It began with a stage empty except for a piano stool and a small Persian rug, and ended with a standing ovation. The journey in between, as Kyung Wha Chung traversed JS Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin, rarely felt easy. Chung may be promoting her new, long-awaited recording of this monumental cycle, but this was certainly not the concert of the CD. This was live performance at its scariest.
The Barbican’s bare stage looked lonelier than ever as Chung stood, face tilted upwards, waiting to start. She remained rooted to the spot throughout, her eyes closed. However, that initial stillness vanished the instant she dug into the opening of Sonata No 1.
The Korean-born violinist seemed determined to seek extremes of tone, style, and tempo within Bach’s already starkly contrasting movements. In a wild improvisatory mix, moments of exquisite lightness and poise were jostled by the full vibrato and breakneck speeds of generations of violinists long-gone. Disturbing for adherents to 21st-century norms of “historically informed performance”, maybe – but undeniably bracing.
Other disturbances were more stressful. Following serious injury, Chung’s tuning is unreliable and her bow sometimes leads with the crunching of deep excavations. She faltered more than once. The fugue of Sonata No 2 broke down entirely: “I’m sorry,” she said, flashing a wry smile, before restarting.
Yet minutes later the mighty closing chaconne of Partita No 2 was breathtaking. Its introspection was only intensified by the dignity with which Chung had gathered herself, totally committed, in this flawed but unforgettable performance.
