Complete Works For Solo Violin
Navona, 2021
8/10
Listen to Complete Works For Solo Violin
The composers Earl Kim and Isang Yun see their work fleshed out by the esteemed violinist Chi Young Song here, where Western musical heritage and traditional Korean music is present across the cultured song craft.
“12 Caprices For Solo Violin” opens the listen with a dozen installments that showcase profound string manipulation that at times can be bare and vulnerable, but then also firmly plucked in the Kim original.
The following two tracks, “Königliches Thema für Violine Solo” and “Li-Na im Garten 5 Stücke für Violine Solo”, by Yun, display sublime, sometimes mysterious and always precise control of the instrument.
“Kontraste Zwei Stücke für Violine Solo”, the final track, then emits much stirring beauty, where Yun’s timeless and unique vision is well received.
A highly technical and often intimate adventure, the nods to ornamental gestures, Korean folk music, and Taoist principles can be traced back to the composer’s heritage, and it is certainly well appreciated.
Travels well with: James Dashow- Synchronies; Bruce Crossman- Heaven To Earth Border House