Customer Reviews

Shostakovich: Violin Concerto No. 1; Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 1

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In light of Shostakovich's 100th anniversary of his birth, Chang has put out a new album coupling the ever-so emotional Shostakovich Violin Concerto No.1 in A minor with the ever-so colorful Prokofiev Violin Concerto No.1 in D recording in live concerts. These two concertos are gems on their own, but when added with Chang's extrodinary showmanship, these two stand as amazing classic concertos themselves.

Although the big warhorse concertos such as the Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Sibelius, Beethoven violin concertos have been mainstream violin concertos and performed over 200 times a year, recent light has been shed on the concertos that of Dvorak, Goldmark, Shostakovich, Prokofiev, and Strauss. These "2nd-tier" concertos have not been performed all that regularly, and finding a great recording is very rare. Violinists of today have been focusing on these concertos to bring back the value and integrity that these composers have obtained over the years. Artists as well as Chang include Joshua Bell, Hilary Hahn, Maxim Vengerov, Midori, and Gil Shaham have all contributed to this new line of repretoire.

In the Shostakovich's violin concerto, Chang puts on a wonderful performance that showcases her spell-biding technique and haunting musicianship. In the opening Nocturne, the cello section of the Berlin Philharmonic set a very eerie tone from the beginning leading to Chang's opening A note which comes through in a very haunting and dark shade. This is close to the tone that David Oistrakh used in the premiere of this violin concerto, and Sarah has, I believe, pushed that level of darkness and sorrow to a whole new level. She does not use vibrato until the fifth note of the whole concerto, b-flat, to extend that level of eeriness that one must achieve when performing this work. Chang's interpretation of Nocturne follows that of David Oistrakh, but still has the signiture Chang stamp that she puts on all of her repertoire: her dark tones of the G, D, A strings contrasting with her bright E string and her use of 10 different vibrato speeds. Chang achieves a level of emotion that I have not heard in other recordings. She has interpreted this piece of music with the emotions of the heart, and you can virtually hear her violin crying with the sorrowful melodies. She performs the Nocturn with emotions that pull at your heart and leave you mesmorized.

In the Scherzo, Chang starts off with a similar tempo to that of David Oistrakh with a similar bow length and bow speed. Keeping in company of Shostakovich's own interpretations of his concerto, Chang proceeds to the open run with great ease, and not so much "crunch" as you would hear in the Perlman version. What can you say about this movement? She plays it with extrodinary technique. After the first two minutes, the tempo starts to pick up and you hear an ever so crystal-clear violinist who attacks each note with ease. Her scherzo is wonderful and when reaching the final minute and a half (where the violinist comes in with the A-A, A-F# notes), she blasts into over-gear as the tempo increases to a breath-taking new plateu. The movement then ends with a very in-synch orchestra and Chang.

In the very daunting Passacaglia the Berlin Philharmonic gives a very wonderful taste to how Shostakovich's inspirations for his works were, (WWII as well as the fight between the U.S.S.R.'s control of all music). This leads to Chang's opening c note in which you hear three different speeds of vibrato in one note. She then proceeds to further this expression with her slides and contrasting tones. Chang imprints each note into the audience's mind with great ease and superb intonation. (Her octaves are just wonderful!).

In the very demanding cadenza, Sarah oppens with a tempo slower than that of Oistrakh, and although this slow tempo is very different from all other interpretations we have heard, it works. Chang uses this tempo to let each note ring and make her statement. This portion of the cadenza is not only critical in this concerto, it is also one of the most demanding cadenzas ever written. As she goes through the cadenza, she picks up lighting fast speed during her chord repetitions in which she powers through with similarities to Oistrakh and Perlman. She then ends the cadenza with the ever-so difficult run of sixteenth notes (where she plays them at quick tempo that i have ever heard before) leading to the final chromatic slides of fifths and then octaves.

The fourth, and final, movement, Burlesque, is so wonderfully done that no one compares with Chang in my opinion. Although Oistrakh did perform this in the eyes of Shostakovich, Chang sheds a new light on how this movement should be played, and it has definetely won me over. She ends the last page starting with the fastest tempo I have ever heard this concerto play in. She then goes into the final run with tremendous tempo speed and lighting-quick bowing. While she's doing her passage, the Berlin Philarhmonic supports her throughout and ends on such an amazing high. With the ringing sounds of the last note, one wonders how Chang could have pulled this off so brilliantly and wonderfully.

The Berlin Philharmonic and Simon Rattle provide an excellent support system in this concerto which also demands an excruciating high level of orchestral accompianment, but in Shostakovich's case, I believe he should have named this concerto the Violin AND Orchestra concerto in A minor, because the orchestral part is just as beautiful and mesmorizing.

This recording stands as one of the best all-time recordings I have ever listened to...and I mean it with all of my heart. Although Chang has been criticized of some lacking emotion in certain Romantic Concertos, she has definetely won me over with this interpretation. It is as if Chang was born to play this work...or Shostakovich composed this piece just for Chang...in any case, she has definetely provided a new interpretation and recording of one of the most demanding/beautiful works ever written.

When compared to other recordings of this concerto, I would definetely put this on the same plateu as Oistrakh's. (Hahn's version lacks that certain ominous/emotion quality needed to pull this off & Perlman's version strays very far from what Shostakovich had intended [look at Oistrakh for an example])

This is a must-buy for any classical-musician. You will not be dissapointed.

(Review of her Prokofiev concerto coming up!)

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.

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.

You have to hand it over to Rattle and his Berliners that they'll always make for wonderful accompanists, in large part because they're never content to merely accompany. Sarah Chang is in for more than good playing; she's in for the most exquisite of sounds coming from an orchestra whose playing will easily outshine that of a soloist. I think Chang meets the challenge fairly well. She plays with conviction, with a mastery of her scores that proves she's earned her place in front of the Berliners.

The Shostakovich Concerto No. 1 is a restless work that can easily come across as a bunch of disconnected emotions. I feel that Chang and Rattle do a fine job, although I think they could have given more. Certainly their playing is enough to send you out of this world, with super sonics from EMI. While I don't think the concerto asks for its interpreters to sound overly confident, one can ask for sense to be made out of the piece. It needs to point somewhere, even when the music is tossing and turning. Both Chang and Rattle master the individual moments with the utmost of clarity, but I desire more clear direction. That's not to say that the music gets out of hand. In fact, I can sense reticence, which isn't a blessing in a piece that asks for the musicians' all. The opening Nocturne sounds a bit aimless; the Scherzo is biting and tense, but still emotionally vague. But in the Passacaglia, Rattle and Chang stop trying to hide their feelings. For the first time in the concerto, I wonder if I'll need my handkerchief. It is unbearably sad, both Chang and Rattle striking the very depths of our souls. Present is the vision I felt was lacking in the two proceeding movements. Chang plays the Cadenza impeccably, unleashing anguish and hope all at once. In the Burlesque, Rattle finally lets loose, allowing humor and dashing spirits to come on the scene. Pure joy and fun never take over, but I think that was Shostakovich's intention. In the end, I feel that the 1st half of the concerto is a bit too superficial, but my complaints in the 2nd half are very small. Perhaps the aimlessness in the opening half was intentional. Either way, my criticisms are immaterial, and I still get a lot out of this unique performance.

I'm not moved by the Prokofiev Concerto as much as the Shostakovich, but Chang and Rattle certainly play it very well. Sometimes I sense the same reticence that was present in the Shostakovich; Rattle in particular seems to want to linger, and he doesn't have much drive. But is this approach suited to the piece? Certainly this is not a concerto to raise the roof. Right now I find myself fence sitting. Do Rattle and Chang master the work, or do they lack some of the same vision they did in the Shostakovich? Before I can clearly answer the question, I'll have to figure the piece itself out. I'll keep listening and see what happens. What is not to be questioned is the accuracy of this performance, one that will ravish your ears with wonderful details.

In closing, this is a fine disc. Chang proves herself to be a violinist of the first rank and Rattle continues to prove that his orchestra is capable of things that were before thought impossible. The absence of direction subtracts some from the enjoyment of the disc, but is still worth hearing. I'm not regretting my purchase of it and I look forward to the years of listening that are ahead.

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

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.

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.

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.