Sarah Chang at Symphony Center: At 16, violinist Sarah Chang certainly qualifies as a prodigy. In her Sunday afternoon recital at Orchestra Hall, she displayed dazzling technical skills, but she also brought to her playing a degree of understanding and depth far beyond her years.
While she did well with the Mozart and Strauss concertos of the first half, the high point of the performance was the second half’s opener, Prokofiev’s Violin Sonata No. 2 in D Major, Opus 94 bis, which she offered up with intensity, elan and tremendous involvement. After a delectably lush reading of the Chopin/Milstein Nocturne in C-Sharp Minor, No. 20, Opus posth., the concert concluded with a bravura performance of Sarasate’s fiery Concert Fantasies on “Carmen,” Opus 25.
Pianist Charles Abramovic provided a solid, thoughtful base for Chang’s finely spun sound, and there was a high level of communication between the two. This was music-making at the highest level.