Pyeonji - Letters
Clara SCHUMANN (1819-1896)
Three Romances, Op. 22 (1853)
Robert SCHUMANN (1810-1856)
Three Romances, Op. 94 (1849)
Franz SCHUBERT (1797-1828)
Sonata in A minor “Arpeggione”, D. 821 (1824)
Hoechan Lee (cello)
Sangwook Park (piano)
rec. 2022, Kirche Zum Heiligen Kreuz, Berlin
SOLAIRE RECORDS SOL1013 [48]
Hoechan Lee's career was launched through his triumph at the 2008 Osaka International Competition, and since then he has become a leading light in Korean classical music. This is his debut recording, and while his repertoire is no doubt wide-ranging, he plays here to his strengths as a proven performer of Romantic music, a skill and taste shared with pianist Sangwook Park. The title ‘Letters’ refers to Lee's view on the connecting power of music between two continents, in which these pieces “carefully capture the wonderful time and moments I experienced when I was living in Europe... Having now returned to Korea, I selected the pieces with a very particular image in mind: I was picturing myself writing letters to you, my audience, and recounting that narrative through music.”
Beautifully recorded in the stunning acoustic of the Kirche Zum Heiligen Kreuz in Berlin, these musicians have been captured fairly closely and warmly, the resonance of the venue contributing nicely without taking on too much of a personality of its own. Both the programme and the sound of this album are easy on the ear, with the virtuosity of Schubert's Arpeggione Sonata being the most substantial and demanding of the three works. Hoechan Lee's impeccable technique and musical sensitivity makes this a very satisfying performance, integrating with and floating over Park's pearlescent piano.
By the time we reach the Schubert we've already been charmed by the Schumanns, husband and wife both in their element in their songlike and elegant Romances. Clara's Op. 22 is originally for violin, composed in a time in which Joseph Joachim and Johannes Brahms were becoming part of her circle. Robert's increasing illness might account for a somewhat soulful and sometimes melancholy feel in this piece, a characteristic which works well on the cello and certainly as performed here. Robert Schumann's Three Romances Op. 94 were originally written for oboe and piano and also sound entirely natural with cello, the choice for playing transcriptions accounted for in the text for this release as “a translation from one language to another”, an arguably tenuous connection to the ‘Letters’ theme. In the end no such excuses are really required with such communicative and fluidly expressive playing from both musicians.
Solaire Records’ releases have until now been quite elaborate affairs with thick booklets. This recording appears in their ‘new look’ slimline cardboard foldout sleeve with a relatively compact text printed inside. This is a perfectly practical and attractive presentation that no doubt saves on costs and will be more ecologically friendly than the previous packaging. Comparisons can of course be made in this repertoire, and as a reference I had another listen to Misha Maisky's Arpeggione on the Deutsche Grammophon label now in a box set, reviewed by Jonathan Woolf. Maisky is more intense in tone than Lee, the former's vibrato being a more ubiquitous feature of his tone. Both have plenty of dynamic contrast, and Lee is a touch swifter in the second two movements, both he and Park creating a magical songlike atmosphere in the central Adagio where Maisky sounds a bit overwrought, especially against the rather recessed piano sound. If I was offered the choice for my desert island, then the pick would be an easy one: Hoechan Lee and Sangwook Park.
Dominy Clements
Published: November 18, 2022
