DongYeob Kang in Review
DongYeob Kang, violist, YoungSung Park pianist
The Artist’s House in Seoul, South Korea
Streamed live and available on YouTube.com
July 26, 2020
Among the many valiant musicians who have kept music going through the pandemic, there ought to be a special award for those who fulfilled their commitments to live concerts – intrepid winners of “The Show Must Go On” awards. Noteworthy among such performers is Parisian-born Korean violist DongYeob Kang, who with pianist YoungSung Park performed a richly varied recital of Bruch, Prokofiev, York Bowen, and Paul Coletti (b. 1959) for a live audience of masked but enthusiastic listeners in Seoul, South Korea, July 26, 2020. That concert was live streamed and is still available via YouTube using the following link: DongYoeb Kang in Concert July 26, 2020
For detailed information on Mr. Kang the reader may visit his website www.kangviola.com, but for a bit of background, Mr. Kang has received an substantial list of prizes and distinctions, has performed in numerous well-known festivals and venues including Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York (2018 debut), and is currently pursuing his doctorate with fellowships at the University of Texas at Austin. He is also a graduate of Indiana University as a student of Atar Arad and holds a Bachelor’s degree from Yonsei University in Seoul where he studied with SangJin Kim. In addition, he recently completed his Artist Diploma at the Colburn Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles where he studied with Paul Coletti, who composed two of the pieces on the program, Fantasia for Solo Viola and From My Heart.
Mr. Kang gets kudos for his choice of works on this sumptuous program, starting with the underperformed Romanze for Viola and Piano in F major, Op.85, by Max Bruch. Though scored for viola and orchestra, it works beautifully in recital with viola and piano. Mr. Kang’s sound here is warm and well-controlled, and he shows a true affinity for Bruch’s Romantic spirit. There are moments where one might want a bit more abandon, where some phrases seem to cry out for more momentum, but it is overall a pleasure to hear. It doesn’t hurt that this soulful 1911 work is being played on a soulful instrument from the same year, a 1911 Giovanni Battista Gaibisso viola.
Moving on to an arrangement by Vadim Borisovsky of Sergei Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet, Op.64, Mr. Kang is again impressive. The arranger Borisovsky was himself a fine violist, a performer and professor at the Moscow Conservatory, and he knew well how to simulate the optimal orchestral range of colors with two instruments. This whole suite is a delight, and Mr. Kang seems to relish the virtuosity and wide variety of colors and timbres right from the Introduction. Brisk bowing and finger-work enhance the Young Juliet movement’s playful spirit, and the duo’s contrasting lyricism is effective as well. The third movement of the suite, the Dance of the Knights (also known as The Montagues and the Capulets), storms just as it should, with much credit going to the pianist YoungSung Park who sets the fierce tone of the opening chords, maintaining a sure orchestral foundation while synchronizing beautifully with the viola. Mr. Park again deserves praise for the final Balcony Scene where he is something of an unsung hero, unassumingly handling its complex textures and considerable demands. The two performers work admirably together. For Mr. Kang, what will raise this suite to an even higher level will be to let it transcend beyond the viola challenges to embrace an even broader orchestral conception. Part of that will include relaxing with some of the less intense viola parts to enjoy what “the rest of the orchestra”- i.e., the pianist here – does.
One of the highlights of the program, Paul Coletti’s Fantasia for Solo Viola, follows, essentially a three-minute cadenza with plenty of fiery display. Perhaps because of its solo improvisatory nature or the fact that Mr. Kang studied with the composer, Mr. Kang seems especially at home with this piece. It has a fresh, free-wheeling quality, and lots of panache. Similarly comfortable is the next work, From My Heart, also by Paul Coletti. Mr. Park rejoins Mr. Kang for this much more meditative piece, and the two seem to savor its nostalgic mood, somewhat reminiscent of an old film score with a helping of schmaltz. Some of Mr. Kang’s best playing comes here, honeyed tones with liberal stretching and absolutely no suggestion that any technical matters ever cross his mind.
The Phantasy in F major for Viola and Piano, Op.54 by York Bowen (1884-1961) caps off the program beautifully. I’ve long thought that the music of York Bowen is unjustly neglected, though some of his piano works have been recorded (by Joop Celis, Danny Driver, and perhaps most notably by Stephen Hough). Bowen’s work has a luscious heart-on-sleeve Romanticism with hints of Rachmaninoff, Delius, and others from the turn of the 19-20th century, but with his own distinct sound. This Phantasy is a powerful finale for any viola-piano team that can handle it, and the team of Kang and Park does so superbly. They bring lyricism and bravura playing together with unity of spirit and conception. Only some slight momentary roughness towards the end betrays any hint of flagging, and that says a lot for such a demanding program.
An encore follows, Contemplation, arranged after the Five Lieder, Op. 105, No. 1 by Brahms. Some may know the arrangement by Jascha Heifetz for violin, and though we are not told the name of the arranger here, this arrangement sounds similar, so it may very well have been simply adapted for viola. It closes the concert with a gentle prayerful feeling all too appropriate for the middle of the year 2020. Bravo to DongYeob Kang and Bravo to YoungSung Park!
A word to the wise for those who want to hear this concert: there is a silence of more than three minutes at the beginning (and I thought my computer was not working until I saw some motion on the progress bar), so perhaps skip to the 3:13 point (or closer to 4:00 to miss the tuning). Also, without some premium YouTube membership, there will be ads coming at the very worst points in the music – a crime. Let’s hope this duo will make a DVD soon.
The entire concert is at the presenters’ link posted in the first paragraph, but the reader can also visit Mr. Kang’s own YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/DongYeobKang.
