VIOLENT JOKES 1 for Viola Solo (2021)
dedicated to Ilgyeong Shin & Elly K
As a life-long viola fan (and a viola player myself too), this is intended as a study on virtuosic aspects of viola, to overcome its inherent timbral/structural “imperfections”, which makes the instrument as a kind of laughing stock, for example; being a victim of so called “Viola jokes”. Also the pieces are a kind of hommage or rather a violation to repertoires by the composers of 20th century which helped expanding the instrumental possibility of viola, which being:
1st Mov.: Paul Hindemith – Der Schwanendreher (1935)
2nd Mov.: Luciano Berio – Sequenza VI (1967)
3rd Mov.: Gérard Grisey – Prologue (1976)
All three given pieces were manipulated, distorted, and VIOLATED in many different ways. Like the first chord of Berio’s Sequenza VI getting softened by changing the playing technique, and Grisey’s Spectral passage of Prologue got mutilated to be played like a groovy music played by a street performer. All those treatment of pre-existing materials can be seen as “violations” towards them, but the result was quite expansive and was quite entertaining to the player.
Date of composition: (2021)
Toccatotally UnBASED for Piano Solo (2022)
Written as a part of Score Video Community Collab 3 : BASED variations (2021)
Date of composition: (2021)
JUNKCORE #2, for Contrabass Solo (2023)
dedicated to Enrique Rodriguez-Yebra
Premiered in Aug.16.2023. in Darmstädter Ferienkurse by Enrique Rodriguez-Yebra
Date of composition: (2023)
SUCH DISGUSTING PROPAGANDA MUSIC for Violoncello Solo (2023)
DROP. for Violin Solo (2023)
corrode-violate for Viola Solo (2024)
Postlude for Baroque Violoncello Solo (2024)
dedicated to Agnès Hyun-jeong Lee
Premiered in Nov.7.2024. in Seoripul Unaccompanied Solo Series, Bach-Rediscovery of Forgotten Sounds
Date of composition: (2024)
An Amazing Life & Death of Mr. Kilroy for Piano Solo (2024)
Kilroy, known lexically as "the name of a mythical male figure." We have no way of knowing who he is.
The same goes for this piece. We have no way of knowing what this piece is trying to convey. And like the contradiction of this cheerful, French-style tonal music telling the story of a person I don't even know, the music is wrapped in multiple layers of contradiction, presenting the listener with a puzzling enigma that is clear and easy to understand, yet leaves us questioning whether it even intends to tell a story.
If anyone here knows Mr. Kilroy, please send him regards, whether he is in heaven or hell!
Date of composition: (2023)
6 Berceuses for Piano Solo (2018~2025)