Lovely music, classic performances. Arthur Grumiaux’s Ravel and Debussy violin sonatas have style, taste, and a nicely “sec” quality that suits this music perfectly. In the Ravel, Grumiaux’s cool central Blues never becomes sticky, and he’s got virtuosity to spare in the finale. Listen to how effectively he differentiates and balances the three quick movements that comprise Debussy’s sonata, and to how sensitively István Hajdu accompanies him. Debussy’s Cello Sonata also receives a very sympathetic reading from Maurice Gendron (a fine cellist whose numerous recordings seem to have vanished without a trace) and Jean Françaix: not as meaty as the famous Britten/Rostropovich, but wholly lovely with an especially alert Sérénade.
This is the Beaux Arts Trio’s first Philips recording of the Ravel, dating from 1966, and it’s also very fine if not quite as good as the group’s digital remake. A general touch of dryness to the string tone and a lack of dynamic fullness in the finale from pianist Menachem Pressler slightly mar what otherwise is a lively, elegant reading. Still, despite sonics that could use a little cleaning up, this is as worthy a collection of chamber music by these composers as you can find today, and it’s a steal at the price. [5/13/2002]
