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The most noteworthy releases reviewed recently

ADAMS: Shaker Loops, Phrygian Gates. Vanous. 1750ArcmS 1784. Oct. BARTÓK: Siring Quartets(6). Tokyo Quariet. DG 2740 235 (3). Nov. BEETHOYEN : Piano Concertosff'). Schnahel. London Symphony. London Philharmonic, Sargent. Arabesoue 8103-4(4).

Ocl.

BRAHMS: Piano Concerto No. 1. Pollini; Vicnna Philharmonic. Bóhm. DG 2531 294, Scpt.

BRAHMS: Piano Concerto No. 2. Bish-op-Kovacevich; London Symphony. C.

Davis Philips 9500 682. Scpt.

BRAHMS: Symphony No 4. Vienna Philharmonic, C. K leibcr. DG 2532 003, Oct. CARTER: A Symphonyof Three Or-chestras; A Mirroron Which to Dwe/I.

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torv. At limes ii evokes thc JanaCok of Taras Palba. Only eight mi nu (es long. it dcserves a place on symphonic pro-gra ms.

w.

The Bamherg Symphony has heen making records at least sińce thc dawn of the LP era, usually for ihe smaller com-panies. li bas always been a good, ser-viceahle orchestra, and so it is horę: ii nev-ertheless exh i hi ts certain characleristics common to secondary and terliary en-sembles. namely raspy cellos and thin-nish violins with occasional dubious in-tonation in high. awkward passages. Formcr Detroit maestro Akio Ceccalo captures the spirit of these rarities very well. and listeners who like to e\plore the bv\vays of the repertory will find much to enjoy here. The rather Iow recordinc Ievel necessitates an unusualh

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high volume setting. which aniplifics sur-face noise and hiss. One of the mikes seems to be on top of the double basses, who don’t blend with the rest of the strings. exposingsome of the most brutal bass playing Fve ever lieard

As it happens, I played in what may have been the last New York performance of Stenka Razin, by the 1955 Juilliard Orchestra under the latc Jean Morel. At the Iirst rehearsal, as the trom-bones solem nly intoned the Song of the Vo!ga Boatmen over droning double basses. sonie musicians began to laugh. An angry Morel scolded the orchestra for not having had the curiosity to find out what the piece was about, for not having read the poeni. which was printed in the score (in Russian) We started agam. no one daring to laugh or even smile. and Morel, in his heavy I rench accent. began a running commentarv uhile condticting: “Anyway. you would not have laughed if you had seen the

Boulez; Davenny Wyner. Fitz.CBS M 35171, Aug.

DELIUS: The Magie Fountain. Pring. Mitchinson: BBCConceri Orchestra, Del Mar. Arabesoue 8121-2L (2), July.

GRIEG: Piano Works (complete), Vols. 1-14. Knardahl. Bis LP 104/17(14), Aug.

M AHLER: Symphony No. 5. R. STRAUSS: Todund Verklarung. Miiro-poulos. New York Philharmonic 881 /2 (2), Nov.

M AHLER: Symphony No. 9. Berlin Philharmonic, Karajan. DG 2707 125 (2). Nov. MENDELSSOHN: Chorale Caniatas (5). Ostertag, Wehnert. FonoFSM 68 101. Nov.

ORNSTEIN: Siring Quartet No. 3. New Boston Quartct. SerfnusSRS 12089. Oct. POULENC: Songs(complete). Ameling, Gedda. Senechal. Souzay, Parker. Baldwin. EMI France 2C 165-16231/5(5), May. PUNTO: Horn Concertos(4). Tuckwell, Marrincr. Angel SZ 37781. Aug.

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princess .. (several bars of musie] ... just like Marilyn Monroe .. . [morę musie] ... only willi dark hair.. . (still morę] .. .and bigger!**    i.c.

LISZT: Hungarian Coronation

Mass.

Veronika Kmcses. soprano: Klara Ta-kaes. alto: Dćnes Gulyas. tenor; Laszló Politur bass: Gabor Lchotka. organ: Hunearian

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Radio and Tcleusion Chorus. Budapest Symphony Orchestra. Gvórgv Lehel. cond. |.lenó Simon, prod ] Hungnrotos SLP.\ 12148. $9.98

Here we have the splendiferous Mass

composed for the coronation of Francis

Joseph as king of Hangary. Since it is

very seldom encountered. a littlc re-

connoitering is in order. I irst, one turns

to the sleeve notes The\ are a bit over-

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heated, but that’s underslandahle; every country likes to eulogize its great men. and Liszt was a great nian Butwecannot understand and judge this score by sim-ply lookingat the musie: the haman, his-lorical. and political conditions from which the work emerged must be re-called.

In 1867 the Austrian rulers had to make peace with Hungary, \irtuallv theircolony. They had pul down a dar.-gerous rebellion in 1848. but only with the help of hordes of Russian troops: they knew that unless they granted indc-pendencc and freedom to these proud people. among the best soldierv in Europę. there would be unending trouble. So Hungary became a partner rather than a subjcct of Austria, and Francis Joseph became the Iirst ruler of the new dual monarchy, as emperor of Austria and king of Hungary

Catholicism was the State religion in both halves of the empire. Francis Jo-

SCHUBERT: Piano Trios(2). LesMusi-ciens. Harmonia Mundi France HM 1047/8

(2) . Scpt.

SCHUMANN: Symphonies(4). Phila-dclphia Orchestra. Levine. RCA ARL 3-3907

(3) . Ocl.

SHOSTAKOVICH: Symphony No. 7; Ageof GoldSuitę. London Philharmonic, Haitink. London LDR 10015 (2), Scpt. TCHA!KOVSKY: Piano Trio. Oliveira, Rosen, Pletnyov. CBS M 35855. Nov.

VERDI: Un Balio in maschera. Milanov, Bjocrling, Panizza. MET8(3), June.

WOLF: Songs (138). Various(Wolf Society recordings. 1931-38). EMI RLS 759(7). Nov. LECHANSONNIER CORDIFORME. Consortof Musicke. Roolcy. Oiseau-Lyre D 186D4(4). July.

DECAMERON: Monodic Ba Ha las. La-mandier. Astrśe AS 56, Scpt.

THE WALT7. PROJECT. Moran.Cobb. Fcinbcrg, Mikhashoff. Nonesuch D 79011. Scpt.

seph, though verv devout. played high-level ecclesiastic politics, and his niin-isters. while observing protocol. were able to keep a rein on the Holy Sec. The emperor placed Austrian, Czech, and Polish nobility in the wealthy bishoprics. and the Vatican had to ratify hischoices. It was in th is atmosphere that the Pri-mate of Hungary chose Liszt tocompose the Coronation Mass.

This Hungarian composer. though a loyal son. cotild not even speak the lan-guage of his native country; his educa-tion and predilections were French and German. Notw ithstanding his use of Hungarian folk materiał, he righlfullv belonged to the avant-garde group of Berlioz and Wagner; after all. Haydn. Schubert. Brahms, and others used these same materials, which Bartok later proved to be of urban and Gypsy origin. not genuine Hungarian folk musie l.iszt’s brilliant pianism and bombastic showmanship overwhelmed his au-diences. and these qualities often show lip in his compositions. Yet his was per-haps the most original musical mind in the second half of the nineteenth cen-tury. His influence, from Wagner to the young Bartok, proved decisi\e. though his output varics in quality. What Schil-lersaid about Jean Paul is valid for Liszt: He would have been even morę ad-mirable “if he had madę as good use of his riches as other men make of their poverty.“

By the time he composed this Mass, Liszt had taken the fonr minor orders of the Church. though he did so onlv after the stormy life of a phenomenal vir-tuoso; his love alfairs with highly culu-vated. married noblewomen. who left their husbands for him. borę him chil-dren.and wrote the bobks that appeared

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