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Having heard only two of the nine Beethoven symphonies recorded for World Record by the London Symphony under Josef Krips, I am in no way entitled to cast a vote for the complete set. But having been prompted by the Eroica. I find myself enthralled by the Fifth (TZ222. mono and stereo), and trust this standard is going to last. Krips' Fifth is 'top three' material: the staccato chord phrasing is marvellously structured from beginning to end, exquisite use being mode of the brass, whilst in the strings we have for the first time true observation of the ppp markings. The recording (from American Everest) is wide and clean, and as a bonus, not listed on the sleeve, a brilliant rendition of the Egmont overture.

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Great Sopranos of Our Time (Malp 2008. ASDM 558. mono and stereo) brings together six footllght artists all of whom record for the EMI group of labels: de los Angeles (Gounod). Nilsson (Beethoven), Schwarzkopf (Mozart). Crespin (Wagner) and Callas (Verdi and Bizet). All Items arc from previously issued discs, but this doesn't detract from the present notion. Especially enjoyable is Callas' evocation of the Sleep-Walking scene from Act IV of Macbeth. The transfers themselves are balanced and the sound lively. As an aside, I am amazed at the leaps EMI has taken over the past twelve months in technique of reproduction. One was wont to look to Decca and Deutsche Grammophon for recording. Yet now!

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OF general worthiness also, is Lorin Maazel conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra in Debussy's Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun and Moussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition (33MCX 1841 mono). In the latter item the ensemble is very good, only the patchiness of some trumpet playing (Two Jews. Great Gate of Kiev) and a retarding of the tempo at the end which doesn't match up to the opening phrases, mars an otherwise highly re-commendablc disc.

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World Record have re-released the early (1955) performances of Johann St muss's Die Fledermaus under Karajan (ZX 5121 2 mono). The Issue comes in a handsomely designed box—much preferable to the plastic containers adopted nowadays by HMV (NZ)—with line-by-line libretto. It remains the better of the two current con-testors, the other being that in which del Monaco, Welitsch. Price, et.al.. perform' in the second act. The singing (of Schwarzkopf. Strelch and Gedda) is really unfaultable, as is the orchestral accompaniment (Philharmonia). But what has happened to the recording level on the second record? Volume adjustment is necessary after every song to bring up the spoken line.

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FOR connoisseurs of the Volk, seekers of the Gemuetlichkeit, high fidelity equipment testers and German Reading Knowledge aspirants. Music of the German Karneval (Parlophone PMCM 1207 mono) is a worthwhile investment. The form and content of the music has a peculiar post-Tournament party Quality: a genuinely infectious booze-beat. The German Electrola recording is splendid.