Customer Reviews

Mendelssohn, Bruch: Violin Concertos / Chung, Kempe

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'll be honest; I bought this CD for the recording of the Bruch Violin Concerto. I have never really been a great fan of the Mendelssohn work included here but I enjoyed the Scottish Fantasia, which sort of made up for it. I have been aware of this recording for 20 years but I had not heard it until I bought it. My previous standard by which I measured the Bruch was the wonderful Oistrakh version of the same work, recorded in the 1960's. The dynamics of this piece were not previously as apparent to me as now and there are passages in this recording which really make my hair stand on end. Kyung Wha Chung makes the instrument speak as I have never heard it before and that, combined with a subtlety as well as some blistering runs, started to really speak of the genius of Max Bruch. A good performer can do a piece justice but it takes a great one to give the listener an insight into the ability and intention of the composer. Kyung Wha Chung really raised the bar with this one.

This is Ms. Chung's a historical recording and legacy for all of us. You will easily recognize her unique way of redition. I really enjoyed her Bruch: I'm sure no one can immitate her style about those two works. I also liked the 3rd movement of Mendelssohn: pretty vivid and precise.

The sound quality is superb: more analog sound: warm and soft. Wow... 96Khz/24bit! Keep up the great job, Decca!! I think I don't have to want DVD-Audio if I can get this quality always.

Why don't you collect Decca's legends starting this wonderful CD?

What a find this album is, or perhaps 'find' isn't the right word, being a blend of two previously released albums...a cherry-picking, if you will. In any case, Kyung's playing is moving and energizing in its ability to invigoriate both a warhorse like the Mendelssohn concerto and a rarer piece like Bruch's Scottish Fantasia. The Penguin Guide practically raves over this album, and rightfully so...it's a landmark piece worthy of collection by everyone from novice to jaded. The 24bit/96khz remastering does wonders for the sonics and, at htis price, there is no reason not to leap, grab, and add this to your collection.

This review is in response to gripes by the aforementioned reviewer regarding the "excessive" dynamic range on this CD.

Sound engineers do not purposely "exaggerate" dynamic range on discs - in fact, if you were familiar with modern sound engineering, you would know that a prevalent problem nowadays is the *reduction* of dynamic range (compression) in order to win the "loudness race". I do not know of a single disc out there that had its dynamic range artificially "expanded", if this is even possible.

In other words, your playback equipment is to fault - it is (sadly) typical for lower end audio equipment to not reproduce low level information well; it vanishes, making fortissimos startling and pianissimos absent. Or perhaps you are listening to this disc in a noisy environment, with low level information getting lost in the haze of environmental noise.

Regardless of the reason, I feel that your opinion on this disc's sound quality should be taken with more than a small pinch of salt given the information that I have relayed here.

This is a disc of classic recordings. The Bruch works are played with dazzling virtuosity and hot fire that is the Chung trademark. But there is poetry and inner emotion as well. The Scottish fantasia I love especially in this CD, as it really sounds like a fantasy. Chung plays with great imagination and adds meaning to the notes (while many other performers can play with passion, the structure of the piece goes nowhere). This is something Chung can do magnificently. Any piece she tackles has meaning and structure. Even in the Berg concerto, a work I found confusing before I heard Chung's performance, she was able to grasp the intention of the piece fully, so I was able to hear what she was saying and what Berg was saying in the work. The concerto is played with no less energy and fire, although it can sound a little tired on repeated listenings. But the rapport between soloist, orchestra and conductor is really something. They play the pieces like chamber music: they talk to each other and respond back. Kempe is a conductor I have always admired, and here he exceeds my expectations. The balance of the interpretation is just right, although sound-wise the violin is a little too forward. But that is no reason to not enjoy this recording. But I suggest her later recording with Klaus Tennstedt on EMI for the concerto. The Mendelssohn is the real gem in this CD. For once this overplayed work sounds fresh. This was recorded 8 years after the Bruch in Montreal, with the Montreal Symphony under Dutoit. The acoustics are more generous and forgiving thatn on the Bruch works, but again the violin is too forwardly placed. This was especially apparent in the original CD issue of the work, coupled with the Tchaikovsky (her second version. The first was with the London SO under Previn), but thankfully the remastering has reduced the forwardness of the soloist, although not enough to say that the balance is perfect. The performance is completely void of sentimentality, just pure (in the fullest sense of the word) emotion. Chung appraoches the work with just the right amount of lightness that is required in Mendelssohn. Her phrasings are simply fun. She really sounds as if she is having fun with the music, especially in the delightful finale. That sense of fun is transmitted onto the recording and to the listener ultimately. As the Kellogg ad for the cereal "Just Rught" says: It's Just Right. The CD is at mid price which makes this a bargain.

Although I am not familiar enough with any of these works to say it is the "best" recording of them, I found them compelling. The sound on this (as the other Decca Legends I have heard so far) is extremely good and the performances are wonderful. Bruch's Scottish Fantasy turns out to be a wonderful gem and a great addition to the others.

Chung's Mendelssohn's recording IS THE definitive recording. Dutoit also provides a very sympathetic backing. Of the 5 versions of the concerto I have this is the one I return to time and time again.

i have heard over 20 different recordings of Bruch violin concerto No.1. i strongly recommend this recording to anyone. this is the best out there. no kidding. i put this in #1 spot where oistrakh's recording also belongs to. Those 2 recordings are different and both excellent. IF YOU LIKE THIS PEICE, YOU HAVE TO LISTEN THIS.

This delightful reissue couples two Chung performances, the Bruch - with Kempe - dates from 1972 and the Mendelssohn - with Dutoit - from 1981. The Bruch is truly excellent, more profound, but also more wistfully melancholic, than in any other version I've heard - not to mention Chung's obvious technical proficiency. Now, there are certainly a lot of good rivals out there, but what just might bring this one to the very top is the glorious orchestral contribution. Kempe's ability to follow Chung's interpretation, the way he complements it and the beautiful and rhythmically incisive playing of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is simply a marvel. The Mendelssohn isn't far behind either, and the sound has been remastered to magical effect. One is simply forced to applaud the whole thing.

This is a classic pairing of violin concertos. Chung Kyung- Wha's recording with Charles Dutiot is the best, I think. This recording used to be pared with the Tchaikovsky concerto, but that CD is no longer available. The Bruch is also good, but I like the Tchaikovsky better. If you see that disk you should get it also.