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One of the lesser crimes of the Nazis was that they caused Shostakovich to spoil his Seventh Symphony. In 1941, the thirty-fiveyear-old composer's native city of Leningrad was besieged by the German armies, and he insisted on remaining there with the defenders. When not engaged in firefighting,...

Kletzki's performance of this symphony was described by those who reviewed it as high-powered and tremendously exciting. So it is; but the astonishing old Frenchman yields nothing to his younger rival in these qualities. Indeed, I am not sure that he doesn't out-do Kletzki but that impression may...

Finlandia is given a most exciting performance on this disc, and sounds almost equally good in mono and stereo. (My stereo copy has a repeating groove near the start.) This music does not usually hang together so well. Valse triste receives a less outstanding performance, though it is nicely...

Dresden Staatskapelle, Boehm (4/58) DGM1S(378 Berlin P.O., Karajan (12/59) LPM18550 Minneapolis SO., Dorati (2/58) (1/60) (R) MMA11069

Reviewing the latest Ansermet version of this superb ballet score, I remarked that there was little to choose between his version and that of Monteux, since both were wonderfully vivid, with just a few occasional rhythmic lapses. In this new recording conducted by Sir Eugene Goossens I am afraid...