·OPHONE Incorporating CASSETTES & CARTRIDGES

February 1987 Vol. 64 No. 765

CONTENTSINDEXTOREVIEWS-includingToscanini'sBeethoven,Wand'sBeethoven and Jeffrey Tate's Great C major. Nicholas Anderson reviews cantatas by the Bach family and Lionel Salter considers John Eliot Gardiner's Bach St John Passion. Alan Blyth welcomes a new Die F/edermaus conducted by Placido Domingo... ...... 1090 CORRESPONDENCE-two views on the performance/recording dilemma, a defence of modern music on CD and some thoughts on British repertoire

NEW RELEASES.

NEWS & VIEWS-Placido Domingo on conducting, Alfredo Kraus on bel canto singing and Margaret Fingerhut on choosing the repertoire to start a career. 1094 QUARTERLY RETROSPECT-Robert Layton considers the quarter's orchestral. chamber and instrumental recordings ranging from Beethoven to Alexis de Castillon by way of Bernstein's Mahler, Thomson's Bax and Boult's Elgar. . .1103 FEATURE-Bryden Thomson talks about Bax and the musical public's interest.

FEATU RE-"The British Symphony 1900-50". Lyndon Jenkins discusses

50 years of symphonic writing and its recorded legacy. (Photos Bax/ Cloud Nine Records: Bliss/Lyrita: Brian/LWT: Elgar/EMI: Vaughan Williams/EM I: Walton!Decca) . ................... 11 08 VIDEO-Rodney Milnes reviews three new video releases including the controversial Stuttgart Der Freischutz

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1110

REVIEWS Orchestral... ......... .. . 1115 Chamber 1144 Instrumental. 1153 Choral and Song.. 1163 Ope~.. 1174 Brief Reviews ....................... .. . ..... 1182 Nights at the Round Table . . . . . . . .. 1185 Cassette Commentary . . . . . . . . . 1189

AUDIO The Digital-Analogue Fusion.. 1193 Audio Forum ................................. 1197 Equipment Reviews

B&W Matrix 2E Loudspeakers 1198 Denon DR -M10 Cassette Deck ... 1201 Thorens TD166 Mk II Turntable .. 1202 Philips CD160 CD Player.. 1205 New Products.. 1205

FRONT COVER

Bryden Thomson appears on om cover. He talks to Stephen Johnson on page 1107 and Michael Oliver reviews his two new Bax recordings on pages 1115 and 1116. (The cover photograph taken in Antarctica, which also appears on the Bax Winter Legends recording, is reproduced by permission of Geoslides Photo Library and the photograph of Thomson is by Tom Bangbala)

NEXT MONTH

Klaus Tennstedt. whose recording of the Eighth Symphony completes his Mahler cycle, is featured on next month's front cover. Edward Seckerson considers the series and talks to Tennstedt about his approach to Mahler. Also next month, Richard Osborne reviews the first record in Roger Norrington's Beethoven symphony cycle with the London Classical Players The March 1987 issue will be published on Wednesday March 4th. Published by General Gramophone Publications Ltd., 177/9, Kenton Road, Harrow, Middlesex HA3 OHA. Telephone 01-907 4476. Publisher & Managing Editor. ANTHONY POLLARD; Editor. CHRISTOPHER POLLARD; Deputy Publisher & Advertisement Director. BARRY IRVING; Consultant to the Editorial Department. QUITA CHAVEZ: Audio Editor. JOHN BORWICK; Audio Consultant. JOHN G,LBERT; Advertisement Co-ordinator & Art Editor, DERMOT JON ES; Circulation Manager. STEPHEN PRESCOTT; Subscription Manager. VALERIE WARBURTON

GRAMOPHONE is published on the Wednesday nearest to the 1st of each month and is available from all newsagents and bookstalls. Annual subscriptions: see page 7276: US air speeded rate $38·60. second class postage paid Rahway, NJ and at additional mailing offices. Postmaster please send North American address corrections to Mercury Airfreight International Ltd.. Inc. Unit lOb, Eng lehard Avenue, Avenel, NJ 07007. Printed in England by Watmoughs Limited, Idle, Brifdford: and London. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of statements within this magazine, we cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions, or for matters arising from clerical or printers' errors, or an advertiser not completing his c ontract It is requested that all letters to the Editor requiring a personal reply should be accompanied by a stamped addressed envelope. Subscribers, both at home and abroad, are requested to adVise change of address details to our Subscflption Department at least five weeks prior to the change becoming effective.

ISSN 007 7-370X General Gramophone Publications Ltd-7 987