POULENC. Concerto in G minor for organ, strings ® and percussion*. Concert champêtre for harpsichord and orchestrat. *Marie_Claire Alain (organ), f Robert Veyron-Lacroix (harpsichord), French National Radio Orchestra conducted by Jean Martinon. RCA Erato STU70637 (299). First reviewed under same number in July 1971.

Enthusiasts of Poulenc's music will grind their teeth at the insoluble problems of duplication posed by this (otherwise welcome) reissue. The Organ Concerto, to begin with, already exists in an excellent performance by Maurice Duruflé (HMV ASD2835, 2/73); it is coupled with the only available recording of the Glorta (a work which no true Poulencian would be without). An admirable account of the Concert champêtre is also in the catalogue (the soloist is Aimée van derWiele) on ASD5I7, 4/63: the coupling here, no less desirable, is Poulenc's own performance, with Jacques Février, of the Concerto for two pianos. Some may feel, as I do, that Jean Martinon makes a more sympathetic, less strenuous conductor of Poulenc's music than does Georges Prhtre (who appears on both the rival discs) but this makes the dilemma more rather than less acute. Of the present coupling I can say no more than that I greatly enjoyed both performances, with the exception of Marie-Claire Alain's phrasing of the Faure-cum-Baroque andante moderato in the Organ Concerto (which could have been more crisply dotted) and Robert VeyronLacroix's handling of his very first entry in the Concerto champêtre (rather too heavily staccato). The balance in both recordings is exemplary, but rapid figuration on the organ is not perfectly clear, despite a dryish acoustic (Studio 104 at the Maison de l'ORTF in Paris). I would be happy with all three discs or any permutation from them—not very helpful, I'm afraid, but it is better to have good performances duplicated than bad ones; we should be grateful for small mercies. M.E.O.