New Records

Bach: Magnificat (Blanche Thebom, mezzo-soprano, and other soloists with the RCA Victor Chorale and Orchestra, Robert Shaw conducting; Victor, 10 sides). St. Thomas's Church in Leipzig was not too happy about hiring Bach as cantor (there were two other men they would have preferred). But shortly after he took the job, Bach wrote this masterpiece for the church. Shaw's chorale has given it an impressive performance, though not all of the soloists are all they should be. Recording: good.

Brahms: Concerto No. I (Clifford Curzon, pianist, with the National Symphony Orchestra, Enrique Jorda conducting; Decca Record Co. Ltd., 12 sides). Pianist Curzon, one of England's best, does well with what he has to work with: early Brahms, somewhat blustering and diffuse. Recording: excellent.

Gluck: Orfeo ed Euridice Excerpts (Kathleen Ferrier, contralto, Zoe Vlacho-poulos, Anne Ayars, sopranos; the Glyndebourne Festival Chorus with the Southern Philharmonic Orchestra, Fritz Stiedry conducting; Decca Record Co. Ltd., 14 sides). For opera fans, one not to miss: a fine performance of music, by the grandfather of grand opera (1714-87), that has kept its shine for nearly 200 years. Recording: good.

Schubert: Symphony No. 9 in C (NBC Symphony Orchestra, Arturo Toscanini conducting; Victor, 11 sides). Toscanini does Schubert's masterpiece (also sometimes listed as his seventh) with proper clarity, power and warmth. Recording: good.

Schumann: Concerto in A Minor (Artur Rubinstein, pianist, with the RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra, William Steinberg conducting; Victor, 8 sides). Schumann's only piano concerto lends itself to sentimentalizing, and often suffers from it. Rubinstein avoids the temptation. Recording: good.

Haydn: Concerto in C (Szymon Goldberg, violinist, with the Philharmonia Orchestra; Parlophone, 6 sides). Handel: Sonata in D Major (Szymon Goldberg, violinist, Gerald Moore, pianist: Parlophone, 4 sides). The Haydn is not Haydn at his best, but it is cleanly played; the Handel is one of Handel's best, but it has been played better by Szigeti (on Columbia). Recording: good.

Treasury of Harpsichord Music (Wanda Landowska, harpsichordist; Victor, 12 sides). A treasure indeed that includes Bach's fine Prelude, Fugue and Allegro in E Flat, Handel's Harmonious Blacksmith, bits of Purcell and Couperin, and Mozart's gay Rondo in D, all done in Landowska's unmatched style. With the album are eight scholarly pages of Landowskiana on the music and the composers. Recording: good.

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