played. The delicate, singing passages arc MOZART: Quintets for Strings (6): in B PONCHIELLI: flat, K. in C minor, K. in C, given no Slavic, quasi- l'chaikoyskian 174; 406; Anita Cerquetti (s), La Gioconda; Giu- K. 515; in G minor, K. in D, K. character; and the scherzo, for once, is 516; lietta Simionato (ins), Laura; Franca as with quick and vigorous 593; in E. flat, K. 614 heard marked, Sacchi (c), La Cieca; \Mario del Monaco opening and closing sections contrasting Emil Kessinger, viola; Barchet Quartet. (t), Enzo Crimaldo; with charming trio of rustic simplicity. a Vox VBX 3. Three LP. $0.95. (b), Barnaba; (bs), Alvise in this Stereo does wonderful things Badoero. Soloists, Chorus, and Orchestra music, not only to clarity in the contra- On the whole an excellent set. The Blu- of the Florence May Festival, Cian:uxlrea puntal lines, but also to the broad impact chers play together as one, their tempos Gavazzeni, cond. of the climactic passages. In short, an ex- seen natural, their tone is attractive, and LONDON OSA 1302. Three SD. cellent record, and a promising debut for occasionally, as in the great Adams o of $17.94. a new label. the G minor Quintet, they convey all of the profundity and poetry of this won- The brilliance of London's sterco Andrea derful music. They do not, I think, have Clténtcr is not equaled here, primarily MOZART: Mass No. 19, in D minor, K. quite the finesse of the Budapests in a because the performance is less good. The 626 ( "Requiem ") recent Columbia set, and their dynamic singers infrequently rise to the potentiali- range is except in Teresa Stich -Randall, soprano; Ira Mala- somewhat narrower: ties of their roles, and the orchestra ( save the they seldom nink, contralto; Waldemar Kmentt, tenor; aforementioned Adagio, for a stunning Dance of the flours) tuns real pianissimo or fortissimo. Kurt Biihme, bass; Vienna .talc Opera employ a in a reading only a cut above routine. Nor such Choir; Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Karl Otherwise, faults as the present set is there much evidence of imaginative en- has are the is forward Böhm, cond. minor: cello not gineming: frequently I listened in vain for when ( first Eric LC 3507. LP. $3.98. enough it should come out a sense of separation in the vocal parts. two movements of the C minor Quintet, Gioconda is an opera that ought to offer Minuet of the D major); the violin tone a field day for the enterprising stereo Mass No. 19, in D minor, K. MOZART: is slightly streaked in the C major; and senuxlman, with its constant physical ac- Regina cacti, K. Atilt. 626 ( "Requiem "); the very first note of the G minor is tion, its sopranos shouting imprecations 118; Are venom corpus, K. 618; Te clipped, so that it sounds like a sixteenth at one another from the deck of Ends Deum, K. 141; Sancta Maria, K. 273 instead of an eighth. it would be interest- yacht, its big, multivoiced first and third Sena Jurinac, soprano; Lucretia West, ing to know why Mr. Barchet, in the third act finales. 'Po do it justice, movement as contralto; Hams Loeffler, tenor; Freder- measure from the end of the slow intro- well as vocal and instrumental separation ick Guthrie, lass; Vienna Academy Chor- duction to the finale of the C minor, is needed. None of the first and surpris- us; Vienna State Opera Orchestra; Her- plays E flat where all available scores ingly little of the second are to he found mann Scherchen, cond. (in the Requi- print E natural. N.B. on these discs. D.J. em), René Leibowitz, cond. (in the other works). OFFENBACH: Gaffe Parisienne WESTMINSTER \VST 205. Two SD. PROKOFIEV: The Buffoon, Op, 2I Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra, $1l.96. ( "Clout "): Suite Felix Slatkin, cond. London Symphony Orchestra, Walter Here are two more in the long list of re- CAPITOL SP 8405. SD. $5.98. corded Mozart Requiem performances Susskind, conci. EVEREST LPBR 6001. LIP. that arc very good in some sections and Reprinted on the jacket of this stereo $3.98. EVEREST SDBR 3001. SD. $5.98. less impressive in others. in the Epic the Gaité Parisienne is an excerpt from my spots are relatively few beauti- review of the monophonic version, in high -a has never been a great success on opening, the pure and which I offered high praise for the bright, Chad fully transparent the stage, but this fairy -tale ballet about singing of Stich -Randall, the quiet wide -range sound. As might well be steady clowns, untrders, and narrow escapes in supplication of the last page of the Rex imagined, that sound is even more im- disguise inspired Prokofiev to one of his tremendac. Elsewhere the performance pressive when distributed over two stereo richest scores. I have never seen a synop- rests on a plateau that might be de- channels. What is not quoted, however, was my sis of the plot that even remotely ap- scribed as a little more than halfway tip warning that Slatkin's interpreta- proaches intelligibilit , but one gathers the mountain. Except in the Dies irae, tion often becomes a bit slow and that the action has the sante sort of wild where choral and orchestral lines arc ob- weighty, his waltz movements, in par- fantasy found in the paintings of Marc scured by the organ, the sound is clear. ticular, having more Strauss than Offen- Chagall, and so has the music. The gro- The \Vcstminster is a store dramatic bach in them. Still, this is one of the bet- tesquerie, irony, and satire reading. At times Scherchcn teeters on ter Guités, and in stereo it will probably so character- istic of Prokofiev the edge of theatricality, as in an occa- be a demonstration record in more than in his early days are sional exaggerated retard at the end of a one home and hi -fi emporium. P.A. here given absolutely epical expression, section or in bringing out the trombones and the work is therefore one of the key as solo instruments in the Domine Jesu masterpieces of the modern repertoire. when they are supposed to be merely Susskind understands these qualities supporting the voices. But when Scher- very well, and the excellence of his per- formance is chcn is good he is hard to beat, and that matched by the recording. is the case in the profoundly moving In- Prokofiev's orchestration is made to order troit, the finely balanced Ilecordare, and for stereo, and Everest's engineers have the perfectly paced Lacri,iora. None of taken full advantage of that fact. A.F. his vocal soloists is particularly outstand- ing here, but they blend together well. PUCCINI: Madama Butterfly I could hear no separation in the stereo Requiem. On the last side, however, the Victoria de los Angeles (s), \(alcuna sound is well and clearly spread. This Butterfly; Anna Maria Canali ( ins ), Su- side is almost worth the price of the set, zuki; Maria Hader (nos), Kate; Giuseppe for it offers straightforward, competent di Stefano (t), Pinkerton; Renato Ercct- readings of two masterpieces (the Sancta huai (t ), Coro; Tito Gobbi (h ), Sharpless; Maria and Ave eeru,» ), an unfamiliar Arturo la Porta (bs -h ), \' ;unadori, the work of fine quality (the Regina cadi, Commissioner; Bruno Sbalchiero (bs), the based on an incomplete Kyrie by Mozart Bonze. Chorus and Orchestra of the and finished by Abbé Stadler), and an Rome Opera /louse, Gianaudrea Gavaz- interesting 're Dcun, which according to zeni, cond. Einstein is almost note for note patterned after one by Michael Haydn. I.B. Susskind: feeling rr Prokofiev fantasy. Continued on page 58

56 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE