New Records

Beethoven: Serenade in D, Op. 25 (John Wummer, flute; Alexander Schneider, violin; Milton Katims, viola; Columbia, 6 sides). Beethoven the charmer, instead of Beethoven the thunderer, in a performance that misses none of his smiles and gestures. Recording: good.

Brahms: Concerto in D (Ossy Renardy, violin, with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, Charles Muench conducting; London FFRR--full frequency recording range--formerly the "English Decca" label, 10 sides). Young U.S. Violinist Renardy starts out with thrilling intensity of tone but never seems able to relax, even with the backing of this fine orchestra. Recording: excellent.

Brahms: Tragic Overture (Concertgebouw Orchestra, Willem Mengelberg conducting; Capitol-Telefunken, 4 sides). The competition is tough (Beecham, Toscanini), but this performance stands with the best of them. Recording: good.

Bruckner: Symphony No. 8 (Hamburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Eugen Jochum conducting; Deutsche Grammophon, 21 sides). Like most of the music of the controversial Viennese master, this mammoth symphony floats along endlessly, passing places of beauty. Performance and recording: good.

Folk Songs (Kathleen Ferrier, contralto; Phyllis Spurr, piano; London FFRR, 6 sides). Includes the Northumbrian classics, Blow the Wind Southerly, The Keel Row, the Elizabethan Have You Seen but a White Lily Grow? and Willow, Willow, all sung with incomparable beauty and style. Recording: excellent.

Mozart: Quartet in D Minor, K. 421 (Hungarian String Quartet; Victor, 6 sides). One of the greatest of all quartets, and a sensitive and polished performance of it. Recording (on 45-r.p.m. Vinylite): good.

Schubert: Symphony No. 6 (London Symphony Orchestra, Josef Krips conducting; London FFRR, 8 sides). A delightful, youthful symphony, delightfully performed under the baton of a Viennese Schubert and Mozart master. Recording: excellent.

Einem: Concerto for Orchestra (Saxonian State Orchestra, Karl Elmendorff conducting; Deutsche Grammophon, 6 sides). A grotesque and bombastic try by the composer of the opera Danton's Death (TIME, Aug. 18, 1947). Performance and recording: good.

Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 6 (New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, Leopold Stokowski conducting; Columbia, 7 sides). Eloquent and powerful, this war-written symphony by the dean of English composers is one of this century's greatest. Performance and recording: good.

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