JANUARY 1977 Vol. 54 No. 644

Publisher & Managing Editor

ANTHONY POLLARD

Editor

MALCOLM WALKER

Deputy Editor ROGER HUGHES

Audio Editor JOHN BORWICK Audio Consultant

JOHN GILBERT Advertisement Manager

BARRY IRVING

Asst Advertisement Manager

DERMOT JONES Accounts Manager CHRISTINE FLEGG Circulation Manager

HELEN GRIMES Subscription Manager

LILIAN SHERER

CONTRIBUTORS

FELIX APRAHAI'1IAN

DENIS ARNOLD

MARY BERRY ALAN BLYTH WILLIAM A CHISLETI

JOAN CHISSELL

PETER FIELD ROGER FISKE CHARLES FOX EDWARD GREENFIELD

MAX HARRISON TREVOR HARVEY

NIGEL HUNTER ANDREW LAMB ROBERT LAYTON WILLIAM MANN

IVAN MARCH MALCOLM MACDONALD

ALUNMORGAN

PETER MYERS RICHARD OSBORNE

MICHAEL OLIVER CHRISTOPHER PALMER

STEPHEN PLAISTOW

JOHN POSTGATE

BRIAN RUST STANLEY SADIE LIONEL SALTER

ERIC SAMS PETER SENSIER JOHN B STEANE JOHN WARRACK

STANLEY WEBB

Incorporating VOX-THE RADIO CRITIC-BROADCAST REVIEW

CONTENTS1112IndextoReviews1112Deletions I 131 A Quartedy Retrospect by John Steane 1132 Contributors' Notes 1133 Here and There with Alan Blyth: Sue Regan and Roger Wimbush 1134 Obituaries . 1221 Book Reviews 1222 Correspondence 1222 Editorial Notes

REVIEWSI139Orchestral1159ChamberMusic1160Instrumental I 162 Choral and Song 1173 Opera 1178 Electronic Music I 178 Spoken Word 1178 New Cassettes 1184 Nights at the Round Table 1194 Easy Lister)ing 1198 Jazz

AUDIO1201Commentary by John Borwick 1202 Audio Circles with John Gilbert 1205 Audio Forum

1206 1211 1211 1217 1221

Equipment Reviews

Trio KA-7300 amplifier by Denys Killick Trio KT-7300 tuner by Denys Killick Chartwell PMA400 loudspeaker by Roger Driscoll Toshiba SM-3500 music centre by John Gilbert Audio News

FRONT COVER

. .

A good month for operetta, with La fllJe de Madame Angot and excerpts from Monsieur Beaucaire and La fllJe du Tambour Major (from which the cover illustration is taken) from CRD, La belJe H~/~ne from Peerless, Merry Widow excerpts from EMI and A Night in Venice excerpts from Saga. All are reviewed in "Nights at the Round Table".

NEXT MONTH A Quarterly Retrospect by Robert Layton Alan Blyth interviews Lazar Berman John Gilbert tests the Akai AA-I030 receiver The February issue of GRAMOPHONE will be published on Wednesd ay February 2nd

VALUE ADDED TAX

The prices quoted in this issue do not take account of any VAT changes which might have been announced in December

GRAMOPHONE is published by General Gramophone Publications Limited 177-179 Kenton Road Harrow Middlesex HA3 OHA

GRAMOPHONE is tJublished on the first Wednesday of each month and is ol/oilable ("om all newsagents and bookstolls. Annual s~bscriptions: UK-lS ·90; Overseas--l6·6I) (US $/4·00). Second Closs Postoee Paid New York . NY. US malline oeents Air & Sea Freight Inc.. 527 Madison Avenue (Suit! 121 n. New York. NY 10022. Printed in Enelond. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the occuracy of stotements within this ma~azine. we connot aCCei>t resfxmsibiJity for any errors or omissions. or (or morters or;s;n~ from clerical or Orinte,s' errors. or an advertiser not como/ecin~ his contract. It ;s rOGuested Ihot 01/ leners to the Edilor rOGuirine a Personal rePlv should b. accompanied by 0 stamPed oddre..ed envelOPe. Subscribers. both 01 home and abroad. are rOGuesled 10 odvise chance of address details to our SubscriPtion DeJ1Qrtment ot least five weeks "r;or to the chance becominc effective. @ .. Gramophonu"-1977