Lalo - Symphonie Espagnole [Chung/ Dutoit-Orchestre Symphonique De Montreal]I guess possibly this is my favourite Violin Concerto, if you can call it a Violin Concerto, this pops up in my Blog roughly every two months, really quite often considering, last month i played Anne Akiko Meyers performing this same Concerto / Symphonie [5th October 2010], even though it's all in a Spanish style, it's five movements are of real variety and flair, yes five movements, another way it veers from the standard Violin Concerto.
Kyung Wha Chung is of course South Korean, she's now 62, the Lalo work was recorded in 1981 when she was 33, this disc is one of a number in a series, reissues of her recordings, mixed up with new couplings, each disc has an excellent picture on the front, this one has a close up head and shoulders, with violin in hand, i really like it.
The third movement seems to have evolved / bubbled up into my favourite out of the five, Lalo named it Intermezzo [inner middle?], straight away you hear those almost flamenco outbursts, the loud orchestra get into a duet with the quiet woodwind [0:07-0:58], it really sets the tone of the piece, a serious almost stamping dance-like movement, the violin makes its entry right after [0:58+], serious and sultry, very gypsy indeed, at first Chung plays staccato on this main tune, but it soon turns to a more lyrical legato [1:29+], this is probably the best section of the movement, with birdsong flute, and low pizzicato strings, right after the real gypsy comes out [2:24-2:50], as there's playing of a greater bravura, with whoops and high notes in the tessitura of the violin, the reprise to the opening is wonderful and memorable, with husky and low notes from the violin [3:58+], acting as an intro to the reprise [4:12+], of the same staccato / legato section as before, i love reprises, and this is delightful, one thing i notice about Kyung Wha Chung's playing, is that it seems slightly subdued and restrained, but on the other hand she doesn't turn it into a brazen fireworks display like some, there's lots more i could say about even just this movement, but space permits, there's lots to find and enjoy, Lalo's creativity is virtually endless.
Here's Kyung Wha Chung playing the Intermezzo third movement on YouTube.
