JANUARY 1981 Vol. 58 No. 692

Publisher & Editor ANTHONY POLLARD

Editorial Manager

QUITA CHAVEZ

Audio Editor JOHN BORWICK

Audio Consultant

JOHN GILBERT

Advertisement Co-ordinator

DERMOT JONES

Circulation Manager STEPHEN PRESCOTI

Subscription Manager

LILIAN SHERER

Deputy Publisher & Advertisement Director

BARRY IRVING

CONTRIBUTORS

NICHOLAS ANDERSON

DENIS ARNOLD

MARY BERRY ALAN BLYTH WILLIAM A CHISLETI

JOAN CHISSELL

JOHN DUARTE DAVID FALLOWS

ROGER FISKE ROBIN GOLDING EDWARD GREENFIELD

MAX HARRISON TREVOR HARVEY ANDREW LAMB ROBERT LAYTON MALCOLM MACDONALD

WILLIAM MANN

IVAN MARCH MICHAEL OLIVER RICHARD OSBORNE STEPHEN PLAISTOW GORDON REYNOLDS

STANLEY SADIE LIONEL SALTER

JOHN STEANE JOHN WARRACK ARNOLD WHITTALL

Incorporating CASSETIES & CARTRIDGES

CONTENTS

922 Index to Reviews 922 New Record and Cassette Releases 924 Editorial Notes 924 Correspondence 939 A Quarterly Retrospect by John Steane 943 Michael Tilson Thomas by Carolyn Nott 944 Here and There with Philip Archer, David Barnard and Alan Sanders

REVIEWS

948 Orchestral 959 Chamber Music 966 Instrumental 972 Choral and Song 985 Plainsong 986 Opera 994 Historical-Vocal 998 Historical-Instrumental 998 Busch and Schnabel 998 Finlandia Records 1001 Cassette Commentary 1002 Nights at the Round Table 1006 Video Report 1009 Easy Listening

AUDIO1015Commentary

Equipment Reviews : 1016 Thorens TD160 Super turntable 1019 Hitachi D-85S cassette deck 1020 QED Peak Program Indicator Type PP 12 1021 New Products 1022 Audio News

FRONT COVER Thi s month sees the release of Michael Tilson Thomas's complete recording of the works of Carl Ruggles (reviewed on page 953); as well as conducting and performing, Thomas was greatly involved in editorial research for the set. He is interviewed by Carolyn Nott in " Gramophone Perspective" on page 943 and an item on Ruggles appears in "Here and There" on page 944 (photo credit : Barda)

NEXT MONTH To mark the recent 80th birthday of Aaron Copland on November 14th, 1980 an interview w it h the composer by Andrew Keener will feature in " Gramophone Perspective". John Borwick will be reviewing the Denon System 70 and the B&W DM 14 loudspeakers The FEBRUARY 1981 issue of GRAMOPHONE will be published on Wednesday February 4th GRAMOPHONE is published by General Gramophone Publications Limited 177-179 Kenton Road Harrow Middlesex HA3 OHA (telephone 0 1·907 4476) Trade Sales Counter 23-27 Tudor Street London EC4Y OHR (telephone 01-583 9199) GRAMOPHONE IS published on the l irst Wednesday of each month and is avai lable from all newsagents and bookslalls. Annual subscflfJlions: see page 1032; US air speeded rale 130 ·00. second class poslage paid New York. US matling agents :· Expedllers of Ihe Prinled Word Lrd.. 527 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10022. Print ed in England by Wacmoughs Limited. Idle, Bradford ; and London. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of sr8tements within this magazine, we cannot accept responsibility fOf any errors or omiSSIons, or for matters arising from clerica l or printers ' errors, or an adller (tser nor completing his contract. I t is requested that allle({ers to (he Editor requiring a personal reply should be accompanied by a stamped addressed envelope. Subscribers. both at home and abroad, 8re requ ested to advise change of address details 10 our Subscription Departmenr at lea st five week.s prior (0 Ihe change becoming effeclIVe. ISS N 001 7·310X © General Gramophone Publicat ions Ltd .-1981