Swapping notes

THANONG KHANTHONG

THE NATION

 Sarah Chang was one of the most remarkable prodigies of any generation. At the age of eight - when most of us were still having trouble tying our shoelaces - she was performing with the New York Philharmonic and Philadelphia Orchestras under Zubin Mehta and Riccardo Muti.

 Now a mature artist, the Korean-American's musical insight, technical virtuosity and emotional range continue to astonish and her career has included performances with most of the world's top orchestras and conductors.

 Among her most recent recordings are the first concertos of Prokofiev and Shostakovich with Sir Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic.

 Chang will make her Bangkok debut playing with the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Giordano Bellincampi. The concert will open with Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro" overture, with Brahms' "Violin Concerto in D major, Op 77", and Beethoven's "Symphony No 7 in A major, Op 92" to follow.

 It will take place on Tuesday (June 9) at 8pm, at the Thailand Cultural Centre. We had a chat with Chang before she takes the stage.

After so many years of performances and recordings, how do renew your enthusiasm for music? And how do you manage to remain at the peak of your extraordinary performing ability?

I'm with a different orchestra and different conductor every week. Plus I'm constantly changing repertoire so every day seems like a new challenge. I am fortunate to be working with some of the most inspiring musicians in the music industry, so that motivates me.

How would you compare your playing with some of the old masters of previous generations? What would you say are the main differences in the way music is performed today?

 I don't think one can fairly compare the musicians today to the musicians of previous generations. We live in a different time now, they didn't have jet planes that bounce you around the globe and enable you to do 120 concerts a year. Internet is still a relatively new phenomenon and changing every day and they didn't have to deal with YouTube and the MTV pop culture world of today.

 Some of my favourite old CDs are of Oistrakh and Heifetz, but I also adore Yo Yo Ma, Pinchas Zukerman and Martha Argerich of today's artists.

Most critics agreed your playing was virtually perfect when you made your debut performances as a child. How have you evolved since then as a violinist, as a musician and also as a person?

 Musicality is the most important thing for me. I think that's what differentiates a true musician who is able to move the emotions of the person sitting in the balcony of a huge concert hall, from the thousands of good violinists with great fingers out there. That's an ongoing journey that will probably last a lifetime.

 I'm also a normal person who cherishes her time with her family and friends and loves to shop and go to movies and is lousy at cooking... I still have a lot to learn!

Do you think there might come a point when you want to try something else - perhaps focusing more on other aspects of music, like education, starting a Sarah Chang Festival etc?

 I hope to continue doing exactly what I'm doing right now. Concertising around the world, recording projects I feel passionate about, but I also hope to find a bit more balance between my professional and personal lives. One of my most influential mentors was Isaac Stern. I was always amazed by his ability to perform, teach, run Carnegie Hall, and still find time in his busy life to look out for students like myself and truly take an interest in nurturing the younger generation. I hope to do that one day, when I've slowed down a bit!

What do you feel is the main difference between your playing and that of your contemporaries?

 I think that's something for our audience members to elaborate on!

You always seem to be totally at ease and thoroughly enjoying yourself when you perform. Is it just Sarah Chang giving that performance, or do you feel there is something extra - a spirit which elevates you as a person and a performer? Do you have any sense of being given a special "gift"?

 I am a different person onstage. I've spent most of my life onstage so it's where I feel the most comfortable, the most confident. I'm just like everyone else when I'm offstage, I have the same issues, same problems, same concerns. I have learned to leave that behind, though, when I'm onstage, and become the best version of myself when I'm performing because that's when I'm the happiest.

For more information visit www.BangkokSymphony.org. Tickets at Bt500, Bt1000, Bt1500, Bt2000 and Bt2500 are available at Thaiticketmajor - (02) 623 456 or www.Thaiticketmajor.com.