1 Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35 - (1. Allegro moderato) - 18:51
Performers: Ray Chen (Violin)
Orchestra/Ensemble: Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Daniel Harding
2 Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35 - (2. Canzonetta: Andante) - 6:45
Performers: Ray Chen (Violin)
Orchestra/Ensemble: Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Daniel Harding
3 Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35 - (3. Finale: Allegro vivacissimo) - 10:30
Performers: Ray Chen (Violin)
Orchestra/Ensemble: Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Daniel Harding
4 Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64 - (1. Allegro molto appassionato) - 13:09
Performers: Ray Chen (Violin)
Orchestra/Ensemble: Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Daniel Harding
5 Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64 - (2. Andante) - 8:05
Performers: Ray Chen (Violin)
Orchestra/Ensemble: Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Daniel Harding
6 Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64 - (3. Allegretto non troppo - Allegro molto vivace) - 6:30
Performers: Ray Chen (Violin)
Orchestra/Ensemble: Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Daniel Harding
Quickly following the release of
Virtuoso, his 2011 album of essential violin repertoire on
Sony,
Ray Chen presents a pair of famous concertos to show that he has indeed arrived as a major recording artist.
Tchaikovsky's
Violin Concerto in D major and
Mendelssohn's
Violin Concerto in E minor are the evergreens most young violinists launch careers with, and
Chen won major competitions with them. He undoubtedly takes these obligatory vehicles in stride, playing with easy grace and giving them amiable interpretations. Considering that
Chen's first recording for
Melba Recordings was an exploration of works for violin and piano by
Igor Stravinsky, and that his second album (his first outing on
Sony) covered chamber pieces by
Tartini,
Bach,
Wieniawski, and
Franck, expectations for something out of the mainstream or more interesting would surely be dashed with this conventional release. But
Chen's style of playing and training are well-suited to these Romantic concertos, and fans who have followed his career will recognize the value of getting these standards on disc before moving on to more interesting fare.
Chen is joined by
Daniel Harding and the
Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, who provide warm support and help him bring across the feelings of gentle lyricism and genial showmanship that make this CD worth hearing. ~ Blair Sanderson, Rovi