Unsuk Chin
Akrostichon-Wortspiel

Citizen of the world: born in Seoul, Korea in 1961, advanced studies with György Ligeti in Hamburg, residing in Berlin for over twenty years, Unsuk Chin is an Eastern composer who has fully assimilated the musical language of the West. This is clearly demonstrated in this CD released in the legendary 20 21 series by Deutsche Grammophon, which opens with perhaps Unsuk Chin's best-known piece, "Akrostichon-Wortspiel" from 1991/93.

Written for soprano and ensemble, with a duration of 15 minutes, the "wordplay" of the title is derived from texts taken from Michael Ende’s The Neverending Story and Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking-Glass, rendered by the soprano in unusual ways: whispered recitations, words sung backwards, or just intoning note names or the letters of the alphabet. This piece catapulted the Korean to international recognition: but there is even better in the rest of the CD, which contains three other works.

"Fantaisie mécanique" from 1994/97, for example, is an instrumental piece with a stripped-back ensemble: piano, two percussionists, trumpet, and trombone—12 lively and spirited minutes where the instruments seem to compete for solo roles, stealing the spotlight from one another.

With "Xi" from 1998, the instrumental ensemble is joined by electronics: an enchanting piece that begins with a "breath" of sound (placid rhythm of inhaling - exhaling) and a slow progression; the soundscapes are heavy, dark, and gradually unfold, then overlap, until reaching a shattered and pointillist texture, with the tempo accelerating and a hysterical dripping of sounds... until in the final part, the piece concludes as it began (23 minutes duration). The electronic part uses magnetic tape, slight amplification of instruments, a sampler, and a sound spatialization software through 16 speakers.

Lastly, the "Double Concerto" from 2002 for piano, percussion, and ensemble: a piece rich in timbre and sumptuous in instrumental color. A 20-minute gallop that offers no pauses or moments of relaxation but captivates the listener with intricate webs of sound. The two soloists in this case betray the oriental origin of the author: the prepared piano, producing metallic-percussive sounds, and a percussionist always seeking specific effects, create a sonic world deeply rooted in the language of Western music, yet simultaneously in that of extra-European music. For someone named Unsuk Chin, perhaps it could only be this way.