The Dvorák violin concerto was born of the same inspiration as Brahms' violin concerto: the great violin virtuoso Joseph Joachim. As with Brahms, Joachim assisted Dvorák greatly in the revision of his first attempt, yielding an extremely idiomatic, deeply lyrical contribution to the repertoire. Like his other concertos, the soloist and orchestra typically function as independent entities with occasional and stunning interplay between the two. The orchestral tuttis are quite symphonic in nature and require a performance by an orchestra equally capable as the soloist. This EMI reissue features just such a combination, with violinist
Sarah Chang and the
London Symphony Orchestra under
Colin Davis.
Chang's playing is powerful but effortless, with a rich, in-the-string sound, nimble and cleanly executed filigree, and fine attention to detail in the score. The outer movements are slightly faster than some listeners might be used to, but this is always done with ample control and never seems rushed. The lush middle movement offers a beautifully laid-back contrast to the vitality of the outer movements.
Davis leads the
LSO through an equally tight and energetic accompaniment. The album also includes Dvorák's Second Piano Quintet, easily one of his top three chamber works.
Chang is joined by pianist
Leif Ove Andsnes, violinist Alexander Kerr, violist
Wolfram Christ, and cellist Georg Faust. As is so often (perhaps too often) the case, short-term collaborations of high-caliber musicians do not always yield the most satisfying chamber music performances. Such is regrettably the case here. The quintet delivers a brilliantly musical interpretation, filled with massive amounts of energy and intensity; technical issues, however, are not cleanly ironed out. The most notable of these is extremely troubling intonation among the strings. So while this album is a great choice for the concerto, listeners may wish to look elsewhere for a superior recording of the quintet.