Outstanding Current Releases

BACH: Cantatas No. 54, No. 170, Agnus Dei

Alfred Deller, Counter-tenor, sings these works now usually sung by contraltos, but in Bach's day by boys. Deller has an amazingly pure voice, much like a child's in quality yet capable of handling the difficult Bach vocal line. He is accompanied by a small Baroque orchestra, and the combination is probably quite close to the music's original sound. The recording is difficult to appreciate on the first hearing, but the result is a wonderful kind of impersonal exaltation. (Bach Guild 550)

BACH: Two Violin Concerti

Vivaldi: Double Concerto

This is one of the all time great violin records. David Oistrakh and Isaac Stern each play a Bach Concerto, then they join for the Vivaldi. Eugene Ormandy keeps the Philadelphia Orchestra incisive and alive. Oistrakh and Stern are each at their best, and make a surprisingly cooperative team. (Col 5087)

Bechet: La Nuit Est Une Sorciere (Ballet)

Jazzman Sidney Bechet soloes in his own Ballet, which has been a success in France. The story concerns a somnambulist who kills his family while he is asleep, only to be led to his own death by a slave. The music at first alternates between late romantic and jazz styles, then combines the two. The jazz is excellent, while the classical sections are rather dramatic. When combined, Bechet has an interesting musical admixture that fits the weird story. (10" Lon WV 91050)

William Schuman: Symphony No. 6

Schuman, who is now head of Juilliard Music School, has here written one of the best of modern symphonies. The work is built on a recurring chordal scheme, much like a gigantic passacaglia. The music does not surrender itself completely on a single hearing, but is well worth repeated listenings. The harmonies are rocky, the rhythms complex, but the orchestration is clean-cut and the symphony is beautifully paced. Ormandy and the Philadelphia give it a vigorous reading, and the recording is fine. (Col 4992)

Available at Minute Man and Briggs and Briggs.