I ran across recently a notice advertising a jazzed-up version of Beethoven's Fifth symphony,--"Beethoven's liveliest symphony, with victory emphasized throughout"--and was inclined to consider this more a flattery than otherwise. That the jazz boys need this increasing recourse to the hoary classics at all is a sad commentary on something or other, but by their choice they usually distinguish whatever symphonic music they intend to massacre as having unusual structural or melodic strength, and the Fifth is no exception. respect for the marvelous clarity and controlled exuberance of this symphony has out ridden many interpretative storms from the "Fate-knocking-on-the-door" theorists' down to the present-day "Victory symphony" campaign (based on the rhythm of the first four notes), and will probably survive many more. The recent Columbia recording of the Fifth is the most satisfactory to date, Bruno Walter and the Vienna Philharmonic giving it a more intelligent and broadly conceived reading than that of the present Toscanini recording wherein the Maestro's excessive zeal transformed the first movement into a severe case of the jitters.

I wasn't much impressed either by Toscanini's recording of the Brahms First for Victor despite its technical brilliance. The last movement was crratic in tempo and over-sentimentalized, and throughout there was too much theatre and too little attention to the continuity of the music. Victory seems to be working the Toscanini legend for more than it is worth at the expense of their own standards. When he is good, as in the Victory "Gotterdacmmerung" recordings, he is superb, but he is getting old and of late his performances have lacked evenness.

For those who like dramatic orchestral readings of Bach organ works, Columbia has released another Bach-Stokowski transcription, this time a brilliant performance of the D minor Toccata and Fugue. Columbia offers in addition this month an excellent collection of Negro spirituals sung by the Wings Over Jordan Choir who extemporize the different parts in an attempt to retain the spontaneous improvisation which gave birth to these songs.

This Friday night will be the last chance to hear this year's superlative Glee Club in a Cambridge concert. It will take place in the Lowell House Common Room, the admission is free, and the program will consist of the most successful works of previous concerts this year.