Hyunah Yu -
soprano
Johann Sebastian
BACH (1685 – 1750)
Cantata BWV 32: Liebster Jesu,
mein Verlangen [6:36]¹
Wolfgang Amadeus
MOZART (1756 – 1791)
Zaide, K 344/336b: Ruhe sanft, mein holdes
Leben [6:30]; Tiger! Wetze nur die Klauen [4:52]; Trostlos schluchzet Philomele [7:15]
Johann Sebastian
BACH
Wedding Cantata BWV 202, excerpts: Weichet nur,
betrübte Schatten [7:50]¹
; Drum sucht auch Amor sein
Vergnügen [0:45]; Wenn die Frühlingslüfte
streichen [2:56]²
; Und dieses ist das Glücke [0:54]; Sich üben
im Lieben [4:50]¹
Wolfgang Amadeus
MOZART
Die Zauberflöte, K 620: Ach, ich fühl’s, es
ist verschwunden [4:06]
Don Giovanni, K 527: Vedrai, carino [3:25]
Johann Sebastian
BACH
St Matthew Passion, BWV 244:
Er hat uns allen wohlgetan [1:11];
13. Aus Liebe will mein Heiland
sterben [5:11]³
Cantata BWV 151: Süsser Trost,
mein Jesus kommt [11:54]³
Hyunah
Yu (soprano)
Vladislav Borovka (oboe solo)¹;
Jan Fišer (violin solo); Jirí Sevčik (flute solo)³
Prague Philharmonia/Shuntaro Sato
rec. 16–19 June 2006, CNSOP Hostivař Studios,
Prague and 29 June, 2006 at Menuhin Hall, Stoke d’Abernon
EMI
CLASSICS DEBUT 0946 3 68255 2 6 [68:22]
Having made her New York recital debut at Carnegie Hall as
recently as 2004, Korean-American soprano Hyunah Yu has rapidly
become
a much sought after soloist. She has worked with conductors like
Gergiev, Bychkov and Zinman. In 2006 she sang the title role
of Peter Sellars’ new production of Mozart’s Zaide in
Vienna, London and New York. Judging by her debut CD she should
be a valuable addition to today’s roster of lyrical sopranos.
Competition is keen of course and her voice so far belongs in
the lightest category, suited for the boys’ soprano arias by
Bach and the most lyrical Mozart parts.
It’s a bright voice with a distinct sparkling vibrato in the
upper register while her lowest notes so far tend to be a bit
husky
and fairly weak. She has a way of squeezing the tone so that
it takes a fraction of a second before it finds its centre, giving
an impression that she is a notch behind the beat. At least that
was what I first thought in the opening Bach aria and also, to
some extent, in Ruhe sanft. Later on, however, it didn’t
bother me at all, possibly having got used to it. When I went
back to the first tracks the singing felt just as satisfying
there as in the rest of the programme. What was obvious from
the start was her sensitive phrasing and her willingness to sing
softly. Technically there is very little to regret, apart from
the fact that some runs in the Bach arias felt a bit mechanical
as if they lacked purpose, but that of course is more a question
of interpretation. It can often be felt in baroque repertoire
that a singer goes through the motions more or less dutifully.
The three Zaide arias show her well inside the role. Ruhe
sanft, certainly one of the most beautiful of Mozart’s
arias, is warmly sung. In the dramatic Tiger! Wetze nur
die Klauen she shows an intensity of attack that came as
something of a surprise while she is suitably vulnerable in
the third aria – in reality the second. I can’t see a reason
for presenting them in this haphazard order.
According to the booklet Bach is her passion, which is convincingly
shown in the excerpts from the Wedding Cantata, where
especially the last aria; Sich üben im Lieben is performed
with a captivating swagger. A pity there wasn’t room for the
whole cantata.
Both her Pamina and Zerlina are well sung, but it seems that she takes
more naturally to the sadness of the former, with ethereal soft
high notes, than to the more earthbound peasant girl.
She sings Aus Liebe will mein Heiland sterben from the
St Matthew Passion with aching beauty; the flute and the voice
entwine in
a marvellous duet. But arguably the most marvellous music and
the most marvellous singing comes in the very last number, the
long soprano aria from the cantata No. 151. If I were her agent
and wanted to convince a reluctant producer about the young soprano’s
potential, this is the track I would select.
The Prague Philharmonia play well and the three instrumental soloists
are really superb. I sometimes wished, though, that they had
been somewhat more closely balanced. Apart from that the sound
is good. There is a short note on the music by Julian Haylock
but no texts.
It is always a pleasure to hear a singer in at the beginning of her
career with the freshness of the voice intact and no signs of
wear and tear. Just as with the Russian baritone Rodion Pogossov,
whose disc in this same series I admired greatly (see review),
I am sure Hyunah Yu will have a prosperous future.
Göran Forsling
