In Monday’s (12/1) New York Times, Michael White reports on violinist Kyung Wha Chung’s return to the stage following a prolonged hiatus resulting from a problem with her left index finger; on Tuesday night at London’s Southbank Centre she will perform a recital billed as “The Legend Returns.” Chung had “called herself retired” after the initial treatments in 2005 failed to correct the finger problem. She then joined the Juilliard School faculty and “settled, with a vengeance, into charitable activities.” Her concert career had begun in South Korea, where she was playing “to vast audiences in Seoul when she was still in ankle socks…. Arriving at Juilliard at 13, she soon found herself in head-to-head competition with fellow students like Itzhak Perlman and Pinchas Zukerman.” In 1967 Chung shared first prize with the latter in the Leventritt Competition, and in 1970 came to international attention when she replaced “an indisposed Mr. Perlman” to make her British debut with the London Symphony Orchestra. A recent operation has ameliorated her finger problem. “Now 66 but hardly looking it, Ms. Chung feels in good shape and good spirits. If the Southbank concert—a chamber recital with just herself and the pianist Kevin Kenner—goes well, there are plans for concerts next year.”
Posted December 2, 2014
