OVERTONES Col umbia Releases Shostakovich Quintet and Some Old Favorites y MILES KASTEXDIEtK Of special interest among the important Columbia record releases lor the month is the Shostakovich Quintet, Opus 57, played by the Stuyvesant Quartet with Vivian Rivkin at the .piano. The reason lies not so much In the fact that in winning the Stalin Prize of 100,000 rubles it received the highest sum of money ever paid to composer of a piece of chamber music, but simply tht it Is music Which has appeal. Its first performance in November, 1940, was "well received by the widest circles of Soviet audiences," a circumstance which meant to the composer that the masses understood it. To have achieved this result could mean only one thing: A certain unanimity In understanding between the composer and his public, an achievement which satisfies Soviet ideology while at the same time benefit the musical public outside of Russia. Most noiiceable in this work is the fact that Shostakovich has paid little respects to classicism, at the same time composing in' the contemporary idiom.

That means simply a move away from programmatic conceptions to the creation of absolute music wherein the formal and emotional aspects can be nicely balanced. The work. Is in five movements with a Prelude in classical style, a Fugue for a second movement, a singularly entertaining Scherzo, a simple, song-like Intermezzo and a march-like Finale, with a hint from Russian folk-song. Throughout the work the piano is treated in a rather individualistic manner. It is well performed.

All in all, the performance adds up to one of the most interesting in the contemporary repertoire. The other February offerings that Columbia presents leave a reviewer puzzled. There is. for instance, a new performance of Schubert's "Unfinished'' Symphony, played by the All-American Orchestra conducted by Stokowski. The question arises as to why this was necessary except for the fact that there is novelty in the combination which plays the work.

To the credit of the conductor and orchestra, this is a very satisfactory job, but to the prospective record collector it can hardly make the appeal that interpretations by Walter, Koussevitzky and Beecham do. There Is also a new recording of Dukas' "Sorcerer's Apprentice," played by the Minneapolis Symphony, conducted by Mitropoulos. For sheer virtuosity and brillance of performance this has its merits, but it Is a bit angular and lacking in humor so that perhaps the ultimate Interpretation of this work still remains to be recorded. The chances are that this album will prove satisfactory to a great many people who can no longer do without this intriguing music. There is finally the performance of Brahms' "Tragic Overture" by the Chicago Symphony under Stock which is undoubtedy one of the best performances that they have made Once again the question arises whether there are not already better Interpretations those of Toscanini and Beecham, for example.

Columbia also presents Schumann's "Dichterllebe," sung by Lotte Lehman, with piano accompaniment by Bruno Walter. While It Blight be observed that a masculine voice proves more satisfactory to some people and that Lehmann's interpretations, fine though they may be, are not the last word. Lotte Lehmann does contribute some outstanding singing. Those who know the quality of her voice and her greatness as a lleder singer will giva this album due consideration..