Souvenirs: a Collection of Favourite Violin Pieces

"Souvenirs" Works by Antonín Dvorák, Karol Szymanowsk, Johann Sebastian Bach, Igor Stravinsky, Jacques Ibert, Fritz Kreisler, Franz Schubert, Sergei Rachmaninov, Jules Massenet, a.o. - Kyung Wha Chung (v), Itamar Golan (p)

Chung dispatches her 19 souvenirs with endearing candour and a refreshing lack of affectation. The Four Romantic Pieces are intimate and lightly brushed ... Szymanowski's fragrant Nocturne sings to a shimmering accompaniment, recalling Roxana's exotic vocal lines in King Roger, though there's an upbeat, quasi-Spanish central section and a highly flammable Tarantella to follow that puts the excellent Itamar Golan through his pace. Stravinsky is represented by the wistful "Dithyrambe" from his Duo concertant, played with an appropriate sense of stillness, and Bach by an expressive account of the ubiquitous "Air" from the Third Orchestral Suite. It's nice to have Rachmaninov's op. 6 pieces on board, the first sounding like a near-relation of Schumann's D minor Piano Trio, the second - a racy "Hungarian Dance" - performed here with genuine swagger. "Beau Soir" is suitably smoky, "Le petit Ane blanc" suavely charming and Golan's perky playing 4'06" into "Zigeurnerweisen" confirms that he is no 'mere' accompanist. With excellent sound and a generous playing time, this disc makes for a relaxing - and at times extremely rewarding - listening experience.