This is a disc that i've had since 1992, at first it was a slow grower on me, but once i 'got it', i realised that Dvorak's Violin Concerto is actually right up there with other great Violin Concertos, i don't play this work all that often, but when i do i always come away with the feeling that 'wow!, that was much better than i thought it was going to be', Kyung-Wha Chung and Riccardo Muti sound like a couple to fire sparks off each other, Muti has worked with Mutter and Kremer, but i see him more as an Opera Conductor, a disc a bit on the short measure side [47 Minutes].
Kyung-Wha Chung is South Korean, she's now 64, and she recorded this disc in 1988, the cover shows Chung and Muti together [photo by Alistair Morrison], and not one of those 'fused' photographs from two separate pics, you can see Chung's happy nature against Muti's stern face haha.
Full of good Czech tunes, it's the slow movement that i found so heavenly, though not a sweet and happy movement, the Concerto is in A Minor, and this movement is full of pathos, it leads straight in from the first movement, and i love the way that the violin comes in to start the movement, nice and gently, with a real sadness, Chung plays with restraint in volume, but is bursting with that pent up nostalgia, this violin tune isn't a mere introduction, but continues for quite some time, and the oboe and flute have prominent roles to play here, Chung plays some very nice trill work throughout, 37-4:07], i like the way the trumpet fanfares through a forte into a softer passage with the oboe [6:03-6:36], there's some heady and passionate violin playing from Chung [6:58-7:08], there's a clearing of the darker clouds, and the sun comes shining through in a burst of sweetness from the orchestra [7:39-8:13], Chung plays a coda filled with trills, while the horn plays in the background [9:52-10:19], another superb slow movement from Dvorak.
Here's Kyung-Wha Chung playing the slow movement on YouTube, this time with Riccardo Chailly conducting.
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