Tuning in…
Tuning in…
Castaway
1 appearance
A Korean violinist celebrated for her exceptional talent and international career.
On the island
Eight records
Because I've always admired hyvets. As a youngster, when I started to play violin, I just simply could not believe how humanly it is possible to achieve such a level.
Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor, Op. 63
Pablo Casals, Jacques Thibaud and Alfred Cortot
I uh chose it because I admire in the musicians such as Cotto and uh Thibault and Casals that they really lived it so intensely and uh the expressions are so full.
Violin Sonata in F major, K. 376
Arthur Grumiaux and Clara Haskil
To have a perfect partnership of the uh violin and piano is such a rare thing. And uh I do admire that uh beautiful communication between their playing.
Next selection is by Oscar Peterson, who is absolutely fabulous player in my opinion. And this is the kind of music I like to play when I want to relax.
Gregor Piatigorsky, Boston Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Charles Munch
one of the concerts is Pierigovsky playing Donkey Shoot in Puerto Rico Festival, Casa's Festival. With Zubin Mehta, and it was such a hair-raising performance because he really. It has such a Marvellous, marvellous sound which is so human.
Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love)
I have such a difficult time pronouncing her name. Um, singing Cole Potto.
String Quartet No. 13 in B-flat major, Op. 130
These late quartets, which were the last uh compositions of Beethoven, is something that I think all the musicians would agree with me that it has that kind of depth and strength and beauty and the power, which I think we could all live with.
Cello Suite No. 5 in C minor, BWV 1011Favourite
I chose uh Bach. unaccompanied suite, played by Casals, whom I admire greatly. He was not only fantastic musician, he was uh wonderful humanitarian.
In conversation
Presenter asks
0:38What in your life would you be happy to have left behind?
Actually, I would like to leave behind the violin.
Presenter asks
2:21You nearly took lessons from [Jascha Heifetz] once, didn't you? But it didn't work out.
I could not believe what other people said about Haifa as being very difficult person. I just had to go and see it uh and so somehow experience it myself. And It isn't bi because of that difficult side that I didn't stay, but he didn't allow me to play any concert. And before h I had gone to him I said to him, I had about half a dozen engagements which I must play. Would it be all right still to study with him at the same time that I play these six engagements? And he said, Fine, but when I went to play for him, he said first thing he said was You realize, of course, you can't play any concerts.
Presenter asks
3:51During your early childhood, of course [Korea] was in the aftermath of war, do you remember it as a very difficult time?
Well, I was uh what not yet three, two and a half, when the war broke out. … And uh my childhood memory was never unpleasant. Because uh although I was aware that something extraordinary had happened and we had to be suddenly uh moved down to south and I do remember very clearly riding on top of the truck which was loaded with so many things that I was afraid that I'll fall off the truck. But I started uh taking lessons in music when we all moved down to South. … and life there was quite normal.
The keepsakes
The luxury
You see, because when you plant I'm not supposed to know what I'm going to expect. I love flowers.
Presenter asks
16:33How much practice do you do every day?
seriously, when I have some time off uh like two months holiday and so on, I try to be very strict and practice really possibly average about six, seven hours a day. But during the season I find it very difficult to practise many hours and then at the same time uh perform in the evening and then make uh travelling and so on.
Presenter asks
22:55Why did you find [recording the Beethoven concerto with the Vienna Philharmonic] particularly interesting?
Because first of all, you know, to all violinists I think the Beethoven concerto is one of the biggest challenge. … And uh when I started to record for Becca, I was asked to do Beethoven concerto and immediately the Brahms concerto and so I said, Oh, no and I said, It's just I'm not ready for that. And I postponed it and for a long time. And I don't think I'm still ready for it. I don't think any artist feels they're completely ready to really put on the disc their final confession of the piece. But the fact that I had opportunity to work with the Vienna Pheromonic, which was the first time, I decided to take the challenge and went and the beauty of the sound that they produce and the phrasing and that tradition which you can't really implement.
“I prefer actually the live performance.”
“I was four when I uh started the piano and I was nearly seven when I uh began violin. and I was very glad to get away from the piano.”
“I always loved the music making, and that's the reason I chose it.”
“I feel actually less foreign playing Bach. than Mozart. But it's so terribly frustrating because he s seems to be so simple and so beautiful. But uh I feel very comfortable in romantic music and twentieth century repertoire.”