Violinist waited to play Brahms

The Brahms Violin Concerto is a work that most violinists gravitate to early in their career. Because of its effusive romanticism and dramatic vitality, violinists are eager to add the Brahms to their repertoire and play it publicly as soon as possible.

Not so Sarah Chang.

The 26-year-old violinist learned the Brahms concerto at an early age but refused to play it until she was much older. "I learned it when I was very young, but I didn't go onstage with it until I was 18," Chang said by phone from her home outside Philadelphia.

Chang will play Brahms' Violin Concerto when she makes a long overdue return appearance with the Utah Symphony in Abravanel Hall next weekend.

For Chang, who, despite her young age, has a substantial repertoire of concertos, this particular work holds a special place. "I love this concerto. It's one of my favorites."

But postponing playing it was a conscious decision on her part. "There is nothing wrong with an 8- or 9-year-old playing Paganini or Tchaikovsky," she said, but the Brahms is on a different sphere. "It's full of emotions and dramatic and balanced with amazing beauty. I wanted to learn it and grow up with it before taking it onstage."

Chang also adores this concerto for its contrasts. "It's the most symphonic of the big concertos, and it has an enormous part for the violin — but it's also a chamber orchestra piece. It has real substance to it. It's a work that goes straight to the heart. It's very, very lyrical and full of love."

Surprisingly, Chang has yet to record it. But it's only a matter of time, she said. "It's definitely on my antenna."

Her most recent CD pairs Shostakovich's A minor Concerto, op. 77, with Prokofiev's Concerto No. 1 in D major, which she recorded live with Sir Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic.

Chang calls the Shostakovich a "monster," adding, "but I love it." And while preparing for the concerts in Berlin from which the recording was made, she "ate, slept and breathed (the concerto)."

She felt a little apprehensive going into the concerts, not because she has never recorded anything live before. She has, and frequently. It was simply because of the enormity of the Shostakovich. "I've done many, many live recordings before," Chang said. "I love that extra live energy you get. But the Shostakovich is such an enormous work. It's a huge risk to do it live."

Chang has recorded about a dozen albums so far, the first when she was only 9. She's fortunate in that regard, since her record company, EMI, has given her quite a bit of freedom to record what she's wanted to. "I have a great team, and the company puts the artists and the repertoire they want to do first."