Kyung Wha Chung - Bartók: Violin Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 (1990)

Chung’s performance blazes with energy and commitment, and is brilliantly backed up by Solti and the LPO. If the violinist errs at all, it is in trying to put swagger into the opening subject of the first movement by leaning into its accents and dishing out some rather heavy portamento. The result sounds unduly Romanticized. But in the rapt second movement Chung is exquisite, and she turns in an electrifying account of the finale, abetted by Solti’s energetic prodding of the orchestra. The recording is very close-miked and a bit overbalanced in Chung’s favor, though it enables one to hear every nuance of this high-octane reading. – Ted Libbey