Chihyun Chang

Sarah Chang - Mendelssohn & Sibelius - Violin Concertos (2017) {Warner Classics 0724355641823 rec 1996)
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© 1996, 2017 Parlophone / Warner Classics | 0724355641823
Classical / Romantic / Concero / Violin

It is coming up to five years since Sarah Chang, then in her early teens, made her brilliant and moving concerto recording debut in the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto on EMI (12/93). Her concerto recordings for the label since then have been of brilliant showpiece works like the Lalo Symphonie espagnole (5/96) and the Paganini First Concerto (1/95) rather than of the central repertory. It is good here to have her remarkable artistry revealed again at full stretch in astonishingly mature interpretations of the Mendelssohn and Sibelius concertos.

This is a fine recording of two vastly under-appreciated works by young cello virtuoso Han-Na Chang. She has the extraordinary technique to play the excruciatingly difficult cadenza in the central movement of the Sinfonia Concertante and the sustained tone to play the long, lyrical melodies in the opening movement of the cello sonata. Antonio Pappano is a faithful accompanist whether he's directing the London Symphony Orchestra in the Sinfonia Concertante or playing the piano in the cello sonata.

With Sarah Chang's celebrity as a child prodigy somewhat faded and her musicianship matured, she can forgo recording encore albums and at last get to work on some serious material. That she does, and quite brilliantly, on this EMI album of violin sonatas by Franck, Saint-Saëns, and Ravel. With the solid support of her accompanist Lars Vogt, Chang delves into these French masterpieces with confidence and intense feeling, and the two performers imbue the works with spontaneity, excitement, and lifelike presence.