New Records

Borodin: Prince Igor (artists and orchestra of the Bolshoi State Theater, U.S.S.R.; Asch, 10 sides). A top-drawer company, featuring communal teamwork instead of star soloists, distinguishes this streamlined Moscow recording of a pre-Soviet opera. Well recorded on unbreakable vynalite. Performance: good.

Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 ("Choral") in D Minor (Philadelphia Orches tra, Eugene Ormandy conducting, with Stella Roman, Enid Szantho, Frederick Jagel, Nicola Moscona and the Westminster Choir, John Finley Williamson conducting; Columbia, 16 sides). The first U.S. recording in German of this colossus for orchestra and voice is many shades below Columbia's superlative prewar waxing by Felix Weingartner and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and State Opera Chorus. Performance: fair.

Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto In E Minor (Nathan Milstein and the Phil harmonic-Symphony Orchestra of New York, Bruno Walter conducting; Columbia, 7 sides). Milstein 's virtuosity gives added sheen to melodic Mendelssohn music. Performance: good.

Bizet: Music from Carmen (New York City Symphony Orchestra, Leopold Stokowski conducting; Victor, 8 sides).

The gypsy cigaret girl is more tawdry and brassy than she was in Stokowski's earlier Carmen recordings with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Performance: poor.

Rimsky-Korsalcoff: Suite from Le Coq d'Or (Minneapolis Symphony Or chestra, Dimitri Mitropoulos conducting; Columbia, 4 sides). Orchestral arrange ments of choice morsels from a pompously inflated opera. Performance: excellent.

Virgil Thomson: Five Portraits (Phila delphia Orchestra, Virgil Thomson conducting; Columbia, 4 sides). The com poser's five friends (among them Pablo Picasso, Conductor Alexander Smallens) can't be as dull as his musical sketches of them. Performance: good.

Lily Pons: Program (Columbia, 6 sides). The Met's little wren perches on a high E and holds it in Caro Nome from Verdi's Rigoletto. Just as showy are Heinrich Proch's Theme and Variations for Soprano Voice and David's Charmant Oiseau from La Perle du Bresil. Performance : excellent.

Jascha Heifetz: Violin Solos (Decca, 8 sides). The top classical artist to stray from Victor or Columbia, during the 14 months when Decca had made its peace with Petrillo and the big two had not. So far, Heifetz has played such banalities as White Christmas and Largo al Factotum for Decca. Now, in his first Decca album, Heifetz puts his cool gloss on bits & pieces from Ravel, Debussy, Godowsky and others. Performance: good.

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