AUGUST 1977 Volume 55 No. 651

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 GRII"IES Subscri ption Manager

LILIAN SHERER

CONTRIBUTORS

I\IICHOLAS ANDERSON

FELIX APRAHAMIAN

DENIS ARNOLD

MARY BERRY ALAN BLYTH WILLIAM A CHISLETT

JOAN CHISSELL

PETER FIELD ROGER FISKE CHARLES FOX EDWARD GREENFIELD

MAX HARRISON TREVOR HARVEY

NIGEL HUNTER ANDREW LAI'1B ROBERT LAYTON MALCOLM MACDONALD

WILLIAM MANN

IVAN MARCHALUN MORGAN MICHAEL OLIVER RICHARD OSBORNE STEPHEN PLAISTOW

BRIAN RUST STANLEY SADIE LIONEL SALTER

ERIC SAMS PETER SENSIER JOHN STEANE JOHN WARRACK

STANLEY WEBB ARNOLD WHITTALL

Incorporating VOX-THE RADIO CRITIC-BROADCAST REVIEW

CONTENTS

262 277 283

290 262 278 289

Index to Reviews A Quarterly Retrospect by Robert Layton Here and There with Nicholas Anderson, Alan Blyth, W. A. Chislett and Sue Regan Karl Muck at Bayreuth by Christopher Dyment Contributors' Notes Editorial Notes Correspondence

REVIEWS 291 Orchestral 313 Chamber Mu sic 317 Instrumental 327 Organ Music from Vista and Wealden 328 Choral and Song 337 Tridentine Mass 338 Opera 346 New Cassettes 349 Nights at the Round Table 353 Easy Listening 354 jazz

AUDIO 357 Commentary by john Borwick 358 Audio News 361 Report from America by Harry Maynard 365 Audio Circles by john Gilbert

Equipment Reviews: 366 AKG TS series pickup cartridges by John Borwick 369 Philips N2521 cassette deck by john Borwick 370 SAE 500 impulse noise reduction system by john Borwick 371 Audio Forum

FRONT COVER Three operas by Giuseppe Verdi (the subject of this month's front cover) are reviewed in this issue-La (orza del destino (page 340). Ote/lo (page 340) and Simon Boccanegra (page 345)

NEXT MONTH Sounds in Retrospect-a panel review Interviews with John McCabe and Kyung-Wha Chung Roger Driscoll reviews the Mission 710 loudspeaker The September issue of GRAMOPHONE will be published on Wednesday September 7th

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GRAMOPHONE is tJublished on the first Wednesday of each month and is available from all newsagents and bookstalls. Annual 5ubscrit;ltions: see Ooge 379; US air s peeded fate S22. second closs poslOge paid New York. US mailing agems: Exoediters or the Printed Word Ltd.. 527 Mad iso n Avenue. New York. NY 10022. Printed in En£lond. WhilS! every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of statements within this magazine, we cannot accet'Jt resoonsibility (or any errors or omissions, or for m(Jf!ers arising from clerical or t'Jrimers' errors, or an advertiser not completing his controc(' It is reQuested that 011 letters [0 the Editor reauiring a personal reoly should be accomoanied by a stamoed addressed enve/ooe . Subscribers. both at home and abroad, are reauested to advise change of address details to our Subscri"tion Department 0( least five weeks prior to the change becoming effective. @"Gramophone"-1977