JOOYOUNG KIM

• Liszt: Paganini Etudes - No.1 in G minor (excerpt)

[ * * * * ] “If I was an up-and-coming piano student, I would not hesitate to enroll post haste [where Jooyoung Kim studied] based on what I hear on this interesting disc... [The Haydn] proves a formidable test for any pianist, and Kim shines with brilliance and impressive nuance as she navigates the difficulties... But it is in the last work, Franz Liszt’s Grandes Études de Paganini where this pianist really shows her mettle. These six etudes, based on violin compositions by Paganini and dedicated to Clara Schumann, are extraordinarily difficult, among the most trying works in the entire piano literature. Kim navigates through these problems like a falcon gliding on air, displaying formidable technical acumen and rarified subtlety in those passages that demand reflection and repose. This is by all counts a fine album, bringing to light an artist that deserves to be heard again!

Steven Ritter, Audiophile Audition [September 2018]

“Not only is the program satisfying as a concert—I would love to attend it—but Kim’s remarkable artistry and assurance make this disc a complete success… She represents the richness of talent that welcoming borders have brought to the arts in this country, and she deserves wider attention from pianophiles... [in The Haydn] For comparison I listened to Emanuel Ax’s early recording (CBS/Sony)...but Kim is bolder, less studied, and more communicative... Although the [Rachmaninoff] presents great technical difficulty, which Kim overcomes with satisfying sweep and command, the heart of the music are the elegiac Variations 14–15... Kim is quite strong here, capturing the increasing wildness and menace of the music better than Ashkenazy (Decca), and without his tendency to adopt a metallic tone. She also allows the swelling emotion to carry over into the Coda rather than isolating it as a calm reprieve the way Daniil Trifonov (DG) does... The wonderful thing about Kim’s performances [of Liszt's Paganini Etudes] is how musical and thoughtful they are, blowing past technical hurdles to find charm, romance and elegance... Before listening to this disc I had Trifonov’s dazzling account for DG in my ears, but his readings, while jaw-dropping technically, especially in soft, rapid passagework, feel impersonal set beside Kim’s... Besides the disc’s musical virtues, the piano has a full, rounded tone captured realistically by MSR’s engineering, minus any banging and clanging. All told, I warmly recommend this release and hope it brings Jooyoung Kim new followers who are as enthusiastic about her as I am.”

Huntley Dent, Fanfare [July/August 2018]

“[Recording engineer] Christoph Thompson’s production values do the instrument sonic justice, not to mention Kim’s undisputable pianistic poise and warm, focused sonority... Kim’s control of the Rachmaninov Corelli Variations’ chordal leaps, vertiginous passagework and often gnarly textures cannot be faulted.”

Jed Distler, Gramophone [July 2018]

“Kim offers exuberant and bold playing... Kim is at ease with this difficult material.”

Kang, American Record Guide [July/August 2018]

“Kim has clearly selected [the repertoire] to show her pianistic prowess – which two of them, the Rachmaninoff and Liszt, clearly do. Kim makes full use of the capabilities of a modern concert grand in these works, and this is particularly effective in the Rachmaninoff variations, which Kim plays with considerable finesse and a fine sense of contrast from piece to piece... Kim is also strong in Liszt’s Grandes Études de Paganini... [she] handles the material well, and her light touch in the third étude, “La Campanella,” is particularly welcome, as is her handling of the arpeggios in the final étude... Kim shows herself here to be an impressive performer and an effective interpreter of the Romantics.”

Mark J. Estren, InfoDad [April 2018]

“...polished performances of music by Haydn, Rachmaninov, and Liszt... Kim plays the [Haydn] with solid, confident enthusiasm, the luster of her tone complemented by her digital acumen... Kim delivers several sterling moments of liquid or hard-patina sound [in the Rachmaninoff]... Kim makes [the Liszt] resound with a potent authority... The figures under Kim cavort or thunder by us in dazzling parade, and we can well wish the Brahms sets of variations were here to beguile us as well. To call the last pages, set in fff stretti, triumphant, is to understate the resounding success of Kim’s program.”

Gary Lemco, Audiophile Audition [April 2018]

An active recitalist, soloist and chamber musician, South-Korean-born pianist Jooyoung Kim has been critically acclaimed on international stages for her dazzling technique, superb musicianship and exquisite artistry. Since making her debut at the age of twelve as a soloist with the Korean Symphony Orchestra, Kim has presented numerous solo and chamber recitals in Korea, Japan, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Russia and the United States. She has appeared as a soloist with many orchestras, including the Korean Symphony Orchestra, Yonsei Sinfonietta, Yale Symphony Orchestra and the Ball State Symphony Orchestra. Her performances have been broadcast live on radio stations throughout the United States.

Kim has given solo recitals in numerous concert series, including the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series, Pianists of the World Series at St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Atelier Concert Series, Carnegie Weill Recital Hall, Falcone-Borsellino Hall, Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory, Kaluga Philharmonic Hall, Kumho Art Hall and Sejong Cultural Center. She has also performed in music festivals, including Yong-Pyung Music Festival, Busan Piano Festival, International Piano Festival in Spain, Courchevel International Music Festival, Internationale Klavierakademie Murrhardt, Aria International Summer Academy and Festival of New Music.

A sought-after collaborative pianist and chamber musician, Kim has performed with renowned singers and instrumentalists, including flutists Bonita Boyd, Camilla Hoitenga and Jim Walker, soprano Nova Thomas, cellists Natalia Gutman and Julia Lichten, violinist Piotr Milewsky, and members of the American Piano Trio and Trio Harmonia. Kim’s passion for contemporary music has led her to numerous collaborations with composers, giving acclaimed premiere performances of new works. She has also presented recitals, lectures and master classes for colleges, universities and music teachers’ organizations and national conferences throughout the United States.

An award-winning artist, Kim has taken top prizes in numerous competitions, including the Joong-Ang National Music Competition, Kingsville International Piano Competition, IBLA Grand Prize International Competition, Indianapolis Matinee Musicale Competition, Ball State University Graduate Concerto Competition, International Beethoven Piano Sonata Competition, Montpelier Classical Recital Competition, Bradshaw and Buono International Piano Competition and Taneyev International Chamber Ensemble Competition. A winner of the Yonsei Debut Award, she has also won grants and fellowships, including two Aspire Creative Arts grants.

Kim, who holds degrees from Yonsei University, Universität der Künste Berlin and Ball State University, currently serves on the piano faculty at Indiana University East and Indiana University Kokomo. She has also taught at Ball State University and Indiana Wesleyan University.
  JOSEPH HAYDN (1732-1809)
PIANO SONATA IN C MAJOR, HOB. XVI:48 (1789)
I. Andante con espressione
II. Rondo: Presto

SERGEI RACHMANINOFF (1873-1943)
VARIATIONS ON A THEME OF CORELLI, OP.42 (1931)
Theme. Andante
Variation 1. Poco più mosso
Variation 2. L’istesso tempo
Variation 3. Tempo di Minuetto
Variation 4. Andante
Variation 5. Allegro (ma non tanto)
Variation 6. L’istesso tempo
Variation 7. Vivace
Variation 8. Adagio misterioso
Variation 9. Un poco più mosso
Variation 10. Allegro scherzando
Variation 11. Allegro vivace

FRANZ LISZT (1811-1886)
GRANDES ÉTUDES DE PAGANINI, S.141 (1851)
Etude No.1 in G minor
Etude No.2 in E-flat major
Etude No.3 in G-sharp minor “La Campanella”
Etude No.4 in E major
Etude No.5 in E major
Etude No.6 in A minor



MSR Classics