Bartok: Quartet No. 6 (Gertler String Quartet; English Decca, 7 sides). Bartok's six quartets are possibly the most impressive since Beethoven; in the finer moments of this last quartet (1939), as in Beethoven's last, the great breadth and depth of the composer is revealed clearly and simply. Performance and recording: good.
Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 (Boyd Neel Orchestra, Boyd Neel conducting; English Decca, 6 sides). Not the most inspired of the six Brandenburgs, but here given an inspiring performance. Recording: good.
Beethoven: Sonata No. 3, Op. 69 (Pierre Fournier, cello; Artur Schnabel, piano;...