Unsuk Chin - Cello Concerto (2008/2013)
Composer: Unsuk Chin (진은숙 Chin Unsuk) (July 14, 1961 -)
Cellist: Alban Gerhardt
Orchestra: Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Myung-Whun Chung
Another marvelous piece demonstrating Chin's masterful control of timbre, ranging from beautiful subtle textures (particularly movement III) to violent attacks.
00:00 I - Aniri
09:49 II
12:46 III
20:54 IV
Score available here: boosey.com/cr/music/Unsuk-Chi...
For this four-movement cello concerto, Unsuk Chin let herself be inspired by the "unique ability of Alban Gerhardt." The dedicatee first performed it in 2009 at the London Proms under Ilan Volkov and also performed the new edition in 2013 under Kent Nagano in Munich. Described as "the most important cello concerto since Lutosławski's in 1970" by The Guardian, Chin's transparent work never allows the soloist to be covered up, despite its large orchestration, and explores the specific lyrical qualities of the instrument with all of its technical difficulties.
Only very rarely does Unsuk Chin refer to the musical traditions of her homeland Korea. In this cello concerto, however, there is a narrative anchor: the first movement Aniri is named after a term from the Korean Pansori Theater and denotes in those "one-man operas" the narrative passages. And like the actor of an epic song, the cellist casts a spell over everyone. The cellist is introduced by barely audible, tender swabs of both harps: they present the central tone G♯, which over the course of the movement continually appears as an orchestral focal point and is taken up by the soloist. Tubular bells and celesta join in; the soloist's melodic line breaks ever freer. With a most diverse array of playing techniques, such as differing degrees of harmonics or striking the strings with the bow, the spectrum between song and noise is explored. The orchestra follows the cello in a shadowy manner, takes up a rhythmically pregnant figure, and lays out a seductively sparkling field over the soloist's arpeggio and harmonic passages - nine triangles support the impression of whirring and floating. The short cadenza again leads to the central tone G♯. The dreamy pause is interrupted by an abrupt detonation - mixed in with the extinguishing of the orchestra are improvisatory, feverishly flickering impulses from the cello. With the direction "as fast as possible," Chin makes tribute to the cello concerto of her teacher György Ligeti.
The frenetic, scherzo-esque 2nd movement was revised after the first performance; in fact, the beginning was completely rewritten. This movement was "the only one that I had a very clear vision of before the composition process. However, the end result was something completely different," said Chin before the revision. Like a motor the soloist drives the movement forward, supported by ostinatos in the percussion. Like lightning, the sixteenth-note chains of the strings strike downwards, rich in overtones from playing at the bridge. Unexpected in this short fast ride, the cello unfolds into a melody enriched with artificial harmonics: a stylized folk song, expressing Chin's original thoughts.
The adjoining 3rd movement functions as an extreme contrast, and yet is connected by a common breathing in and out. This time, the soloist establishes the central tone G, around which lies a delicate choral-like aura from the orchestra. With great sensitivity, the cello draws out a choral melody, statically floating, accompanied by low strings. After a culmination, the strings pick up the chorale, then the woodwinds, accompanied by the cello in a dark contrapuntal countermovement. The ghostly movement end stretches the orchestra even further out: the cello disappears into the highest harmonic regions; the gnarled contrabassoon moves down onto the Earth.
After these sounds of the spheres, the orchestra assaults the soloist with powerful hits: hard chords fall upon him, the sextuplet quaking of the violins grab him, vividly described by a performance critic as "a swarm of hornets." The cello counters the massive incessant tutti attacks with searching, wandering figures. Unsuk Chin speaks of "psychological warfare." After an explosion of orchestral colors, the cellist takes over the aggressive quaking figure, until suddenly a long-spun melody lights up, another reminiscence of the Aniri movement. The epic storyteller does not allow himself to be defeated by the collective - undeterred he sings his soul out, accompanied only by a droning motive in the contrabasses. The beauty in the music of Unsuk Chin is always an endangered beauty.
(My translation of Kerstin Schüssler-Bach's program note)
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Chin is really a living master in contemporary music orchestration.
The master of textures and clear orchestration!
My ears are wide open after hearing this wonderful work. There is a clear reference to early 20th century neo classicism here. Lots of great effects but also cohesive. I imagine a live performance would be quite an experience. Thanks for posting.
@barryponton4239
22 күн бұрын
Open your ears, nothing wonderful about this work!!
The cello / bass harmonic divisi near the end of the first movement is what made me fall in love with Chin in the first place. Extraordinary - thank you so much for this. She is a gift!
How haven't i heard of Unsuk Chin before? This is amazing, i almost cried with those gliss
I’ve quickly fallen in love with this piece (especially mvmt I) and can’t wait to sink my teeth into the score. The more I listen to Chin’s work, the more rapidly she becomes one of my favorites. Thank you for the video!
@schneiderFFF
2 жыл бұрын
Do you know where I could get a copy of the score?
@minhnhatnguyen7908
2 жыл бұрын
@@schneiderFFF the description
She’s an absolutely GENIUS. Having the cello begin in such a high register reminds me of the opening to Rite of Spring, in a completely unique way.
Good god that chord in the massive divisi section at 8:36 is just so visceral, I can't get over how it makes me feel, there's just something so pungent about it for me that completely shakes me to my core. This whole concerto is absolutely brilliant, so many interesting sounds and colours that I could've never imagined until now!
@smuecke
2 ай бұрын
That chord reminds me of Morton Feldman, sounds like something from his piano and string quartet..
I wish I could like this video more than once
Very nice piece. I particularly like the third movement, and the orchestra's performance of it is sublime.
this is absolutely phenomenal.
@barryponton4239
22 күн бұрын
You must be very easy to please!
@coasterdragon155
21 күн бұрын
@@barryponton4239 I am. Turns out I enjoy almost everything you throw at me :D
@coasterdragon155
21 күн бұрын
@@barryponton4239 Also, it's okay to have different views!
amazing! thank you for posting this score-video
Absolutely amazing. Certainly the new masterpiece for cello and orchestra.
This channel is a treasure trove. Thank you!
Fantastic music! Brilliantly and masterfully composed - and performed. Thank you for this!
GOD I applaud you for making this, thank you for your work!!!
Masterfully composed and masterfully played!
The initial cello entrance in the final movement is the coolest thing i've ever heard on cello. Fantastic concerto.
I love Mvmt II. thank you.
Wonderful work. One of the most interesting composers today.
@barryponton4239
22 күн бұрын
I hope your joking
@mirrors1
22 күн бұрын
@@barryponton4239 what? I don't understand what you mean.
@barryponton4239
21 күн бұрын
What I mean is I don't understand a note of that incomprehensable work!
So intense! AMAZING! Greetings from Brasil! Luv this channel!
*Living legend*
Masterwork! Congratulations! A masterpiece perfect for a dance coreography, in my opinion.
quite good ...
Amazing
This is fun!!
Uma obra linda e estarrecedora. Muito rítmica, lírica e que mistura tonalidade e atonalidade com grande maestria. Sem dúvida, um grande clássico do século XXI
Too good!!! 🤘🏿❤️🔥🤘🏿
Thanks a ton for this, I love Chin's works.
@elijahstewart3231
2 жыл бұрын
yagizzz
@yagiz885
2 жыл бұрын
@@elijahstewart3231 wtf is wrong with you
@elijahstewart3231
2 жыл бұрын
@@yagiz885 lmfao someone’s angy
@peterrowan9955
2 жыл бұрын
Yagiz and Eli
@elijahstewart3231
2 жыл бұрын
@@peterrowan9955 yagiz and eli
Uma das grandes obras primas contemporâneas do século XXI. Uma obra inspiradíssima de Chin. Maravilhoso ouví-la.
¡Formidable!
She's beautiful
Ottimo amalgama delle sonorità
THAT IS AWSOME
7:02 epic cadenza moment
@ianmoore5502
2 жыл бұрын
it truly was epic
sodelicious.................
towards the end the cello is sounding like a theremin. is it prepared somehow, or am i just hypnotized? really neat work.
isso lá é música?
🛐
14:06
Is this copyrighted? And how do we get permission to use it?
Hi! Where did you obtain the score from?
@mateogonzalez4414
Жыл бұрын
Boosey & Hawkes
@KinkyLettuce
Жыл бұрын
@@mateogonzalez4414 no. Im not asking which publisher. As far as I concern, Boosey doesn't sell these in pdf forms. I commented asking because I suspected it was from Nkoda and I'd LOVE to know how
Perfect songs to read the subjective forms of the clouds and to follow with a tender eye the grooves of the stems of the trees; appreciate the complex writing of the nested branches, taste the colors of the decomposition of light into water droplets in a garden, and strongly feel the wet soil of ancestral forest to perceive the traces of animals from deep past.
Of course it's a cello concerto, so there has to be some melody, which is lacking in some of Chin's other works.
Call that music
She is like the female Ligeti!
@leofu97
2 жыл бұрын
Indeed - this piece has many similarities with Ligeti's violin concerto!
@elijahstewart3231
2 жыл бұрын
well she did study with him!
@ligetisspaghetti5763
Жыл бұрын
@@elijahstewart3231 si
곡이 너무 너무 좋은데요 윗글을 쓰고 나서 곡이 너무 좋아 어젯밤에 도대처 신은숙이 누구인지 찾아 볼려고 네이버 검색 했는데 신은숙이 검색어에 아예 없어서 난감 했었다 근데 오늘 아침 다시 음악 듣다가 신은숙이 아니라 진은숙으로 불리는걸 알게 됐다 그래서 다시 지금 인터넷 검색 했더니 ...... 과연 ..... 진은숙 씨가 2024 년 1월 25 일 클래식계의 노벨상인 에른스톤 지멘스 상을 아시아인 최초로 수상 했다네요 어쩐지 ..... 천재 같더라니 ..... 또 하나 알게 된 사실 동생이 진중권 씨 라는거
this music is already being produced on a conveyor belt
@GUILLOM
2 жыл бұрын
what
Cool instrumentation. Otherwisex pretty mid
I'm sure a good 2% of the population enjoys this. For the rest of us it's just horror movie music.
@shadmium3471
Жыл бұрын
2% of the population is way more than j think it actually is, i dont think 2% of 7.9B people have listened to this, if anything less than 1%
@stacia6678
11 ай бұрын
@@shadmium3471 You're right - that's about 158 million people. About a half of the US population.
Film music.
@GUILLOM
2 жыл бұрын
no
This sounds like dog shit. 0/10. -10/10, worse than just not listening to anything. Composer should be ashamed.
@knelson3057
2 жыл бұрын
thank you for your input youtube user Poopoo Peepee
@ligetisspaghetti5763
Жыл бұрын
unbased 😢
@musicalmaffeffe646
Жыл бұрын
@poopoopeepee thank u for ur totally not annoying comment poopoopeepee
@barryponton4239
22 күн бұрын
Well said, it's not music!
Damn. Boosey just published their own score vid for the piece. what happens next I wonder?
Amazing