Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D, Serenade melancolique, Bruch: Scottish Fantasy.

Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D; Serenade melancolique; Bruch: Scottish Fantasy. Arthur Grumiaux, violin; Jan Krenz and Heinz Wallberg, New Philharmonia Orchestra. PentaTone Classics SACD 5186-117.

I have always thought of Arthur Grumiaux as a rather sedate violinist, a refined and cultured gentleman seldom given to flights of fancy or overt showmanship. Thusly does his 1975 recording of the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto strike me, a classic example of allowing the music to speak for itself. For comparisons, I had on hand two other skilled exponents of the bow whom I highly admire, Perlman and Heifetz, both of whom are more outwardly showy and energetic in the work. Well, there's no denying that Tchaikovsky requires both technical virtuosity and a strong degree of passion, and I don't mean to imply that Grumiaux hasn't qualifications in either department. There is emotion in every note he plays. It's just that his appears to be a more effortless passion than the others display. Perhaps the man's relaxed and sensitive approach to music making is even better expressed in the disc's companion piece, the Bruch Scottish Fantasy, where Grumiaux allows the often-lyrical and rhapsodic folk tunes literally to soar.

The sound, recorded originally in four channels but heretofore available only in two-channel stereo, is, like the performances, laid-back, warm, and slightly soft in its two-channel presentation. This was especially apparent in the comparisons, the Perlman on a Chesky gold remastering, the Heifetz on one of JVC's XRCDs. Both Perlman and Heifetz were noticeably more focused and precise, with better orchestral depth. This is not to suggest, however, that there is anything wrong with the Philips/ PentaTone sound, and, indeed, many listeners may prefer it to the more analytical presentation on the Chesky and JVC discs.

A final concern: Why buy PentaTone? They are hybrid SACDs containing a multichannel layer and a regular two-channel layer. They produce some recently recorded work and some older, quadraphonic pieces. And they are capable of holding up to 5.1 channels, but since Philips only recorded the Tchaikovsky and Bruch in four channels, the record company chose to keep it that way rather than try to synthesize a center channel and/or create a separate bass. I suspect that folding the rear channels into the front may have caused some of the softness I noticed in the stereo presentation. In any case, if you have the capability of playing things back in the Super Audio CD format, PentaTone offers that advantage. Another is that the regular stereo issue is probably mastered to disc as well as it can be. It's reasonably quiet, and soft or not, it is still quite natural and pleasant. A final reason for considering this particular PentaTone release is that as far as I can tell, the performance is no longer available anywhere else. Grumiaux's reading of the Tchaikovsky with Bernard Haitink and the Concertgebouw can be found on Philips, but I don't believe this one with conductor Jan Krenz and the New Philharmonia is still around; nor is the Bruch. In any case, it's a disc worth looking into.