Chang enthralls with violin solo

SARAH CHANG WITH THE UTAH SYMPHONY, Abravanel Hall, Friday; additional performance tonight, 8 p.m. (355-2787).

When Sarah Chang plays, one listens. A poet of her instrument, she enthralls her audience and brings it willingly into her world.

This weekend's guest soloist with the Utah Symphony, Chang demonstrated the forceful hold she has on her audience Friday evening. Playing Brahms' Violin Concerto, she took charge and played it as if it was tailor made for her.

Chang brought out the lyricism of the work but also captured the drama of the first movement and the exuberant passion of the finale. But as wonderful as those two movements were, Chang displayed her true artistry in the slow movement. She captured the inner beauty of the music with her subtle and insightful interpretation.

The 26-year-old violinist makes her instrument sing. One can't but be mesmerized by her playing. When she plays, everything else recedes into the background. Her impeccable virtuosity, exquisite musicality and impassioned artistry put her in the forefront among the younger generation of violinists.

Guest conductor Scott Yoo did a decent job keeping up with her, particularly in the outer movements. However, in the middle movement, Yoo couldn't bring the orchestra — except for principal oboe Robert Stephenson's beautiful solo — up to Chang's lofty level of playing.

While Chang brought wonderful perceptiveness and insight into her interpretation, Yoo allowed the orchestra to overpower her on more than one occasion. But no matter what Yoo did (or failed to do), it couldn't hide the fact that Chang was the real star of the evening.

The other major work on this weekend's program is Schumann's Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, "Rhenish."

Conducting without a score, Yoo's reading was anything but dynamic. It was lackluster, perfunctory and completely without depth. The playing was garbled, the opening movement, as well as the scherzo, sounded rushed, and everything came across as forced and unnatural.

Nor did the orchestra play up to its usual standard in the Schumann Friday evening, especially the French horns.

The concert opened with Jeffery Cotton's rather anemic and cliched "Lyra" for string orchestra.

---

E-mail: ereichel@desnews.com