Shostakovich: Violin Concerto No. 1; Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 1
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Free Music Notes for Shostakovich: Violin Concerto No. 1; Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 1
Free Music Review: Sarah Chang: Beauty of Presence, Deportment and Musicality
Hit: 5 Stars
Sarah Chang walks out onto a concert stage and the audience gasps. Not only is she a stunning figure with wholly committed stage deportment, she is one of the rare artists so involved with the music she is offering that she feels compelled to turn to the first violin section and play along with them in the extended orchestral tutti setting the stage for her entrances. The orchestra loves her, the conductors love her, the audience loves her and the composers surely would love her.
This exciting CD features Chang in two invigorating works that she is making her own - the first violin concerti of both Shostakovich and Prokofiev. Her tone is huge, her technique is pliant and in keeping with the composer's specific instructions, and the result as displayed on this very beautiful collaboration with the Berlin Philharmonic as conducted by Simon Rattle is a pair of performances will be difficult to imitate.
Chang seems to be visiting the entire violin concerto repertoire and she is equally at home in the Romantic works as she is in the contemporary works. Chang is at the beginning of a remarkable career and we can only expect more great recordings from this unique young beauty. Grady Harp, December 06
Free Music Review: Chang's playing delights, but be careful . . .
Hit: 5 Stars
Sarah Chang's playing of the Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 1 is exciting, uplifting, at times risky, and always radiant. It's as if someone forgot to teach her the necessary limitations and traditional contraints of her instrument. Or maybe she just ignored them. That is the wonderful news awaiting you in this recording.
The thing to be careful about is that playing like hers will you make aware all over again of how the playing of many a big-name violinist may be wholly adequate and even inspired, but not really much fun to listen to.
Free Music Review: Shostakovich Violin Concerto #1 and Prokofiev Violin Concerto #1
Hit: 4 Stars
Sarah Chang, today is one of the worlds best violinists out there. I admire her for her fantastic interpretation skills that she uses. She takes a piece of repertoire and knows how to set the mood to capture the emotion whether it is warm, sensitive, dramatic, eerie and plays with a handful of grace.
In her latest album release of the Shostakovich and Prokofiev Violin Concertos no.1 her palette of color and interpretation really shine. Personally, I bought the album because of the Prokofiev Concerto but with the Shostakovich as the main feature this album in my mind was a seller. She plays both of the pieces magnificently in similar fashion as the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto when she was only 11 and playing on a three-quarters size violin. However, her maturity is much more present in this release fourteen years later. Now in her mid-twenties Sarah's palette has more color and texture than before.
I have several interpretations of the Shostakovich Violin Concerto in my collection. Midori, Salerno-Sonnenberg, and now Ms. Chang's version. In an additional report I will compare Midori's and Chang's recording for they have different qualities. Ms. Chang's version is wonderful with Simon Rattle conducting the Berliner Philharmonic. The Shostakovich No. 1 is one of those pieces that the orchestra is just as involved as the violin soloist.
The First movement is done in first class style with all of the highs and low in place. The effect is very dark and eerie leaves mystery in the listener's head. Most of the transitions are performed with grace. In addition there is a sense of Sarah playing with more power than I'm used to from hearing her in the past not a drastic change but noticeable.
The Second movement is one of the more difficult parts of the work. The First movement ends and boom the second movement begins with a bang on the G-string of the soloists. Sarah's execution on this may be first rate but I question the power of her g-string. This is one of the qualities that I think hold her back just slightly. The Berliner Philharmonic has a few major sections in this movement that are more demanding than the soloist and they perform with lots of power and no holding back. The effect is like dramatic fireworks. There is one section near the end wear the soloist falls off just a tad but quickly makes up for it.
In the third movement known as the "Passacaglia andante" The Orchestra introduces the opening theme in the woodwind section before the soloist enters and reiterates this theme and takes it a step farther. Ms. Chang plays this part with a lot of grace and style. Her E-String Highlights are powerful in the following section but the orchestra does overpower her a bit so that she is not heard as well. Then the soloist plays a variation to the opening theme after this the orchestra fades down to piano(soft) and Sarah plays a second variation before the cadenza.
The maturity demonstrated in the cadenza section really shows. She takes her time in the opening and the harmonics at the end of the first two verses really shine. In the second part of the cadenza there is a gradual increase in speed. Sarah still takes a little time so the phrases come out clearly and distinctly. Chord execution is above first rate. This is a major plus toward owning this album. The Cadenza leads right into the Final movement without any pauses. Again Grace is scattered everywhere in the final movement and not rushed but speed is there. The Soloist and Orchestra execution could not be any higher. A five-star rating for the Finale. The Best recording of the Shostakovich I believe that I own.
Next, is the very lyrical Prokofiev Violin Concerto #1. As a listener when performed well this piece is an artistic gem filled with beauty love and grace. Unlike the Shostakovich the Prokofiev Concerto is in three movements instead of four and the soloist shines a bit more in the highlight. Uplifting qualities are present throughout.
The First movement opens with the orchestra strings playing tremolo with the Soloist entering with the lyrical opening theme. As one of those soloists Sarah Chang is at her best in this movement with all the highs and lows in place. The structure of this movement help her to paint a picture of stars in the sky with shooting stars and comets in the opening and conclusion. Breathtaking! In the more technically more demanding middle section of the movement which is faster again Sarah picks a good tempo so that she can accurately portray the picture the piece paints. The First movement is five-stars.
The Second movement which is a Scherzo Vivace is fast and it appears to me that Sarah and Orchestra open close to full speed. One thing to remember when listening to this concerto is that the three movements are evenly technically demanding. The Quality here is first rate, a part of this movement I like is when the main theme at the beginning of the piece reappears and you can hear the beautiful notes of the woodwind section. Then leading into a dramatic orchestral transition and somewhat eerie violin g-string. The Scherzo ends suddenly.
The Third movement has much passion and senses of love. Sarah Chang plays this movement beautifully w/ long bow strokes and holding out of the notes and adding lots of vibrato and using deep tones. The Soloists chord sections in this movement in some sections are lyrically beautiful and lead the whole range of dynamic exploration Forte to Piano. There is a section in the middle where she reiterates the opening theme of the movement in chords and exudes passion. Following is a part with harp in the backdrop Then a question and answer section leading to a fortissimo section followed by a question section. Finally, the reintroduction of the main theme from the First movement making the closing extra special in a conclusion that is slow and beautiful. The listener by the end of Concerto No.1 is so drawn into the dreaminess of the piece that the ending is surprising and unexpecting Very exhilirating This is the effect that Sarah has when performing the Prokofiev. This is a great CD album to own if you are a violinist, music fan in general, or fan of Sarah's.
Free Music Review: Another Superb Performance
Hit: 5 Stars
This recording is absolutely stunning and reveals a most talented artist. I compare it to her unmatched Sibelius CD. I have not listened to many Shostakovitch #1, however I listened to many Sibelius concertos and I must say that her Sibelius is the best I ever heard. This Shostakovitch, Prokofiev CD in my view is on the same difficulty and virtuoso level as her Sibelius performance which puts the performance on this CD at the very top. I listened to this CD over 25 times so far, keep playing it over and can't seem to get tired of it. Each time I play it, I appreciate it even more. If you liked her Sibelius you'll appreciate this CD very much. Hope the talented Sarah Chang continue to deliver similar outstanding performances in the future.Free Music Review: good recordings
Hit: 5 Stars
I like the fact that Sarah Chang is moving away from just keeping her music clean and technically perfect. She seems to be pretty spontaeous when it comes to interpreting a piece of music, unlike, let's say, Hilary Hahn. The result is very beautiful music-making, but it has its cons, such as her getting too emotional on one note, and "swelling" it (delaying the vibrato, and leaning on the note). However, she brought a fresh, new interpretation to these GREAT works, all the while staying true to many of the things Oistrakh did. Her power and intensity's most admirable. The Berlin Philharmonic and Simon Rattle were just great- enough said.
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