Yongjae ONeill Sings Through the Viola
By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter
The artist smiles but the viola laments.
Richard Yongjae O’Neill has built a reputation as a staunch ambassador for classical music here, moving fans with deeply sentimental melodies, and is now returning with his fifth solo album and a cross-country tour.
``Nore - Songs Without Words’’ (Deutsche Grammophon Korea) continues the poignant spirit of the violist’s second album, ``Lachrymae.’’ The 2006 recording went platinum, and the new album is also expected to pull at the heartstrings.
The warm string instrument replaces the human voice in various pieces, which range from Catalonian folksongs to classical numbers by Mendelssohn. The viola weeps beautifully, melancholically to the piano in Ginastera’s ``Cancion Triste,’’ Guastavino’s ``La Rosa y el sauce’’ and Rachmaninov’s ``Vocalise,’’ among others.
The recording process proved to be a very intimate experience, O’Neill told reporters in a press showcase last Thursday in Seoul, because it involved working solely with Germany-based pianist Christopher Park.
They worked on the album over a course of a week last September in Neumarkt, a small Bavarian village. Park, who was born to a Korean father and German mother, provided a lot of help, said O’Neill.
Both musicians noted Brahms’ ``Four Serious Songs’’ as their favorite track. The songs were particularly heartfelt because the composer wrote them in fear for the death of Clara Schumann, the love of his life, said O’Neill, and Park’s explanation of the original German lyrics heightened his understanding.
Park said even though O’Neill does not speak German he seemed to sing in the Deutsche tongue with his viola. He added that it was an honor to work with such a popular artist and that he was happy to visit Korea.
The violist explained that songs with lyrics are wonderful to play because the vowels and consonants of words carry a lot of nuance. Even though instrumentalists cannot verbalize the lyrics, he paid heed to transferring the meaning of each and every word, he said. In the future, he hopes to explore the oeuvre of Wagner and Schubert, his childhood favorites.
One of the few violists to win the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant, O’Neill splits his time performing and teaching at the University of California, Los Angeles. He rose to stardom in Korea through a TV documentary series about his family and has since captivated fans with his music.
He is credited with attracting non-fans of classical music to the genre through the popular chamber group Ditto. This season he will begin his tenure as a resident artist of the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society.
The album, produced by Grammy Award-winner Christopher Alder, is now in stores.
O’Neill will kick off a recital tour on Wednesday at Yongin Women’s Community Center, Gyeonggi Province, followed by performances on March 5 and 6 at Seoul Arts Center; March 7 at Goyang Aram Nuri Arts Complex, Gyeonggi Province; and March 9 at Busan Cultural Center. He will continue the tour on April 29 at Mapo Arts Center and April 30 in Ulsan Hyundai Arts Center.
Tickets cost from 30,000 to 100,000 won. Call 1577-5266.