Asbury Park Press: Sarah Chang to perform ‘iconic’ score
The Asbury Park Press writes that as Sarah Chang approaches the West Side Story Suite she’ll perform at all six NJSO venues over the next two weekends, the superstar violinist is “thinking like a singer”:
No, Chang is not forsaking the instrument that has brought her fame. She is performing as the featured soloist in a suite for violin and orchestra of songs from the musical “West Side Story.”
“When you play some pieces, you think of the technical skill involved,” says Chang. “But when you’re playing a song like ‘Somewhere,’ you think of the melody. You have to think of yourself as a singer.”
So even though she will not vocalize in the program, Chang says she will be keeping in mind not only the melodies by Leonard Bernstein but also the lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.
The suite — which was arranged specifically for Chang by David Newman, a composer known for his film scores — also incorporates such familiar songs as “Maria,” “Mambo” and “One Hand, One Heart.”
More than once, Chang refers to the score of “West Side Story” by Leonard Bernstein as “iconic.” “It’s such a beautiful piece,” she says. “It’s so romantic and so distinctively American.”
“David did a beautiful job maintaining the integrity of Bernstein’s original score,” Chang says. “He included nearly every song that anyone would want to hear.”
The suite from “West Side Story” — a musical about star-crossed lovers based on “Romeo and Juliet” — is the centerpiece of a program dedicated to music inspired by the works of William Shakespeare ...
Chang and the orchestra will present this Shakespeare program at several New Jersey venues during January. The concerts are part of Chang’s tenure as artist-in-residence with the NJSO.
“To be able to work with an orchestra this long is a luxury,” she says. “Normally, I go in perform one or two times with an orchestra, and then it’s on to the next date.”
“It’s an incredible honor to be an artist-in-residence with the New Jersey Symphony,” Chang says. Besides the concerts, she is holding master classes and conducting question-and-answer sessions with students ...
Chang says that, as a high-profile performer, she has a responsibility with other musicians to foster audiences for classical music.
“There are people who are making an effort to ensure we take care of the next generation,” she says. “We can’t just sit on our laurels. We need to appeal to our core audience, but we also have to think of ways to bring in new people.”
Chang hopes the “West Side Story” suite will be one way to help achieve that goal. “It’s a draw,” she says. “We get newcomers who are interested in hearing something so accessible, so iconic.”
Read the full preview at app.com.
RELATED WINTER FESTIVAL COVERAGE
SARAH CHANG PLAYS BERNSTEIN
2014–15 Season—2015 Winter Festival Concert
JACQUES LACOMBE conductor
SARAH CHANG violin
ELENA PERRONI soprano
HEATHER STEBBINS soprano
ROY HAGE tenor
NEW JERSEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
DVOŘÁK Othello Overture
TCHAIKOVSKY Romeo and Juliet Love Duet
BARBER Selections from Antony and Cleopatra
DELIUS “The Walk to the Paradise Garden” from A Village Romeo and Juliet
BERNSTEIN West Side Story Suite