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Clara-Jumi Kang & Sunwook Kim

Clara-Jumi Kang & Sunwook Kim

  • 5 Oct - 10 Oct
  • €5-€25
  • Dublin, Waterford, Sligo, Thomastown, Listowel
Untitled 650 555 px 3
Once in a rare while, a special synergy between artists breathes new life into familiar repertoire, and the duo of Clara-Jumi Kang and Sunwook Kim is a perfect case in point.

Clara-Jumi Kang violin
Sunwook Kim piano


Garnering top laurels over the last decade—the Indianapolis, Seoul and Sendai International Competitions for Kang; Ettlingen, Clara Haskil and Leeds for Kim—the duo’s exquisite sense of phrasing and synchronised sensitivity are requisite ingredients for the violin sonata’s highly intimate format. The responsibility of creating a definitive recording of an entire oeuvre is substantial, and the special magic of these two virtuosi hasn’t gone unnoticed by the likes of Fanfare, who declared that “If you’re looking for a set of Beethoven’s sonatas for violin and piano that is well-nigh ideal, this one by Clara-Jumi Kang and Sunwook Kim is it”. Fresh from the recent release of this highly-acclaimed 4-CD compendium, the extraordinary duo showcases their outstanding musicianship in a programme of violin sonatas from the Romantic through to the present day: Beethoven, Respighi, Franck, and an exciting new Music Network commission entitled Duo by Irish composer John Buckley.


Programme:


Ludwig van Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 1 in D Major, Op. 12 No. 1
Ottorino Respighi: Sonata for Violin and Piano
John Buckley: Music Network commission (world première)
César Franck: Violin Sonata in A major

Clara-Jumi Kang: Sibelius, Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op. 47
Sunwook Kim: Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3 conducted by Nathalie Stutzmann
Clara-Jumi Kang & Sunwook Kim: Violin Sonata No. 1 in D Major, Op. 12 No. 1: I. Allegro con brio

Clara-Jumi Kang, winner of the Indianapolis International Violin Competition (2020), Seoul Violin Competition (2009) and the Sendai Violin Competition (2010), has an impressive international career performing regularly with leading orchestras and conductors across Asia and Europe.

Having made her concerto debut at the age of five with the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra, Kang has performed with orchestras including Leipzig Gewandhausorchester, Warsaw Philharmonic, Cologne Chamber Orchestra, Vienna Chamber Orchestra, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Mariinsky Orchestra, Orchestre National de Belgique and Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, with conductors such as Gergiev, Bringuier, Fedoseyev, Boreyko, Poppen, Spivakov, Temirkanov Lü Jia, Chung and Yamada.

In the USA she has appeared as a soloist with the Atlanta, New Jersey, Indianapolis and Santa Fe Symphony Orchestras, whilst elsewhere engagements have included the NHK Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, New Japan Philharmonic, NCPA Beijing Orchestra, KBS Symphony and the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. Clara-Jumi was selected as one of the top 100 Most promising and influential people of Korea in 2012 by major Korean newspaper Dong-A Times and was awarded the Daewon Music Award (2012) for her phenomenal international achievements as well as Kumho Musician of the Year (2015).

Clara-Jumi’s first solo album entitled Modern Solo (Decca) featured works including Schubert’s Erlkönig and Ysaÿe Sonatas and was followed by Brahms and Schumann Violin Sonatas with Yeol-Eum Son (Decca 2016). A dedicated chamber musician, she is a member of the Spectrum Concerts series at the Berlin Philharmonie and a regular visitor to festivals across Asia and Europe with recent highlights including the Pyeongchang, Hong Kong, Ishikawa and Marvao Chamber Music Festivals.

The 2021-22 season saw the release of her complete Beethoven Violin Sonata cycle on Accentus with pianist Sunwook Kim. Recorded during lockdown in Beethoven’s anniversary year, the sonatas were a personal homage to the composer by Clara-Jumi after more than 15 years performing the Beethoven Violin Concerto. The release is currently receiving rave reviews leading Fanfare to state “If you’re looking for a set of Beethoven’s sonatas for violin and piano that is well-nigh ideal, this one by Clara-Jumi Kang and Sunwook Kim is it”.

Clara-Jumi Kang currently plays the 1708 “Ex-Strauss” Stradivarius, generously loaned to her by the Samsung Cultural Foundation Korea.

Sunwook Kim has established a reputation as one of the finest pianists of his generation, appearing as a concerto soloist in the subscription series of some of the world’s leading orchestras including the London Symphony Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Staatskappele Dresden, Chicago Symphony, Berlin Radio Symphony, Finnish Radio Symphony, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, BBC Orchestra of Wales, Hallé Orchestra and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra for his BBC Proms debut in Summer 2014.

Conductor collaborations include with Karina Canellakis, Nathalie Stutzmann, Thomas Sondergard, Tugan Sokhiev, Daniel Harding, Paavo Jarvi, David Afhkam, Edward Gardner, John Elliot Gardiner, Myung-Whun Chung, Osmo Vänskä, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Vassily Sinaisky, Paavo Järvi, Michael Sanderling, Yuri Bashmet and Sir Mark Elder.

Recital highlights to date include regular appearances at the Wigmore Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall (London International Piano Series), in the ‘Piano 4 Etoiles’ series at the Philharmonie de Paris and Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Piano aux Jacobin Festival, AIX Festival, La Roque d’Antheron International Piano Festival (France) as well as at the Beethoven-Haus Bonn, Klavier-Festival Ruhr, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festspiele, Teatro Colon Buenos Aires, Kioi Hall in Tokyo, Symphony Hall Osaka and Seoul Arts Centre. Sunwook is also a keen chamber musician and has collaborated with singers such as Robert Holl and Kwang-Chul Youn.

Sunwook’s debut recital disc was released on the Accentus label in October 2015, featuring Beethoven’s Waldstein and Hammerklavier sonatas. This was followed by a recording of Franck’s Prelude, Choral et Fugue paired with Brahms Sonata No.3. He has released acclaimed recordings of Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas and his discography also includes multiple concerto recordings on Accentus Music and Deutsche Grammophon attracting outstanding reviews and awards from BBC Music Magazine and International Classical Music Awards.

Born in Seoul in 1988, Sunwook completed an MA in conducting at the Royal Academy of Music and was subsequently made a fellow (FRAM) of the Royal Academy of Music in 2019. Sunwook made his European conducting debut with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra in October 2021, having previously made his international debut with the KBS Symphony Orchestra (Korea) in January 2021.

In addition to Leeds, international awards include first prize at the 2004 Ettlingen Competition (Germany) and the 2005 Clara Haskil Competition (Switzerland).

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