GRAMOPHONE NOTES
THE majority of recent records are orchestral. First, in order of size, come two Strauss tone-poems—Tod and Verkliirung played by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Clemens Krauss (Decca) and Don Quixote by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under Sir Thomas Beecham (H.M.V.). Both conductors ride these two big hobby-horses very well, and patently enjoy the exercise. Kletzki conducts the Philharmonia Orchestra in a most exciting recording of the overture to The Flying Dutchman (Col.), and Ansermet marshals the London Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra in an authoritative and moving performance of Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms. The same conductor with the Suisse Romande Orchestra records a magnificent version of Debussy's La Mer (both Decca). Josef Krips and the London Symphony Orchestra have made a delightfully Viennese recording of Schubert's unequal Sixth Sym- phony (Decca) ; and Decca also issues good recordings of two lighter- weight works—Rossini's Scala di Seta overture (L.P.O. under Zecchi) and Saint-Saens' Rouet d'Omphale (Conservatoire Orchestra under Munch). A Geminiani Concerto Grosso played by the Boyd Neel Orchestra is spoiled by an unsatisfactory surface. Rudolf Serkin plays the Brahms D minor piano concerto with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (Col.), an accurate and restrained performance which accepts without emphasising the emotional banalities which belie the magnificent opening of the work. Moiseiwitsch plays Kabalevsky's clever, self-conscious third piano sonata very well, but I found Solomon's Beethoven C major sonata, op. 2 No. 3, too slick (both H.M.V.). Phyllis Sellick and Cyril Smith play Milhaud's attractive Scaramouche suite and Arthur Benjamin's delightful Jamaican Rumba very pleasantly (Col.). Perhaps the best recording of the lot to me is Handel's D major
violin sonata, admirably played by Szymon Goldberg and Gerald Moore (Parlophone).
There are only two vocal records worth mentioning. Raoul Jobin sings some Werther and Carmen with great brilliance if insufficient subtlety (Col.), and Janine Micheaud gives a suitably brilliant, though rather hard-toned, performance of Proch's coloratura Varia-
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