Arthur Grumiaux
Of the Franco-Belgian school, Arthur Grumiaux is considered to have been one of the few truly great violin virtuosi of the twentieth century. In his relatively short life his achievements were superb. He brought to performances guaranteed technical command, faithfulness to the composer's intent, and sensitivity toward the intricate delineations of musical structure. His fame was built upon extraordinary violin concerto performances and chamber-music appearances with his own Grumiaux Trio.
Grumiaux was born in Villers-Perwin, Belgium, in 1921, to a working-class family, and it was his grandfather who urged him to begin music studies at the age of 4. He trained on violin and piano with the Fernand Quintet at the Charleroi Conservatory, where he took first prize at the age of 11. The following year he advanced his studies by working with Alfred Dubois at the Royal Conservatory in Brussels, and also worked on counterpoint and fugue with Jean Absil. He received his first few major awards prior to reaching the age of 20; he took the Henri Vieuxtemps and François Prume prizes in 1939, and received the Prix de Virtuosité from the Belgian government in 1940. During this time he also studied composition privately in Paris with the famous Romanian violinist Georges Enesco, Menuhin's teacher. His debuts were made in Belgium with the Brussels Philharmonic Orchestra playing Mendelssohn's concerto, and in Britain with the BBC Symphonic Orchestra in 1945. Due to the German invasion of his homeland, there existed a short time gap between these two important events. During that time he played privately with several small ensembles, while refraining from public performance of any kind. Regardless of this slight delay in the initiation of his international career, once started, it quickly developed. Following his British debut, he advanced into Belgium academia when he was appointed professor of violin at the Royal Conservatory, where he had once studied. There, he emphasized the importance of phrasing, the quality of sound, and the high technical standards of artistry.
Grumiaux's playing has been included on over 30 recordings, nearly all under Philips, although his name is also seen on the labels of EMI, Belart and Music & Arts. The titles on these releases tend to be the compositions of Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart, and Schubert, and on occasion include works by Ravel and Debussy. One of his greatest joys in life was his partnership with the pianist Clara Haskil. On occasion, the two would switch instruments for a different perspective and relationship. Grumiaux was left with a professional and personal absence when she died from a fall at a train station, en route to a concert with him. In addition to his solo work, he has recorded Mozart quintets with the Grumiaux Ensemble, and various selections with the Grumiaux Trio, comprised of the Hungarian husband-wife duo Georges Janzer (violin) and Eva Czako (cello). His successful performance career led up to royal recognition, as in 1973, he was knighted baron by King Baudouin, for his services to music, thus, sharing the title with Paganini. Despite a struggle with diabetes, he continued a rigorous schedule of recording and concert performances, primarily in Western Europe, until a sudden stroke in Brussels took his life in 1986. At the age of 65, Grumiaux left behind the memory of his elegant and solid musicianship.
© TiVo
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Brahms: Concerto pour violon in D Major, Op. 77 - Rhapsodie pour alto, choeur et orchestre Op. 53 (Mono Version)
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Eduard van Beinum, Arthur Grumiaux
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1959
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Arthur Grumiaux, Vol. 1: Mozart Violin Concerto No. 3 & Violin Sonatas (Live)
Arthur Grumiaux, Prague Chamber Orchestra, Clara Haskil, Ataulfo Argenta, Vaclav Smetacek
Classical - Released by DOREMI on 4 Mar 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach, J.S.: Sonatas & Partitas for Violin
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 2001
The Qobuz Essential Discography16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach: Concerto for 2 Violins, Bwv 1043
Arthur Grumiaux, Jean Pougnet, Philharmonia String Orchestra, Boris Ord
Concertos - Released by Altair on 19 Mar 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Violin Sonatas Nos. 5, 4 & 1 (Mono Version)
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1958
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Ludwig van Beethoven: Sonatas For Violin and Piano 1 - 2 - 3 - 4
Chamber Music - Released by Zeroh on 16 Jun 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Violin Masterpieces
Arthur Grumiaux, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, N.W.D.R. Symphony Orchestra, Eduard van Beinum, Ferenc Fricsay
Classical - Released by Jube Classic on 15 Nov 2019
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Violin Concertos Nos. 1 & 4 (Stereo Version)
Arthur Grumiaux, Sir Colin Davis, London Symphony Orchestra
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1963
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
The Art of Arthur Grumiaux
Concertos - Released by Andromeda on 25 Feb 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Debussy & Lekeu: Sonates pour violon et piano (Mono Version)
Arthur Grumiaux, Riccardo Castagnone
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1958
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto, Op. 64 - Schumann: Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 54 (Mono Version)
Wiener Symphoniker, Arthur Grumiaux, Clara Haskil
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1958
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Chausson: Poème, Op. 25 - Ravel: Tzigane - Lalo: Symphonie espagnole, Op. 21, extraits (Mono Version)
Arthur Grumiaux, Orchestre Lamoureux, Jean Fournet
Classical - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1955
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Violin Sonatas Nos. 7 & 10 (Mono Version)
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1958
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Sonates pour violon et piano Nos. 2, 3 & 8 (Mono Version)
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1958
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Prokofiev, Mozart & Ravel: Orchestral Works
Symphonieorchester Des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Arthur Grumiaux, Rudolf Kempe
Classical - Released by Archipel on 26 Jul 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Double Concerto, Op. 102
Arthur Grumiaux, Maurice Gendron, Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR, Hans Müller-Kray
Classical - Released by SWR Mediaservices GmbH on 16 Nov 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Milestones of a Legend - Arthur Grumiaux, Vol. 8
Classical - Released by Documents 2 on 13 Apr 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tchaikovsky: Concerto pour violon, Op. 35 - Mendelssohn: Concerto pour violon, Op. 64 (Mono Version)
Arthur Grumiaux, Bernard Haitink, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1960
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Double Concerto in A Minor, Op. 102 - Schubert: Stabat Mater, D. 383 (Live)
Classical - Released by Stradivarius on 6 Sep 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Grumiaux / Primrose / Koelner Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester spielen: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Sinfonia concertante, Konzertante Sinfonie für Violine und Viola
Arthur Grumiaux, William Primrose, Koelner Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester
Concertos - Released by Classico Ivano on 14 Nov 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Arthur Grumiaux: The Boston Recordings
Classical - Released by Parnassus on 1 Jan 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo