usual strangeness, sometimeseven evoking an eerie feeling of deg, en-tendu or of running across a childhoodfriend you'd inexplicably forgotten.Such works are most often found just offthe repertory beaten paths yet still wellwithin the domains of composers wellknown and loved for their major-or atleast more frequently heard-master-pieces. And it's in the search and discov-ery of such Safe Adventures that one'smusical horizons can be significantly ex-panded without serious risk of runninginto stone walls-or, less metaphorically,of investing in recordings one will neverwant to play a second time.

An apt current example is the firstcomplete taping of Handel's Op. 3 Con-certi Grossi: a set of six quintessentiallyHandelian masterpieces long over-shadowed by the Water Music, Fire-works Music, the twelve Op. 12 ConcertiGrdssi for strings only, etc. Yet Op. 3 istriply fascinating: first of course for itsinexhaustible outpouring of sheer musi-cal vitality (often jauntily swaggering aswell as poignantly lyrical or grandly cer-emonial); but also for a variety of formand instrumentation techniques-clearlyexperimental, yet always paradoxicallyassured; and not least for its composer'smany self -borrowings and rescorings.Listening to the present ineffably exhila-rating, vividly recorded performances bythe Munich Bach Orchestra under KarlRichter (Archive/Ampex L 3116, 71/2-ipsreel, $7.95), what I personally relish isthe piquantly differentiated tonal color-ing featuring oboe and bassoon timbresin particular-colors that are auralequivalents of the transparent purity andfreshness that make true fresco paintingso distinctively different from painting inoils. And to think that not so many yearsago Handel's orchestral music alwayshad to be "arranged" before it was con-sidered fit for concert or recorded per-formance! Transcribers like Beechamand Harty certainly weren't bad orches-trators, but the Old Master must haveforgotten more tonal ingenuities thanthey ever dreamed of!

Except for the great Requiem, K. 626,Mozart's nineteen Masses (most ofwhich date from his unhappy service inSalzburg) aren't too well known or oftenrecorded. Only K. 626 is currently avail-

able in both reel and cassette formatsand K. 427 in cassette only. Hence a gen-eral need for what I think is the first tap-ing of the Credo Mass in C, K. 257, and areplacement for a couple of now out ofprint tapings of the Coronation Mass inC, K. 317 (Philips/Ampex L 5034, -N-ips reel, $7.95; Latin -text and notes in-cluded). But these works also are highlypertinent to our present Safe Adventuresnotion (in particular the more relaxedand less solemnly ceremonial K. 317),not least because they are part of the dis-tinguished British Mozartean series di-rected by Colin Davis which gave us thebest recorded Requiem just a year agoand which has since grown to include anumber of other church works not yettransferred from discs to tapes.

Remise Reminiscences. El Supremo'slong and celebrated recording career forAmerican Decca has been brutally ter-minated in what may be a conglomer-ate's economic gain but is surely the clas-sical repertory's profound loss. Thismeans that Segovia's projected long au-tobiographical series combining spokenmemoirs with guitar -technique tips andexemplary music will have to be contin-ued, if at all, in Spain. The first two"Guitar and I" programs were madehere, however, and were recently re-leased on tape in cassette and 8 -trackcartridge formats (Decca 73/6 10179 and10182, $7.98 each). I haven't received re-view copies of them, but Vol. 2 (oddlyout of sequence) is included in the sec-ond release list of Magtec/Stereotape71/2-ips reel processings (DST 710182,$7.95). And it proves to be as much of amust for every guitar aficionado as onecan imagine just from reading the con-tents. On the first side Segovia talks, incharacteristically old-fashioned and ac-cented but perfectly intelligible fashion.about his first exposure to classical mu-sic, early concerts in Granada and Se-ville, and first concert guitar; and thenplays a few technical -formula exercises.Overside, he plays, without spoken com-ment, fifteen short studies by such gui-tar -specialist composers as Giuliani, Sor,Coste, and Tarrega. Both voice and in-strument are captured with admirablyintimate clarity, and only uninitiates inthis particular recording world will ob-ject to, or even worry about, the finger-lifting string -snapping noises seeminglyinseparable from close guitar miking.

More Magtec/Stereotape RellikatiONS.My earlier concentration (May and Junecolumns) on RCA Red Seal releases inthe first batches of Magtec/Stereotapetapings has unfairly obscured the factthat many other labels are being repre-sented, if mostly by pop musical mate-rials outside this column's province. Theonly non -RCA classical releases, apartfrom the Segovia reel above, are two Vir-

gil Fox live Bach Organ Recitals (Decca/Magtec DST 75263 C and 75323 C, 71/2-ips reels, $7.95 each); Stokowski's Res-pighi/Early Italian program; and theVilla Lobos Forest of the Amazon(United Artists/Magtec UST 8001 C and8007 C). I haven't heard any of these asyet, but remembering the 1960 tape ver-sions of the exotic Brazilian tone poem,especially for its inclusion of BiduSayao's legendary vocal magic, I don'thesitate to commend the new Forest ofthe Amazon reel unheard.

I have heard, however, a considerablenumber of RCA/Magtec reels, espe-cially by Ormandy and the Philadel-phians, on which at least some briefcomment is called for. Most of themstrike me as satisfactorily comparablewith their earlier disc and cassette/car-tridge editions, but even the best reel -processing technology can't erase the in-terpretative objections I have to some ofthe performances themselves-partic-ularly the Scriabin The Poem of Ecstasy/Prometheus coupling (ERPA 3214 C);the Falla Nights in the Gardens of Spaincoupled with a more successful Saint-Saens Second Piano Concerto, both star-ring Rubinstein (3165 C); and an in-sufficiently dramatic "Ride of the Val-kyries" Wagner Ring -excerpts program(3264 C); also, but with more lukewarmresponses, to "Greensleeves: Lush Fa-vorites in a Romantic Mood" (3284 C)and the 1968 Tchaikovsky Pathetique(3058 C).

On the other hand, what I did likeoriginally and now admire more thanever before are the warmly expansiveBrahms Second Piano Concerto withRubinstein (3253 C); that sound -systemdemonstrators' delight, the stereo -spec-tacular coupling of Beethoven's BattleSymphony (Wellington's Victory at Vit-toria) with Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture(3204 C); and the welcome return to thereel repertory of the somber but impres-sively eloquent Shostakovich ThirteenthSymphony (Babi Yar), with Tom Krauseand chorus (3162 C, now of course in a71/2-ips taping, in contrast with the 33/4-ipsreel version of 1970).

Then, for those musical travelers whoshrink from embarking on even thesafest adventures and insist on guidedtours being prescribed for them, here areseveral "World's Favorite" thisses-and-thats anthologies drawn from earlier(sometimes a good many years earlier)releases. Of them I've heard only the"World's Favorite Showpieces" (RCA/Magtec ERPA 3302 C, 71/2-ips reel,$7.95). It strikes me as mainly valuablefor its resurrection of Kondrashin's fineRimsky-Korsakov Capriccio espagnol;less so for a more obviously aged MunchRavel Bolero, and the more sonically up-to-date Ormandy Sibelius Finlandia andSmetana Moldau. For the rest, you're onyour own!


SONY PS 2251:adeclaration of independence.

Independence of belts, pulleys,idler wheels and all tne other para-phernalia that can cause wow, flutterand rumble. Independence from fluc-tuations in power line voltage thatcan effect the precise speed of theturntable. And independence of acous-tical feedback. The new, direct -driveSony PS -2251 has declared itselfindependent of all these potentialintruders upon the enjoyment ofyour records.

Most turntables use belts,pulleys, idler wheels to make theirturntables spin at the, record's speed,instead of the motor's. Look under-neath Sony's new PS -2251 and allyou'll see is the motor. We don't needall those extras, because our motor'sspeed is precisely tne same as therecord's.

Eliminating all those parts alsoeliminates the wow and flutter andrumble they can cause. So, our rumblefigure is a remarkable -58dB (NAB).

And because our motor turns so muchslower than conventional ones, therumble frequency is lowered too,making the rumble even less audiblethan that -58 dB figure iiclicates.

To maintain precise speedaccuracy at slow speeds, we use anAC servo system (superior to a DCservo system because of its uniformmagnetic field strength). Its precisespeed is not affected by variations inline voltage or in line frequency. Butits speed can be varied ± 4% by thebuilt-in pitch control and returned to aprecise 33-1 /3 or 45 rpm, with thebuilt-in self -illuminated strobe.

Then we matched it with a stat-ically -balanced tonearm that tracksrecords as precisely and faithfully asour turntable turns them. We added '

viscous -damped cueing and effectiveanti -skating. And we mounted thePS -2251 on a handsome wood baseusing an independent spring sus-pension system to completely isolate


it f -om externally caused vibrations.At $349.5C (suggested retail) includ-ing arm, wood base and hinged dustcover, the S-2251 is today s mostadvanced turntable

We also offer a moderatelyprced, single -play component turn-table with the convenience of auto-matic operation, the PS -5520. Thecomplete system: turntable, arm,walnut base and hinged dust cover,$159.50.(suggested retail) SonyCorporation of America, 47-47 VanDam St., Lorg Island City, N.Y. 11101.

And then there was music.And then came Sony tape recordersto capture the words and musicwith perfect fidelity. Right from thestart, Sony has always been first withthe best, the newest and the broadest

selection of tape recording equi2-ment in the world. Sony taperecorders, Sony accessories, Sonymicrophones, Sony recording tape.We could go on and on ar.d on_We are. SONY Ask anyone.

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