In an age where pianists habitually record complete cycles or lump together works in the same genre, it’s nice to see Sang Mi Chung opt instead for a well-considered mini-recital that mixes Haydn, Mendelssohn, and Chopin. Haydn’s A-flat Sonata No. 43, one of the master’s finest, isn’t exactly overplayed, and Chung’s clean, poised fingerwork delights, especially in the perky finale. Three greatest hits from Mendelssohn’s Songs Without Words follow. The E major Op. 19 No. 1 and “May Breezes” benefit from Chung’s warm tone and genuine feeling for the composer’s expansive lines. By contrast, she pushes the galloping triplets in “Hunting Song” to the point where the music sounds tense and earthbound rather than free and soaring. Nor does her literal, slightly square rendition of Chopin’s C-sharp Mazurka Op. 41 No. 1 bring out the music’s rustic abandon and rhythmic elasticity. (To cite just one comparison, listen to Nelson Freire’s live performance in Philips’ Great Pianists of the Century: it’s almost a different composition!)
Chung is better in the B major Nocturne Op. 32 No. 1, albeit without Moravec’s extra sheen or Arrau’s harmonic complexity. In a market crowded with extraordinary recordings of Chopin’s overplayed B minor sonata, Chung’s solid, dependable, thoroughly professional performance, like Yundi Li’s on DG, will not cause you to sit up and take notice the way Argerich, Kapell, Katchen, Freire, Hungerford, and Lipatti often do. Still, I found this disc more successful overall than Chung’s previous Centaur solo recital (see my review by typing Q7102 in Search Reviews), and the recording, made in New York’s fabled Town Hall, is top notch.
