The Han(한/恨) And Heung(흥/興) Odyssey: Global Sounds Of Resilience & Joy
Albany, 2025
8/10
Listen to The Han(한/恨) And Heung(흥/興) Odyssey: Global Sounds Of Resilience & Joy
An album of Korean concepts, Cecilia Kang’s inimitable clarinet is joined by Angela Park’s piano and the Wanyun (WYHD) ensemble for 10 tracks by 10 different composers.
“Arirang Madrigal”, by Haeyun Kim, opens with the soothing wind from Kang that interacts with soft singing and a dreamy ambience, and “Echoes of Hahoe - A Masked Reverie” follows and pairs the intricate flute with Park’s firm keys via the gentle versus dense gestures of the SiHyun Uhm piece.
Texu Kim’s animated “Sweet, Savory and Spicy!!” lands in the middle and illustrates a playful nature thanks to the unpredictable clarinet and bouncy keys, while “Do the waters stutter?”, by Kalaisan Kalaichelvan, is strong on ambience due to the cryptic keys and unpredictable wind.
“Poetree” and “Ballade” exit the listen. The former, by Haeyun Kim, employs the lush qualities of the Wanyun (WYHD) ensemble, and the latter finishes with a heartfelt demeanor and much elegance courtesy of Sangjin Kim’s vision.
Han represents sorrow, grief, individual pain and collective trauma, and hueng stands for joy, vitality, and radiance. Kang’s playing embraces these ideas and their place in humanity with tremendous skill and it makes for a sonically intriguing and cultured body of work.
Travels well with: Trace Johnson- Works For Cello; Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra- Convergence