One
New Focus Recordings, 2024
9/10
The always impressive violinist Patrick Yim brings his technical prowess to these 6 involved and meticulous pieces by some of today’s most active composers.
Ilari Kaila’s “Solitude” starts the listen with intricate strings emitting much warmth and adventurousness that’s often quick, and the title track, by Juri Seo, follows with 12 movements that span bare, heartfelt moments, as well as tense bouts of strong attention to pitch.
In the middle is where Takuma Itoh’s “A Melody From An Unknown Place” and Páll Ragnar Páisson’s “Hermitage” land. The former resonates a sense of mystery via the strategic playing, while the latter is particularly minimal but no less impactful in its string manipulation.
The last track, “Strange, High Sky”, by John Liberatore, then showcases animated gestures as well as intimate and softer moments of reflection.
An effort of much richness, Yim’s skills are highly technical, expressive and certainly do justice to the timeless vision of the composers.
Travels well with: Jihye Chang- Boston Etudes; Adam Mirza- Partial Knowledge