Shostakovich: Violin Concerto No. 1; Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 1
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Music CD Cover Edition: Music CD CD Release Date: 2006-03-07 Music Label: EMI Classics Soundtracks:
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Free Music Notes for Shostakovich: Violin Concerto No. 1; Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 1 Album
Free Music Review: Chang's star is rising, but the real star here is the Berlin Phil.
Hit: 4 Stars
In his lifetime the two First Concertos of Prokofiev and Shostakovich were owned by David Oistrakh, the ultimate power violinist from the Soviet Union (his eminence--and a good deal of his playing style--now taken by Maxim Vengerov). Recently we've seen some female violinists go into the recording studio with the Shostakovich First, including Mullova, Salerno-Sonnenberg, Midori, and Hilary Hahn. Now there's Sarah Chang, giving an earnest performance that employs many varied tones and shadings to compensate for lack of sheer visceral power.
I like a lot of what she does, but the really enticing thing here is the recording itself and the Berlin Phil. Never, ever has the Shostakovich First received such ravishing sonics, with every orchestral color and detail revealed. On her own, I don't find that Chang completely captures my attention as Hahn and Mullova do, but the way the engineers have blended her with the orchestra, along with Rattle's ultra-detailed accompaniment, is unique. Others have picked up on the Amazon reviewer's comment that Chang takes the cadenza slower than anyone else, but her timing of 4:44 is consierably faster than Hahn's 5:20 and within seconnds of Oistrakh on his classic live reading under Mravinsky (do reviewwers just like making up these pseudo-facts?).
The same brilliant recording is featured in the Prokofiev First, but here Rattle feels too fussy. The hushed, measured opening leaves nowhere for the first movement to go; in the second movement Chang tries a harsh, edgy tone that's merely unpleasant rather than modern; the finale is too low-key. Even so, the Berlin Phil. remains fascinaitng to listen to.
In all, this recording would not rank among the best that either concerto has received, but it gives pleasure on other levels.