SACD & Other Hi-Res Reviews
TCHAIKOVSKY: Violin Concerto in D Major; Serenade melancolique; BRUCH: Scottish Fantasy - Arthur Grumiaux, violin - New Philharmonia Orchestra/Jan Krenz (Tchaikovsky) and Heinz Wallberg (Bruch) conductors - PentaTone RQR SACD
One of the great violinists, in l973 & 75 concerto recordings originally made for quad
Published on July 26, 2005
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TCHAIKOVSKY: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35; Serenade melancolique,
Op. 26; BRUCH: Scottish Fantasy, Op. 46 - Arthur Grumiaux, violin
New Philharmonia Orchestra/Jan Krenz (Tchaikovsky) and Heinz Wallberg
(Bruch) conductors - PentaTone Multichannel RQR Series SACD 5186 117 71:33****:
PentaTone has entered the sacred chambers of Philips Records, resurrected their stereo and multi-channel (4.0 quadraphonic) archives, here the 1973 Bruch and 1975 Tchaikovsky inscriptions made by the eminent Belgian violinist Arthur Grumiaux (1921-1986) - the aristocrat among the great fiddlers. The Tchaikovsky Concerto is realized with great verve and attention to color details, and the score is given to us nearly complete with repeats, especially in the Allegro vivacissimo finale. The sonic patina possesses richness and depth of field, so that the flute-violin interchange at the opening of the second movement is quite vivid, especially in surround sound. The affecting Serenade melancolique of 1875 communicates intensity without having become maudlin.
Audiophiles will covet the kaleidoscopic color effects of Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy, in a magical rendering that is light, lithe, and rife with instrumental niceties of violin, harp, bassoon, and French horn. Based on any number of Scottish folk-melodies, the Bruch piece, too, can easily descend into a cloying mass of sentimentality. Grumiaux, however, projects such a direct sweetness and conviction into the work, eschewing any undue lingering over phrases, that the plastic charm of the work unfolds like an elegant kilt. The rousing finale, a melange of bagpipe, violin, harp, and tutti effects, simply urges one to don a tam and join the dance. PentaTone seems committed to explore this Philips legacy further, to which I say full speed ahead!
--Gary Lemco
Op. 26; BRUCH: Scottish Fantasy, Op. 46 - Arthur Grumiaux, violin
New Philharmonia Orchestra/Jan Krenz (Tchaikovsky) and Heinz Wallberg
(Bruch) conductors - PentaTone Multichannel RQR Series SACD 5186 117 71:33****:
PentaTone has entered the sacred chambers of Philips Records, resurrected their stereo and multi-channel (4.0 quadraphonic) archives, here the 1973 Bruch and 1975 Tchaikovsky inscriptions made by the eminent Belgian violinist Arthur Grumiaux (1921-1986) - the aristocrat among the great fiddlers. The Tchaikovsky Concerto is realized with great verve and attention to color details, and the score is given to us nearly complete with repeats, especially in the Allegro vivacissimo finale. The sonic patina possesses richness and depth of field, so that the flute-violin interchange at the opening of the second movement is quite vivid, especially in surround sound. The affecting Serenade melancolique of 1875 communicates intensity without having become maudlin.
Audiophiles will covet the kaleidoscopic color effects of Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy, in a magical rendering that is light, lithe, and rife with instrumental niceties of violin, harp, bassoon, and French horn. Based on any number of Scottish folk-melodies, the Bruch piece, too, can easily descend into a cloying mass of sentimentality. Grumiaux, however, projects such a direct sweetness and conviction into the work, eschewing any undue lingering over phrases, that the plastic charm of the work unfolds like an elegant kilt. The rousing finale, a melange of bagpipe, violin, harp, and tutti effects, simply urges one to don a tam and join the dance. PentaTone seems committed to explore this Philips legacy further, to which I say full speed ahead!
--Gary Lemco
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