Search - Ludwig van Beethoven, Max Bruch, Klaus Tennstedt :: Beethoven: Violin Concerto; Bruch: Violin Concerto 1 / Chung, Tennstedt

Simply compelling and the most beautiful rendition

Haplo Wolf | 10/30/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Without question, Ms Kyung-Wha Chung is one of the finest virtuosos of all time as this most beautiful performance of violin concerto by Beethovan by a true artist."

Excellent Recordings, Especially the Bruch.

Haplo Wolf | Los Angeles. | 12/11/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was indecisive as to whether I should go for the Decca Legends CD, also with Chung; or, rather, this one; or one other Decca CD that included ONLY (see below) the Violin 1 and the Scottish Fantasy.That last was the first to fall off, as it did not include the Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64 by Felix Mendelssohn, which featured on the Decca Legends. This reading with as conductor Tennstedt sounds fine to me ... certainly it must be one of the staples of Bruch 1st Violin Concertos? Probably 'better' than the one recording with Kempe conducting (no blame on him).But that last contains the very fine Mendelssohn. So, in conclusion, you'd do best ending up acquiring both this Tennstedt and the Decca Legends CD."

You have to adjust to this one . . .

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 09/05/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Nothing recorded by two major artists like Kyung-Wha Chung and Klaus Tennstedt can be taken for granted. This Beethoven concerto performance, recorded live with the Royal Concertgebouw, takes some initial adjustment. Tennstedt's tempos are broad (as they were also in his partnership with Nigel Kennedy, also on EMI) but not ponderous. He approaches the concerto as an inward, reflective work, and his reading has to e accepted on those terms. Chung likewise downplays the solo part to a great extent -- there is hardly a flashy moment from beginning to end. She is lovely in the wistful, tender moments she finds throughout. Don't expect her to be commanding, however -- a beter word is meditative.



This approach wins me over in the slow movement, but I'm not sure that it's totally persuasive in all three movements. There's a certain air of navel-gazing, and surely the finale needs more high spirits. The Bruch concerto is a studio recording with the London Phil., and although Chung has frequently voiced her dissatisfaction with studio work, she applies her inward, searching style to good effect in a piece that needs boosting above the level of warhorse. Again tempos are slow, and she bypasses virtuosity even where one craves it.



In the end, this CD is one of those that can't be easily categorized, but its rewards can't be denied, either."