RECENT RECORDS
ORCHESTRAL. Decca issues a new Beethoven No. 7 by the Concertgcbouw Orchestra under Kleiber, only spoiled by the Alle- gretto being taken noticeably too fast and the brass being out of tune in two places on the last side. Krips conducts the L.S.O. in a smart and properly theatrical performance, of the Euryanthe over- ture. The Telefunken issues, also sponsored by Decca, are not very satisfactory as recordings, but they include Reger's four short tone- poems inspired by Bocklin, interesting for their unfamiliarity but not much else ; and a performance of the Grieg concerto by Michelangeli (with the La Scala orchestra) that would reconcile even a hardened Albert Hall usher to the work. Hindemith's Mathis symphony played by the Berlin Philharmonic is also among these records, probably his best work, though not very happily recorded. Columbia issues Dohnanyi's early orchestral suite, played by the L.S.O. under Sargent, music that lies half-way between Dvorak and Elgar (astonishingly near Elgar sometimes) and there- fore sure to be liked. H.M.V.'s plum is the Walton violin concerto played by Heifetz and the Philharmonia, conducted by the composer —magnificent playing of a work which needs all the polish it can get and then sounds perhaps better than it is. Mozart's early G minor symphony (K. 183) is admirably played by the Vienna Philharmonic under Bohm, not perhaps perfect stylistically, but acceptable to all but the purist. Delius-lovers will welcome A Song of Summer played by the Halle under Barbirolli. M. C.
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