Quite often one thinks of classical or art music as originating in the West, but this album proves that there is indeed a vibrant culture of art music from Asia. South Korean pianist
Klara Min showcases works from a few 20th century Korean composers. Younghi Pagh-Paan's Pa-mun (Ripples on Water) captures a sense of play and the motion of water. One hears slow ripples first, then faster droplets or faster ripples. Though there is emotion here, it is overall a quiet piece. Isang Yun's Fünf Stücke is a series of five miniature pieces that are atonal, or, rather, are not primarily about linear harmonic or melodic structure.
Min makes each note count, and keeps with the character of each piece, playing the Allegro brightly and actively, and the Allegretto active and moving forward. Yun's Interludium A shows off
Min's athletic playing, and she never seems to miss a note anywhere. Perhaps the most interesting works on the album are by Uzong Chae. These Preludes have interesting chords and are slightly tonal. The Prelude No. 7 even briefly goes tonal, with an echo of Bach. Prelude No. 8 is also fairly tonal, with a hypnotic repeating pattern.
Min clearly chooses which notes to emphasize, giving shape to these patterns, and this makes the piece engaging. Also hypnotic is the second movement of Go-Poong (Memory of Childhood) with its repeating motif with carefully placed notes sprinkled above.
Min is able to bring mystery into this entire work, which is sometimes dark and menacing. If one is looking for Korean traditional or folk music, this album is not about that. Rather, it might be more accurate to say that this album is an example of Korean composers who have drawn upon Western, mid-20th century compositional techniques. So much of the music is universal; that is to say, it could have been composed anywhere in the world.
Klara Min has done a worthy job of tackling challenging music by the leading composers of her homeland.