Classics in Capsule

One of the nice things about reviewing for a monthly publication--almost as rewarding as the pittance granted the bedraggled scrivener--is the loose deadline. One can ruminate a bit, play a record two or three times, compare it to its rivals, then come to a seasoned if not reasoned judgment. This handful represents the survivors of the summer's rather pawky release list, those that have worn well over the last few months.

Albinoni: Four Concertos for Two Trumpets--Maurice Andre and Guy Touvron endow these Baroque show-pieces with a brassy panache rarely recorded. Bright, lively music, an echo of the glory that was 18th Century Italy. (Angel)

J.S. Bach: Two Cantatas--This is the third and apparently last of the Bach cantatas Seraphim will bring out using the combined forces of Elly Ameling, Janet Baker, Theo Altmeyer, and Hans Sotin with the South German Bach expert Wolfgang Gonnenwein conducting. One grieves, for Cantatas 126 and 149 recorded here only prove this the best ensemble in the business today.

Bach: Six Trio Sonatas for Flute and Harpsichord--Superflute Jean-Pierre Rampal races through these show-pieces faster than a speeding bullet, with more emphasis on the virtuoso than the music. But my, how he dazzles! (RCA)

Brahms: Four Symphonies--James Levine and the Chicago Symphony come close to definitive readings--if anything in music is definitive--of these concert hall staples. They capture the intellectual and passionate Brahms both, as only Bruno Walter and Wilhelm Furtwangler have done it before. (RCA)

Concert of Early Music--This anthology offered up by Musica Reservata of London would serve as an excellent introduction to the pleasures of Middle Ages and Renaissance music. Twenty-five short pieces, in a variety of styles, handsomely performed on a veritable armory of old instruments. (Vanguard)

La Notte--Four "night" works by as many composers, including Mozart's "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik." The surprise of the set, performed by the Lucerne Festival Strings, is Boccherini's evocative quintet, "Night Music of the Streets of Madrid," which alone is worth the price of admission. (Vanguard)

Rameau: Harpsichord Suites--English harpsichordist Trevor Pinnock, whose stature mounts with each new recording, has embarked on a complete Rameau set. Three volumes of these engaging, witty, sometimes wry pieces are rich with rewarding moments and Pinnock's formidable technique. (Vanguard)

Strauss: Ein Heldenleben--Richard Strauss' self-portrait, "A Hero's Life," is perfect music for Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia, lush to over-ripe, revealing to the point of embarrassment. Strauss the Pompous might be laughable but for his true musical genius, sumptuously recorded here. (RCA)

Thomson: Symphony No. 3 and Helps: Symphony No. 1--Virgil Thomson's undeservedly neglected third symphony written in 1932 is a relaxed, almost placid essay that demonstrates contemporary music need be neither bizarre nor banal. Thomson seems to be one of the few Americans who will shoulder his way into the concert hall repertoire, probably with this symphony. (CRI)

Vivaldi: Six Oboe Concertos--Han de Vries and I Solisti di Zagreb offer an engaging set of undemanding works, the sort of record (like much of Vivaldi) one can listen to while doing the housework or studying for mid-terms. Such music has its own rewards. (Angel)