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The most innovative era of change for the horn, the two faces of Romanticism
Hong-Bak Kim
Schumann & Brahms
★First official album release by hornist Hong-Bak Kim, former principal horn of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra★
Hornist Hong-Bak Kim's first official album release
Hornist Hong-Bak Kim, who served as principal horn for several years under the direction of music director Vasily Petrenko and Klaus Mäkelä at the prestigious Nordic orchestra, the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, will release his first official album [Schumann & Brahms] on July 5th through the Sony Classical label. Kim Hong-bak chose 'Schumann and Brahms' as the theme to decorate his first discography.
Showcasing musical experiences and moments of inspiration embodied in renowned overseas orchestras.
Kim Hong-bak has been invited as guest principal to world-renowned orchestras such as the London Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, receiving critical acclaim. Kim Hong-bak, who finished his eight years as principal horn of the Oslo Philharmonic and began teaching and research activities as a professor at Seoul National University in 2023, said, "I wanted to capture my musical values, which I established through precious experiences and moments of inspiration encountered in various orchestras overseas for a long time, in this album and become a good inspiration to someone else." He also added to the anticipation by saying that he unraveled the history of instrument improvement from natural horn to valve horn through the music of composers Schumann and Brahms in his meaningful first official album.
An academic program to explore the 'history of horn improvement' from natural horn to valve horn
Kim Hong-bak used Schumann and Brahms' contrasting reactions to the improvement of the horn in the Romantic era as the main axis of the album program composition. A total of four songs were selected as the album program, including Schumann's Adagio and Allegro (Op. 70), Fantasy Pieces (Op. 73), and Three Romances (Op. 94), which actively introduced the new instrument, and Brahms' Horn Trio (Op. 40), which showed a more friendly appearance to the natural horn before the improvement.
In particular, the Adagio and Allegro (Op. 70), which maximized emotional expression with the valve horn, which was capable of stable intonation, and Brahms' Horn Trio (Op. 40), which redefined the position of the horn in chamber music by introducing the horn into the piano trio instead of the cello, make this album even more noteworthy in that it showcases major horn works in one place.
The album was recorded at the Tongyeong International Music Hall over three days from May 9th to 11th. Pianist Park Jong-hae, who has shown excellent ensemble not only in collaborations and solo stages as a soloist after winning the runner-up prize at the Geza Anda Competition, but also in various chamber music performances, and violinist Kim Jae-won, the concertmaster of the Toulouse Capitole Orchestra, collaborated with Kim Hong-bak to enhance the album's completeness.
The Romantic era, the most amazing and beautiful era of change for the horn. [Schumann & Brahms], which contains the story of Kim Hong-bak and the horn, will be released on July 5th on the Sony Classical label.
Author: Hong-Bak Kim
Publisher: Sony Music Korea
