Bartok: Contrasts (Robert Mann, violin; Stanley Drucker, clarinet; Leonid Hambro, piano; Bartok). Three short Bartok movementsa fantastic little march, a bluesy interlude and a dazzling dance finaleprovide an easy and agreeable introduction to the work of the modern Hungarian master. Performance: excellent.
Beethoven: An die ferne Geliebte (Aksel Schiötz, tenor; Mieczyslaw Horszowski, piano; Columbia). Danish Tenor Schiötz sings with incredible ease and warmth, gives Beethoven's famed song cycle its full, expressive measure.
Honegger: Jeanne d'Arc au Bûcher (Vera Zorina as Jeanne: Philadelphia Orchestra, soloists and choirs conducted by Eugene Ormandy; Columbia. 2 LPs). The burning of St. Joan, told...