Arthur Grumiaux’s Mozart performances glowed, but his interpretations were always free of artifice and affectation, making his survey of the five violin concertos (it’s seldom been out of the catalog) a prime contender even now. Of particular interest is the G major concerto K. 216, where Grumiaux pays tribute to one of the greatest representatives of the Franco-Belgian school (to which he belonged) by performing cadenzas by Ysayë, a welcome change from the customary Joachim or Sam Franko (Perlman’s choice) alternatives. In the other concertos the cadenzas are either by Grumiaux himself, or Joachim, but in all respects these performances are outstandingly refined and beautiful. Their high quality is exemplified by the effortlessly graceful transition achieved in the sometimes unforgiving finale of K. 218. It’s one of many passages that sort out the leaders from the also-rans, and with Grumiaux everything is perfectly balanced and controlled, so the shift from Andante to Allegro seems completely natural. In another example, there’s tremendous sweep and power, but no loss of Classical poise in the much broader opening movement of Concerto No. 5 K. 219.
If there’s a downside, it would be that the accompaniments by Colin Davis and the London Symphony Orchestra haven’t the neatness of ensemble among the strings nor the warmly idiomatic oboe, bassoon, and horn sonorities of the scaled-down Vienna Philharmonic under Levine for Perlman on DG. Perlman’s readings are plainer than Grumiaux’s (although tonally beautiful); there’s neither the fastidious clarity (a prime attribute of Franco-Belgian violinists) in outer movements nor the immaculately groomed elegance of phrasing in slow movements. Perlman’s DG set included the Rondos as fillers, but Philips offers the more substantial and engrossing choice of two complete sonata performances (K. 454 in B-flat and K. 526 in A) from Grumiaux and Clara Haskil, recorded in 1956. Despite the above-mentioned concerns over the LSO’s playing in the concertos, Grumiaux’s Mozart cycle remains largely unchallenged, and Philips’ latest digital transfers sound exquisite.
