Johannes Brahms – Variações E Fuga Sobre Um Tema De Handel, Op 24 / Variações Para Orquestra, Op 31

About this record

Brazil got its own pressing of this Brahms and Schoenberg coupling on London Records under catalogue 68 51 221, and the pairing itself is the first thing to note: the Handel Variations, Op 24 and the Variations for Orchestra, Op 31, are split across a single side-by-side LP sung by Julius Katchen at the keyboard and Zubin Mehta conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. The record is a compilation with two tracks, filed under Classical with Romantic and Modern styles listed.

Community data shows 23 collectors have it and 3 want it, a ratio that already tells you the copy in circulation outnumbers the demand.

What drives its value

Price guidance for this pressing is thin: the data holds no price_guide and no lowest_price, so no grade-by-grade figure can be quoted here, and no market snapshot of copies currently for sale is available. What the community record does show is 23 owners against 3 wanters, with a single rating of 4 from one reviewer, which points to modest collector pull rather than competitive bidding.

The most useful value lever is therefore the Brazilian origin: it sits among a small set of country-specific London Records issues, and a buyer should compare the 68 51 221 catalogue against any other territorial press of the same coupling before assuming scarcity. Without a price_guide entry, treat any asking price as a negotiated figure, not a benchmark.

How to appraise this pressing

Confirm this exact pressing by reading the spine and front cover for London Records and the catalogue 68 51 221, then match the two-track listing to the Katchen Handel Variations and the Mehta-led Op 31 Variations for Orchestra. The data holds no barcode and no dead-wax matrix string, so you cannot verify it against a matrix or pressing plant from this record alone; examine the runout by hand and record any stamped code before comparing it to a reference listing.

For grading, assess the disc surfaces under good light, play both sides at the speed printed on the label, and note whether the sleeve and vinyl grades are assessed separately, since this is a Brazilian import and sleeve wear is a common point of disagreement between buyers and sellers.

Further reading: grading a record, what makes a pressing valuable.