“The composer Unsuk Chin has long been known for the dramatic quality of her music—even before her first opera, a 2007 adaptation of ‘Alice in Wonderland,’ ” writes Seth Colter Walls in Tuesday’s (10/15) New York Times. “This Korean-born composer’s gripping and delightful pieces have been conducted by Simon Rattle and Gustavo Dudamel. This week, at the New York Philharmonic, Susanna Malkki—another champion of Ms. Chin’s work—will present the New York premiere of ‘Su,’ a concerto for sheng, an ancient Chinese mouth organ. The solo part will be played by Wu Wei, who premiered the work in 2009. Q: How long did you spend getting to know the sheng before writing the concerto? Chin: The sheng—or, to be more exact, its Korean counterpart, the saenghwang—is an instrument that has intrigued me since my childhood. But ‘Su’ absolutely couldn’t have been written before I met Wu Wei…. At present, he is the only person who can play this piece … Q: What should audiences listen for? Chin: It’s very important not to try to hear any direct melody. There is just harmony…. It’s quite abstract for many people, but there is a kind of floating structure.”
Posted October 18, 2019
