
I got this in the same shipment as the Mozart album, but refrained from reviewing it until now. I have listened to it several times now over roughly two months, and I don't think my understanding of it is going to get any deeper at this point. For the most part, I think it is simply a collection of violin showpieces intended to introduce Chen to classical audiences. I think it probably works fairly well in this capacity, and probably more so to people who are more familiar than I am with the violin repertoire.
What I want to write about, though, is the Chaconne. First, I feel like this is the only piece on this album that I am really qualified to judge. Second, I think it is the most serious and important piece on the album, as delightful as the other music is. I am about 80% certain that I heard this on Chicago's classical station WFMT when the album came out. The timeframe is right and I remember the violinist having a Chinese surname and a one-syllable English given name. I have listened to all of Bach's major works, most of his minor ones (including all of the cantatas), and have to one degree or another studied a select number of them. The Chaconne falls into this category. I remember pulling into a parking lot and sitting in my car to hear the piece out in its entirety.
I remember the sound of the Lord Newlands that Chen plays. It's funny that it turns out to be a Stradivarius, because I don't think I liked it when I heard it. I was also impressed with the performance, but also critical. I have listened to this track over and over, more than the others, to try to figure out the impetus or guiding principle behind it. I have to conclude at this point that I cannot decipher its deeper character and that it is somewhat lost on me.
There are glimpses or impressions that I get, but not a whole picture. I can lay out certain technical descriptions too--such as overly restrained arpeggios, lack of a real head on the instrument when Chen does push the music, and a wandering as opposed to a driving and building momentum. But this one is really a bit of a mystery to me. I can find no fault with any single passage, yet the result leaves me somewhat unsatisfied.
I hope those who read this will accept it as the album review.