VANGÚARD Joy in Itself." Bit Embarrassing

phoned in his interjections during Cavara- ing. What Callas offers is a special strength Choir of St. John's College. Cambridge; dossi's aria). The Angelotti and Sciarrone and a special character-and these call for a Academy of St. Martin -in -the -Fields, George are adequate, the Spoletta passable, and the special evaluation. G. J. Guest cond. ARGO ZRG 5444 $5.98, RG shepherd weak. Prétre works well with the 444° $5.98. singers, and his tempos are always sensible RECORDING OF SPECIAL MERIT Performance: First-class and free of eccentricities. His way with the Recording: Atmospheric score bespeaks authority, and the opera Os PURCELL: Musk for the Chapel Stereo Quality: Fine comes to exciting life under his direction. Royal. The) that go down to the sea in And yet it somehow falls short of the abso- ships (Z. 57): Jihuta. gram multi sent Henry Purcell, in addition to holding other lute rightness of pacing. timing, and expres- hostes mei (Z. 135): Aly beloved spake (Z. positions, was an organist of the Chapel sion that De Sabata achieved. It must be 28): 0 sing unto the Lard a new song Royal and composed a considerable number said too that the Italian maestro had a more (Z. 44): Lord, hour lung tilt thou be angry of anthems for the Sunday services there. responsive orchestra at his command. (Z. 25): ll"hu bath believed our report (Z. The form of these pieces, which consist of In sum, this is an imperfect but thrilling 64). Roger Parker (treble); Charles Brett instrumental introductions, vocal solos, and performance that will once again bring to (countertenor); Robert Tear and Wilfred choruses. was rather new in his day, but the fore the controversy over Callas. Hers Brown (tenors); Christopher Keyte and they were extremely successful with the at- is certainly not the rill) way to sing l-osca- Christopher Bevan (baritones); Inia Te tending public. These Purcell compositions. on records. Tebaldi and Price present salid Wiata (bass); Brian Runnett (organ of the a sampling of which is heard on this disc, interpretations that are vocally more pleas- Chapel of St. John's College, Cambridge); reveal the same rhythmic vitality and melodic variety as those of his works with which we are more familiar. Recordings of this reper- In memory of New Folk Releases toire have not been frequent: the last time BÉLA BARTÓK (1881-1945) THE WEAVERS REUNION any of the anthems were recorded was sev- A titan among 20t/í century composers AT CARNEGIE HALL, Part 2 eral years ago, by Vanguard Bach Guild Pete Seeger, Lee Hays, Ronnie Gilbert, and pianists Fred Hellerman, Erik Darling, Frank (Aly beloved sp.rke is the only duplication Hamilton, Bernard Krause of this disc's contents) in a performance VRS-9161 & VSD-79161 "In the fifteen years of the Weavers' conducted by Alfred Deller (BGS 5047. BG existence, America's premier folk 635). So Purcell lovers will welcome this group assumed the status of a living legend ... Every folk group extant collection of five anthems and a similar piece. bears their imprint." High Fidelity the Latin psalm Jehuta qu.tm multi stn/ THE BABY SITTERS hu.rtes ntei. Not only is this seldom -heard FAMILY ALBUM music breathtakingly beautiful, hut the per- 7-7 Alan Arkin, Lee Hays, Barbara Dana, Doris Kaplan formances are in every way superb. The VRS-9173 contributions of the soloists, the men's and "They intertwine pretend games, traditional ballads and 'activity' boys' choir, the orchestra. and the sensitive songs...The Baby Sitters are as soft conductor are all one could ask. The recorded 0 sell as a lullaby and just about perfect i' for the just -out -of -the -nursery set." sound is wonderfully atmospheric and well Time Magazine balanced, and combines a decent amount of IAN AND SYLVIA- reverberation with an admirable clarity of "EARLY MORNING RAIN" individual parts. Except for a slight pressing VRS-9175 & VSD-79175 "As a team, without peer." fault, momentarily affecting the left channel O. B. 13ri,,nmell, High Fidelity at the beginning of the second side, the stereo version is fine. Texts are included. 1. K.

Performance: Admirably serious

A Sonata Recital " by . .1111111111111~F>.-_ Recording: Okay BÉLA BARTÓK L Riegger's Symphony No. 4 is a product of his later and somewhat humanized dodeca- piano Critics' Accolade DAVID BLUD1 AND THE phonic manner. And since many observers and . ESTERHAZY ORCHESTRA whom I respect hold his music in maximally Haydn's Symphonies No. 39 in G high regard. I take it as a personal . quirk- JOSEPH SZIGETI minor & No. 73 in D. "l.a Chasse" a violin VRS-1123 & VSD-71123 blind spot. if you will-that I have never "One wonders whether Haydn's been able to work up much enthusiasm for own Esterhazy orchestra could have it myself. Not because it's dissonant, not played these works ariy more win- ningly." Atlantic Monthly because it's twelve -tone -like in orientation. Beethoven: ALEXANDER SCHNEIDER but because it seems to me essentially aca- Sonata in_ A, Op, 4,7, ;`Kreutzer" AND PETER SERKIN demic and because it compromises both the three ° Debussy: Schubert's Sonatas for Violin twelve-tone position and the tonal one Sonata for Violin and Piano, Op. 137 and Piano VRS-1 128 & 'VSD-71128 with no attendant inspiration to unify, to Bartók: "Vanguard has done Schubertians save the day, as in the case of a composer Second Sonata for Violin and Piano and music lovers in general another good turn in issuing this splendid new such as Alban Berg. But. as I've said- ton Bartók: recording...Schneider's violin playing many bright people admire it for me not First Rhapsody for Violin and Piano has wonderful musicality and rhythmic thrust...Peter Serkin is the ideal to question the validity of my own reaction Recorded at the Library of Congress, Wash- collaborator ...a genuine treat." to it. ington, D.C., April 13; 1940 David Hall. HiFi Stereo Roberto 2 discs in album., VRS-1130/2 Gerhard is a Spanish composer PHYLLIS CURTIN who has long lived in England and who, like There are io,ne coughs, and the sound Is CantigasyCancionesof Latin America nit ultra hifi, but you will héar why many VRS-1125& VSD-7t125 Riegger- now writes a humanized twelve-tone who' attended this concert thought It the "Phyllis Curtin remains one of the music. But not here. Here we get inept Falla greatest. musical experience o) their,lite. most imaginative of singers...a most attractive and unhackneyed recital of (the piece was composed in 1942), a strange colorful songs by some of Latin America's most interesting composers combination of bareness and gaucherie that. ..vivid ...her sense of rhythm is a in some unusual way, I find just the slightest ° - VANGÚARD joy in itself." bit embarrassing. . ° Recordings'foi.the Connoisseur Alan Rich, High Fidelity -Stereo The performances are vigorous and en- thusiastic, the recorded sound passable. If". F. CIRCLE NO. 55 ON READER SERVICE CARO 86 HIFI/STEREO REVIEW