Miroirs
Navona, 2021
9/10
A stunning debut album, the pianist HyeJin Kim takes us on a journey of self-reflection thanks to her very expressive piano playing, as she offers the works of Maurice Ravel, Enrique Granados and George Gershwin.
The title track opens the listen with Kim’s unimaginably skilled playing that’s quick but controlled across the mesmerizing 5 segments of the Ravel tune, and Granados’ “Goyescas, Op. 11” follows with a low rumbling that shifts into firm, cascading beauty amid the 13+ minutes.
The deeper tracks bring us the busy and tense “La Valse”, where Ravel’s work is again interpreted with agile, daring key progressions, and George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody In Blue” exits the listen with bold and nimble finger acrobatics that certainly do justice to the original.
A very intimate endeavor, Kim makes the most of every second here, and it results in a passionate and glorious listening experience that you can’t play just once.
Travels well with: Christina Petrowska Quilico- Vintage Americana; Monika Gurak- Scenes From A Life