Yeol Eum Son
Piano
Yeol Eum Son will make her DC debut with works by Mozart, Brahms, Pärt, Ravel, and Liszt.
Program
Yeol Eum Son made her recording debut in 2004 with a complete set of Chopin’s Études, the same year she performed Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with the New York Philharmonic and Lorin Maazel during the orchestra’s tour to South Korea. She is a prize-winner at both the Tchaikovsky Piano Competition and the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. Among her solo recital repertoire are Mozart’s Fantasia in C minor—one of his most daring and adventurous piano works, late Brahms, one of the earliest pieces in Arvo Pärt’s tintinnabuli style, and the demonic magnificence of Liszt’s Mephisto Waltz No. 1. She will also play one of Ravel’s favorites among his own piano works, Valses nobles et sentimentales.
PROGRAM:
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756-1791)
Fantasia for Piano in C minor, K. 475 (1785)
JOHANNES BRAHMS (1833-1897)
Klavierstücke for Piano, Op. 118 (1892)
Intermezzo in A minor. Allegro non assai
Intermezzo in A major. Andante teneramente
Ballade in G minor. Allegro energico
Intermezzo in F minor. Allegretto un poco agitato
Romance in F major. Andante
Intermezzo in E flat minor. Andante, largo e mesto
INTERMISSION
ARVO PÄRT (b. 1935)
Variations for the Healing of Arinushka for Piano (1977)
MAURICE RAVEL (1875-1937)
Valses nobles et sentimentales (1911)
Modéré
Assez lent
Modéré
Animé
Presque lent
Assez vif
Moins vif
Epilogue. Lent
FRANZ LISZT (1811-1886)
Mephisto Waltz No. 1, “Der Tanz in Der Dorfshenke,” S. 514 (1911)
About the Artist
A double Second Prize winner at the Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition in 2011 and at the 13th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2009, Yeol Eum Son’s graceful interpretations, crystalline touch, and versatile, thrilling performances have caught the attention of audiences worldwide.
Praised for her widely eclectic concerti repertoire, ranging from Bach and all-Mozart to Shchedrin and Gershwin, her recent concerto highlights include appearances with the Gürzenich-Orchester Köln, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Bergen and Dresden Philharmonic under the baton of Dmitrij Kitajenko, a debut Paris date with Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and Mikko Franck, Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra under Valery Gergiev, Seoul Philharmonic, and European tour with KBS Symphony Orchestra.
In the 2017/2018 season, Yeol Eum makes distinguished debuts in Birmingham with the CBSO (Mozart Piano Concerto No 21) and London’s Cadogan Hall with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields (Mozart Piano Concerto No 8 & 21). Furthermore, she will debut with NOSPR in Katowice (Gershwin Piano Concerto), Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra (Dvorak Piano Concerto) and Slovenian RTV Symphony Orchestra (Mendelsohn Piano Concerto No 1). She also returns to Zagreb Philharmonic to perform Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No 2.
A sensitive, emotional and powerful pianist, Yeol Eum gives frequent solo and chamber music performances around the world. Recent recital highlights include the Mariinsky Concert Hall, Bad-Kissingen Summer Music Festival, Besancon Festival and Rotterdam Gergiev Festival. In the 2017/2018 season, significant recitals include returns to the Helsingborg Piano Festival, Fribourg International Piano Series and debuts in Duisburg, Szczecin, San Francisco Chamber Music Society and at The Phillips Collection in Washington, DC.
In February 2016, Yeol Eum released a new DECCA album, Modern Times, featuring solo piano music of early 20th century composers: Berg, Prokofiev, Stravinsky, and Ravel. Her discography also includes her debut recording of the complete Chopin Études (2004), Chopin Nocturnes for Piano and Strings (2008); prize-winning Cliburn Competition live performance (2009), and a multi-channel SACD O’ New World Music (2012).
Yeol Eum Son currently studies with Arie Vardi at the Hochschule für Musik Theater und Medien Hannover in Germany, where she now lives. She holds a degree from the Korean National University of Arts, under the guidance of Dae Jin Kim. Previously she had studied with Cheng-Zong Yin, one of China’s most prominent pianists. Yeol Eum is an honorary ambassador of the Seoul Arts Center and her home city of Wonju.