Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major, Op. 19

“admirers of this gifted young artist will need no second bidding to acquire this latest recording of hers, for she plays all three works with love and affection...my main criticism is the absence of any clearly defined musical leadership from either soloist or conductor” International Record Review, December 2012

“Steinbacher shapes the glorious melody in the opening movement [of the First] with great tenderness and affection and throughout the work there is a real sense of her interaction with conductor Vasily Petrenko and the highly responsive Russian National Orchestra. However the overall effect seems a little calculated...Steinbacher and Petrenko seem much more closely attuned to the emotionally ambiguous wolrd of the Second Violin Concerto” BBC Music Magazine, February 2013 ****

“There is fibre to the playing and theatrical highlights” The Strad

“Steinbacher sounds determined to rethink these repertoire staples. Eschewing the settled eloquence of a David Oistrakh, she varies her tonal projection to highlight Prokofiev's tendency to step on the throat of his own song. The verdict? Better try before you buy, although audiophiles and surround sound aficionados should not hesitate.” Gramophone Magazine, March 2013

“Frang heralds one of the freshest and most vital accounts of this familiar and frequently recorded work [the Sibelius concerto] in recent years. On display from the off is a vivid sense of intellectual drive and emotional sinew in playing that taps into Scandinavian melancholy and suppressed passion to genuinely engaging effect.” Michael Quinn, bbc.co.uk, 16th February 2010

“Frang makes a considerable impact. It's clear that the Sibelius concerto means a lot to her; she's constantly searching for the tonal quality and manner of playing that will project most strongly her vision of the music...And her technique is secure enough to surmount all Sibelius's virtuoso hurdles.” Gramophone Magazine, April 2010

“The Norwegian violinist launches this impressive debut recording with a commanding interpretation of the Sibelius concerto. The slow movement’s sweetly emotional, and she marries the finale’s mix of sinew and twinkle with unusual conviction — it must be her Scandinavian blood.” The Times, 6th February 2010 ****

“She can shade her violin a thousand ways, and with lightning speed too… this is a CD crackling with excitement” The Times

“…the warmly recorded Berlin Philharmonic and Rattle provide a tangibly symphonic framework for the Shostakovich, highlighting much interesting detail and colour. Chang is in superb form projecting particularly high-voltage playing in the Scherzo and Finale of the Shostakovich and in the second movement of the Prokofiev.” BBC Music Magazine, April 2006 ****

“Gone are the days when Shostakovich's First Concerto meant one or other frequently inaccessible David Oistrakh LP. Today's young virtuosi are queuing up to record the piece. In making the transition from wunderkind to mature artist, Sarah Chang and EMI have previously played it safe, setting down lesser known concertos to general acclaim. This live recording from Berlin moves into more demanding territory with results that invite comparison with established classics. The soloist is fortunate to be partnered by Sir Simon Rattle and his Berliners and this is a reminder of his unambiguous excellence as a concerto accompanist. Notwithstanding a sound-stage that feels overstuffed at high decibels, the effect is quite different from those rival accounts where the orchestral part is painted in shades of grey. The sophisticated sense of colour and control of line anchor the performance.
What you might miss is that indefinable factor 'authenticity of experience'. Not that Sarah Chang lacks heart, courage or individuality. She plunges excitedly into climactic passages, determined to give her big dark sound a scorching edge. The technical control is mightily impressive. Chang's deployment of vibrato, perhaps a little wide and unvaried for some tastes, is unashamed; ditto the blood-and-guts bowing. Her ability to fine down her tone to a barely audible pianissimo is spellbinding in the opening Nocturne.
So what if there's a momentary lapse of intonation; this is great playing, perhaps the best she has yet given us. While the Passacaglia third movement is somehow less eloquent, it's well worth sampling a recording which, like Repin's, ensures that the music can actually be heard as variations on a ground.
The Prokofiev goes well, too, positively projected but never over-personalised.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“The soloist is fortunate to be partnered by Sir Simon Rattle and his Berliners. …this is a reminder of his unambiguous excellence as a concerto accompanist. Sarah Chang… plunges excitedly into climactic passages, determined to give her big dark sound a scorching edge, The technical control is mightily impressive... this is great playing, perhaps the best she has yet given us.” Gramophone Magazine, May 2006

“As Julia Fischer explains in the booklet-notes to this, her first CD, she has an abiding love of the Khachaturian Concerto, a work she found impossible to sell to concert-promoters. The freshness of her way with the Khachaturian is immediately striking in the chattering figuration of the opening, and she brings a rare tenderness to the lyrical second subject. The orchestral sound is impressive, too. Though Itzhak Perlman and Lydia Mordkovitch produce a beefier sound, the refinement of Fischer's performance makes it equally compelling. This concerto has claims to be the composer's finest work, claims which the yearning tenderness of the slow movement support.
The clarity of Fischer's performance in the finale brings lightness and sparkle.
In the Glazunov, too, it's the clarity and subtlety of Fischer's playing that marks out her reading. She finds the tenderness of the slow middle section of this one-movement work, and gives an easy swing to the bouncy rhythms of the final section. In the Prokofiev she takes a meditative view of the wistful melodies, the element, she says, that most attracts her, even if she does not quite reach the depths of Kyung-Wha Chung's version.
A unique coupling, superbly recorded, that could hardly be more recommendable.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“...could hardly be more recommendable, with warmly compelling performances from the brilliant young German virtuoso, superbly recorded in full, bright, clear sound...The clarity and freshness of her performance are what immediately strike home” Penguin Guide, 2011 edition

“Enthralling music-making.” BBC Music Magazine, April 2006

“The excitement in the orchestral playing is noticeable, so different from some of the bland, dull playing we often have to suffer on modern releases... The playing is first class, with sweetness of tone in full measure for the earlier of the two concertos. The second concerto is scored for full orchestra, minus timpani replaced by bass drum. The work is fully realised and played very effectively by the young soloist. . .” MusicWeb International