Happily, London Records has finally done justice to Istvan Kertesz's 1967 version of the First Serenade with the London Symphony, one of the great Brahms recordings.

These qualities are also very evident in his Brahms recordings, where the dense textures of the writing can easily obscure the musical argument.

Ms. Mutter's questing style is evident in that Brahms recording, as it has been in her recent performances of the work.

I agree completely with Mr. Service about the Brahms recording; I would be frightened to know how many times I've listened to it.

LEAD: A review in the Arts and Leisure section last week of Brahms recordings by Stanislaw Skrowaczewski and the Halle Orchestra omitted information about the company releasing them in the United States.

Plenty, as can be seen on page C34, where the classical-music critics of The New York Times list some of their favorite Brahms recordings.

She forgot that her husband's birthday was that night, and only remembered when a birthday present, a rare Brahms recording, arrived from Addie Ross.

Bernstein's first Brahms recording drew a review that ended: "He fails to give this symphony the greatness we know it to have."

It is impossible to know how one might have reacted to the Brahms recording without having been informed of the circumstances (as those who encountered it in a 1996 CD reissue were not).

Here are some favorite Brahms recordings of the classical-music critics of The New York Times.