Two decades after first learning the Brahms Violin Concerto, and following several years of studying the work with Kurt Masur, Sarah Chang felt the time was finally right to commit to disc one of the summits of a violinist’s recording career. EMI Classics is proud to release this recording, which couples the Brahms with the ever-popular Bruch G minor concerto.

“I’ve been working with Maestro Masur since I was about ten years old,” Chang says, “and I’ve gone through just about every concerto with him. He is like my musical godfather. From the time I was about 18, I would ask Maestro Masur every year if we could perform the Brahms concerto together, and every year he turned me down. Finally I stopped asking. And then, about three or four years ago, he pulled me aside and said he thought I was ready, that I could work with him [on it]. … The work requires so much emotional depth, so much stamina and a lot of musical knowledge, not just of your own line but of the orchestration. The greatest joy comes from treating it as a chamber music piece, from involving yourself in the wash of sound.”

“The Bruch G minor is one of my favourite concertos,” Chang continued. “I auditioned for Juilliard with the Bruch when I was about five and a half so it was also one of my first concertos. It is so beautiful; it has an incredibly dramatic side to it, but also the most luscious, glorious melodies that are unapologetically, heartbreakingly romantic.”

The concertos were recorded in two venues in Dresden, the Bruch in the Lucaskirche and the Brahms in the Kulturpalast concert hall.

Sarah Chang describes the Dresdner Philharmonie as “phenomenal, one of the most hard-working, passionate and really heart-warmingly chamber music-like ensembles. Every single take, every single minute that we worked together, everybody was giving 120% and that is really inspiring.” She reserves special praise for Kurt Masur: “He’s very passionate – and he demands excellence. At the end of the day, he’s there for the music and to deliver the best performance.”

Sarah Chang is recognised as one of today’s most captivating and gifted performers, possessed of astonishing musical insight, technical virtuosity and emotional range. She has recorded exclusively for EMI Classics from the beginning of her career and has produced a large concerto discography.