Pablo de Sarasate, Edward Elgar, Niccolo Paganini, Fritz Kreisler, Aram Khachaturian, Fryderyk Chopin, Dmitry Shostakovich, George Gershwin, Franz Liszt, Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky, Sergey Prokofiev, Sarah Chang, Sandra Rivers - Debut

This miraculous recital was Chang's debut recording, made when she was nine years old. In Sarasate's Carmen Fantasy you can hear some very minor flaws in the technique, which were gone when I heard her play it two years later. There's nothing else to indicate that this is a young violinist, not even the tone Chang draws from a quarter-size violin. While none of these pieces is very heavy in musical content, she shows a wide range of sympathies, from the singing lyricism of Chopin to a very hip-sounding "It Ain't Necessarily So" from Gershwin's Porgy and Bess. --Leslie Gerber Amazon.com

Sarah Chang -- unparalleled even at 9!

What can I say that does not smack of praise for this debut album by one of the most gifted young violinists ever of the millennium?

The one thing that I find lacking in most violinists' playing is ... fire. Oh, of course, techincal ability ranks high on the list but one has to agree that most of the prodigial virtuosi we've heard so far have most of that particular area of playing down-pat. Chang certainly has the lightning-quick fingers required for virtually all of the songs she plays here, but as the Amazon.com review states -- she also plays with a good deal of _bite_. The deciding pieces are, in no particular order: Sarasate's very famous miniatures from Carmen, the Sabre Dance from Gayane (wonderfully played, with the tempo bright and fast-moving), Gershwin's It Ain't Necessarily So (when I first heard this track, I was in heaven! What jazzy playing for one so young! The violin literally sings and swoons in her capable hands), and Prokofiev's March from The Love of Three Oranges. The last piece, compared to Midori's version (which can be found on her "Encore!" CD), I feel, is better performed -- the speed and spear-driven flashes of the bow are just right. Midori overperforms on a song that's supposed to be a march. January 20, 2001

Interesting historical document

Immaculate technique, remarkably good tone for a quarter-sized violin, and wonderful musicality for a nine-year-old. Of course, she still has some room for improvement artistically.

Her interpretation of Gershwin's "It ain't necessarily so" is the most sensuous (almost lascivious!) one I've ever heard--such abundant, luscious, provocative slides! Nonetheless, I love it!

This disc is an interesting historical document: hear how well a nine-year-old human can play. No other violinist in history ever recorded at such a young age. January 6, 1999

More reviews at Amazon.com ...