New Records

In the days of Enrico Caruso and Galli-Curci, the record companies built their fortunes on single operatic records. Last week, after a long absence, they went back into this once profitable field. Victor released 16 familiar arias and duets from the Metropolitan Opera Company's repertory. Columbia, a bit behind, had Baritone Herbert Janssen on two Tannhauser arias.

The brightest star of Victor's sky is the Met's Jugoslav-born soprano Zinka Mi-lanov. Her Pace, pace, mio Dio from La Forza del Destine and Voi lo sapete from Cavalleria Rusticana, helped by modern engineering, are improvements over most of the collectors' classics from the Golden Age. She also teams with the Met's Margaret Harshaw in a duet from Norma, and with Jan Peerce in the Miserere from // Trovatore. Others: Kerstin Thorborg, Blanche Thebom, Eleanor Steber, Alexander Kipnis.

Among the new albums:

J. S. Bach: Goldberg Variations (Wanda Landowska; Victor, 12 sides). The Polish harpsichordist hovers gracefully over 18th-Century drawing-room music. Performance: excellent.

Wagner: Act III, Die Walkure (Helen Traubel, Herbert Janssen, Irene Jessner and vocal ensemble from the Metropolitan Opera Company, and the New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, Artur Rodzinski conducting; Columbia, 16 sides). Victor recorded Act I in Vienna, Act II in Berlin. Now Columbia finishes the job. The Met's mighty Brunnhilde comes through a good yo-ho above everyone else. Performance: good.

Prokofiev: "Alexander Nevsky" Cantata (Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy conducting, Jennie Tourel and the Westminster Choir; Columbia, 10 sides). Russia's greatest living composer shuttles from Gregorian chants to jazzy brass fanfares in this expanded, concert-hall version of his score for a Sergei Eisenstein film. Performance: good.

Beethoven: Sonata in F Minor "Ap-passionata" (Artur Rubinstein; Victor, $ sides) and Concerto No. 3 in C Minor (Artur Rubinstein and the NBC Symphony, Arturo Toscanini conducting; Victor, 8 sides). Chopinist Rubinstein takes on Beethoven. Concerto No. 3, recorded at a radio broadcast, has some technical limitations but few musical ones. Performance of both: excellent.

Schubert: Symphony No. 6 in C Major (London Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Thomas Beecham conducting; Victor, 7 sides). Sir Thomas makes a better showing than Schubert in one of the first recordings of a little-heard work that sounds like second-drawer Mozart.

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