Violinist Kim So-ock delves into Beethoven
By Lee Hyo-won
Staff reporter
Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61, the only work by the composer written for the solo violin and orchestra, is not as frequently played compared to its wide popularity.
It was most recently staged here during the Seoul Arts Center’s Orchestra Festival in April and fans can look forward to a soulful rendition Thursday at the same venue by London’s “wunderkind” (Newsquest-Herald & Times) Kim So-ock and the Kim Dae-jin-led Suwon Philharmonic Orchestra.
Beethoven is perhaps best known for stormy, tragic works marked by red-hot passion, and the concerto was written in 1806 around the same time he wrote the “Appassionata” Piano Sonata, Op. 57 and the “Eroica” Symphony, Op. 55. But this was a period of intense creative activity when the composer demonstrated varying styles and forms, and the violin piece displays a lyricism governed by harmony and balance of scale.
“It’s not so much about the brilliance or virtuosic capacity of the violin like the Mendelssohn or Tchaikovsky concertos. It shows the violinist’s musicianship and more soulful side. It’s really all scales and arpeggios but so spiritual, almost holy in a way,” the violinist Kim told The Korea Times in Seoul, last Friday after staging the piece with the Suwon Philharmonic in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province.
The acclaimed musician first performed the concerto about a decade ago but began including it regularly in her repertoire in recent years. A memorable experience that highlighted the “holy” character of the concerto was a concert in Mexico as part of an Easter festival. “I’ve always been impassioned about it but I feel things more now. I probably didn’t appreciate the heartrending qualities as much before. I didn’t know what a great work it was,” she said.
“It’s very symphonic, and the solo almost feels like it is part of the orchestra, but there are parts where you converse with the other instruments,” said the artist, adding that she is looking forward to collaborating again with the orchestra in Seoul. “The Suwon Philharmonic has a lot of enthusiasm and a very warm sound.”
The ensemble has been noted for displaying a new musical color and sense of equilibrium under the leadership of Maestro Kim, probably due to the fact that the members have regularly given chamber performances.
The Beethoven concerto moreover is a piece that seems to shed light on Kim’s artistic sensibilities. Always smiling with an air of cool, serene grace, she was definitely not the ego-tripping type to indulge in self-congratulatory artistic masturbation onstage. “Performing onstage almost feels intrusive,” she said. But she was no Glenn Gould either, shunning the live performance practice ― she revels in the process of creation where complete immersion with music takes place, such as playing in a chamber group or premiering works by contemporary composers.
“Many performers view performance as entertainment but I don’t think that way. I’m perhaps introverted, and sometimes wish I had that sort of ego. But it’s so easy to be entrenched in this world (the stage) that is not real and I want to be true to what I believe and feel, and have something to say through my music,” she said.
Much like the balanced scales in the Beethoven piece, Kim has been trying to achieve harmony in her life ― cutting down on tours and spending time with friends and family, and pursuing hobbies such as cooking. “I’m much happier now as a person. I want to be true to myself.”
Fans however can nevertheless look forward to Kim’s performances with the Royal Philharmonic in London this season followed by Germany next year. She also plans to hold a recital at Carnegie Hall in New York next March.
Born in Seoul in 1982, Kim moved to London at the age of three. At 15 she became the youngest ever winner of the Shell/LSO Competition and became a recipient of the Young Concert Artists Trust. She plays a 1666 Antonius Stradivarius.
The concert on Thursday will also feature Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4. Call (02) 580-1300.