Chee - Yun

Sunday, October 26, 2025 at 5pm

This performance will include a 15-minute intermission.

Chee-Yun: Violin

Albert Cano Smit: Piano

J.S. BACH: CHACONNE FROM PARTITA NO. 2 FOR SOLO VIOLIN, BWV 1004

JOHANNES BRAHMS: VIOLIN SONATA NO.3 IN D MINOR, OP. 108

I.    ALLEGRO

II.   ADAGIO

III.  UN POCO PRESTO E CON SENTIMENTO

IV.  PRESTO AGITATO

Albert Cano Smit: Piano

 -INTERMISSION-

GABRIEL FAURÉ: SONATA NO. 1 IN A MAJOR, OP. 13

I.    ALLEGRO MOLTO

II.   ANDANTE

III.  SCHERZO: ALLEGRO VIVO

IV.  FINALE: ALLEGRO QUASI PRESTO

 Albert Cano Smit: Piano

MAURICE RAVEL: TZIGANE

Albert Cano Smit: Piano

“In his youth and until the approach of old age he played the violin cleanly and penetratingly, and thus kept the orchestra in better order than he could have done with the harpsichord,” Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach wrote of his father to Johann Nikolaus Forkel. “He understood to perfection the possibilities of all stringed instruments. This is evidenced by his solos for the violin and for the violoncello without bass. One of the greatest violinists once told me that he had seen nothing more perfect for learning to be a good violinist, and could suggest nothing better to anyone eager to learn, than the said violin solos without bass.”

The origin of the sonatas and partitas for unaccompanied violin – “Sei Solo” (Six Solo), as the manuscript is simply headed – probably extends back to Bach’s first tenure in Weimar, a bare six months in 1703. The “Sei Solo” were brought to finished state in 1720 in Cöthen, however, during Bach’s years in service as Kapellmeister to Prince Leopold. This was the period (1717-1723) of Bach’s greatest concentration on instrumental music. Exactly when the works were first performed and by whom is unknown, though clearly Bach himself would be an obvious possibility.

The first half of the Partita No. 2 consists of clear statements of the four core dances of the Baroque suite: stately Allemanda, “running” Corrente, somber Sarabanda (far removed by this time from its much wilder origins), and dashing Giga. Each of these dances is cast in typical binary form (two halves, each repeated), though rather darker in character than the norm. (The Sarabanda ends, unusually, with a little coda.)

As attractive and winning as those dances are in performance and contemplation alike, they fade into generic anonymity in comparison with the towering Ciaccona that follows. “On one stave, for a small instrument, the man writes a whole world of the deepest thoughts and most powerful feelings,” Johannes Brahms wrote to Clara Schumann. “If I imagined that I could have created, even conceived the piece, I am quite certain that the excess of excitement and earth-shattering experience would have driven me out of my mind.”

In some ways, the Chaconne (to use the more common French spelling) is the fulfillment of the previous dances, all of which give intimations of the Chaconne’s repeating bass and harmonic pattern. The Chaconne moves in the rhythm of a sarabande (in 3/4, with the weight on the dotted second beat).

It is in three-part form (A-B-A), with the exalted middle section in the parallel major. A chaconne is basically a set of free variations over a repeating harmonic pattern (and/or its bass line), and this one is protean enough that analysts cannot even agree on how many of these patterns or themes there are. It should not be surprising then, that the Chaconne has also inspired reworking by later musicians in a multitude of transcriptions and arrangements, nor that it has prompted extravagant theories about the inner nature of its mysteries. The German musicologist Helga Thoene has developed a theory that the entire Partita, and the Chaconne particularly, are full of coded references to death and to pertinent chorales. Thoene believes that the Chaconne is in fact a tombeau, a memorial piece for Bach’s first wife, Maria Barbara, who died in 1720 unexpectedly while Bach was away with Prince Leopold. Thoene’s evidence tends to rely on numerology, but several recordings have shown, in very different, intriguing, and even compelling ways, how chorale fragments might be embedded in this music.

-John Henken, LA PHIL

The key of D minor was one that Brahms rarely used in his large-scale instrumental works, and one is left to wonder whether the towering shadow of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony—in D minor—had anything to do with his caution in settling into that tonality. Clearly the tonality aroused Brahms’ most dramatic instincts, yielding music of great urgency, strength, and emotional intensity.

The D-minor Sonata (1888), Brahms’ last of three works for the violin-piano duo and the most muscular of the set, represents the composer at the height of his powers. With all of his symphonies and concertos behind him, and with only a relatively small number of compositions yet to come from his serious and still careful pen, Brahms shows himself to be a master intellect and craftsman, here in complete control of his distinctive materials. Indeed, in the first movement, the composer’s methods become an object lesson in Classic-Romantic procedures.

The dominant elements of the movement are very nearly all contained within the first four measures: three ideas in the violin—an ascending fourth, a falling eight-note figure, and a long-held note followed by a quick note—and, the fourth, the piano’s accompanying line in staggered (thus restless) single notes an octave apart. It is these highly concentrated motifs, so mysterious in their first appearances, which are put through a huge variety of compositional and emotional transformations. The most remarkable of these is in the development section, where the piano intones a pedal point on “A” for 46 measures, above which both violin and piano rhapsodize in a succession of key. This dramatic procedure occurs again at movement’s end, where, however, the action moves from the storms of D minor to the sunshine of D major.

The latter tonality is maintained for the Adagio second movement, a place of tenderness (and only momentary passion) that gives appropriate respite from the strenuous activity of the preceding movement.

The Scherzo movement peers with no little wit and élan from inside its minor-keyed façade (F-sharp minor), like a provocative child making all manner of expressions out of its exceedingly simple thematic physiognomy.

The finale is kaleidoscopic in its changing moods, which range from impetuosity to Hungarian pensiveness to chorale-like calm. Through it all, we have Brahms at his most impressive, at his most compelling. —Excerpt from a note by Orrin Howard, LA PHIL

Fame came late to Gabriel Fauré. Probably the most advanced composer of his generation, he was able to write music only during summer vacations while toiling principally as a choirmaster and teacher. The great master of French chanson, Fauré sold his songs to his publisher outright for only 50 francs apiece.

In 1872 Camille Saint-Saëns, Fauré’s former piano teacher, introduced the younger composer to the great singer Pauline Viardot and her extended musical family and salon. Fauré dedicated a number of his songs to that influential doyenne, fell in love with her daughter Marianne (who would break off their engagement after three months), and dedicated his First Violin Sonata to her son, the violinist and composer Paul Viardot.

It was Marie Tayau, however, a rising young star and the leader of a pioneering all-female string quartet, who played the premiere in January 1877, with Fauré at the piano. “The sonata had more of a success this evening than I could ever have hoped for,” Fauré wrote to a friend. “Saint-Saëns said that he felt that sadness that mothers feel when they see their children are too grown up to need them any more!... Mlle. Tayau’s performance was impeccable.”

Saint-Saëns had more than that to say: “In this sonata you can find everything to tempt a gourmet: new forms, excellent modulations, unusual tone colors, and the use of unexpected rhythms,” he wrote. “And a magic floats above everything, encompassing the whole work, causing the crowd of usual listeners to accept the unimagined audacity as something quite normal. With this work Monsieur Fauré takes his place among the masters.”

That magic is quite apparent in moments such as the transition from the development section to the rapturous recapitulation in the opening movement. That is a fleet but songful sonata form, opening with surging ardor for the piano alone for the first 22 bars. Its lyrical freshness is subtly supported by contrapuntal give-and-take, its expressive sweetness by technical muscle.

The second movement is a poignant insistently rocking barcarolle begun in D minor and closing in D major. This also makes enthralling use of counterpoint in the way the two inter-related themes entwine together.

The vivacious scherzo, a sort of brilliant French hoedown, revels in sonority as much as rhythmic byplay and structural inspiration. Light and crisply punctuated, it shifts meter and key with the manic audacity that Saint-Saëns noted.

The finale goes beyond consummation and summation with verve and nerve. Also quite fast, it bustles charmingly in a mostly very soft world, struck by some loud flares; “dolce,” “sempre dolce,” and “dolcissimo” seem to be Fauré’s default markings.
— John Henken, LA PHIL

Maurice Ravel’s Tzigane is a rhapsodic showpiece for violin, first performed in London on April 26, 1924, by dedicatee Jelly d’Arányi with pianist Henri Gil-Marchex. Originally for violin and piano (with optional luthéal), Ravel later orchestrated the accompaniment. Inspired by Hungarian folk style after hearing d’Arányi play late into the night, Ravel created a “concert rhapsody” of dazzling virtuosity, filled with Paganini-like runs, trills, and fiery gypsy-style dances. Though it uses no authentic Gypsy melodies, Tzigane evokes the flair of Hungarian rhapsodies and Parisian café music, unfolding in one continuous, ten-minute movement of feverish improvisation.

Violinist Chee-Yun’s flawless technique, dazzling tone, and compelling artistry have enraptured audiences on five continents. Charming, charismatic, and deeply passionate about her art, Chee-Yun continues to carve a unique place for herself in the ever-evolving world of classical music.

A winner of the Young Concert Artists International Auditions and a recipient of the Avery Fisher Career Grant, Chee-Yun has performed with many of the world’s foremost orchestras and conductors. Orchestral highlights include her tours of the United States with the San Francisco Symphony under Michael Tilson Thomas and of Japan with the NHK Symphony; a concert with the Seoul Philharmonic conducted by Myung-Whun Chung that was broadcast on national television; and a benefit for UNESCO with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s at Avery Fisher Hall. Chee-Yun has performed with such distinguished conductors as Michael Tilson Thomas, Jaap van Zweden, Manfred Honeck, Krzysztof Penderecki, Hans Graf, James DePriest, Jesús López-Cobos, Neeme Järvi, Pinchas Zukerman, Giancarlo Guerrero, José Luis Gomez, Miguel Harth-Bedoya, and Carlos Kalmar. She has appeared with the Toronto, Pittsburgh, Dallas, Atlanta, and National symphony orchestras, as well as the Saint Paul and Los Angeles Chamber Orchestras. Other orchestral engagements include performances with the Orquesta Sinfonia Nacional, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Cincinnati Symphony, Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, and New World Symphony, along with appearances with the National Philharmonic, Colorado and Pacific Symphonies, and the Tucson, Detroit, and Pensacola symphony orchestras. A champion of contemporary music, Chee-Yun has performed Christopher Theofanidis’ Violin Concerto with the Albany Symphony conducted by David Alan Miller as part of the orchestra’s American Festival, and Kevin Puts’ Violin Concerto with the Fort Worth Symphony. Recent highlights include appearances with the Milwaukee Symphony and a collaboration with acclaimed guitarist Mak Grgić.

As a recitalist, Chee-Yun has performed in many major U.S. cities, including New York, Chicago, Washington, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Atlanta. Career highlights include appearances at the Kennedy Center’s Salute to Slava gala honoring Mstislav Rostropovich and with the Mostly Mozart Festival on tour in Japan, as well as a performance with Michael Tilson Thomas in the inaugural season of Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall and the U.S. premiere of Penderecki’s Sonata No. 2 with pianist Barry Douglas. In 2016, she performed as a guest artist for the Secretary General at the United Nations in celebration of Korea’s National Foundation Day and the 25th anniversary of South Korea joining the UN. In 1993, she performed at the White House for President Bill Clinton and guests at an event honoring recipients of the National Medal of the Arts. Other career highlights include recitals in St. Paul, Buffalo, Omaha, Scottsdale, and Washington, D.C.; duo recitals with cellist Alisa Weilerstein; a recital tour with pianist Alessio Bax; and a performance at American Ballet Theatre’s fall gala. Firmly committed to chamber music, Chee-Yun has toured with Music from Marlboro and appears frequently with Spoleto USA, a project she has been associated with since its inception. Additional chamber music appearances include performances at the Ravinia, Aspen, Bravo! Vail Valley, La Jolla, Caramoor, Green Music, Santa Fe, Orcas Island, Hawaii Performing Arts, and Bridgehampton festivals in the U.S.; the Great Mountains Music Festival in South Korea; the Clandeboye Festival with Camerata Ireland in Northern Ireland; the Opera Theatre and Music Festival in Lucca, Italy; the Colmar Festival in France; the Beethoven and Penderecki festivals in Poland; and the Kirishima Festival in Japan.

Chee-Yun has received exceptional acclaim as a recording artist since the release of her debut album of virtuoso encore pieces in 1993. Her recording of Penderecki’s Violin Concerto No. 2 on Naxos was praised as “an engrossing, masterly performance” (The Strad) and “a performance of staggering virtuosity and musicality” (American Record Guide). Her releases on the Denon label include Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor, Vieuxtemps’ Violin Concerto No. 5, Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole, and Saint-Saëns’ Violin Concerto No. 3 with the London Philharmonic under the direction of Maestro López-Cobos, as well as violin sonatas by Debussy, Fauré, Franck, Saint-Saëns, Szymanowski, Brahms, and Strauss. Two compilation discs—Vocalise d’amour and The Very Best of Chee-Yun—feature highlights of her earlier recordings. In 2007, she recorded Beethoven’s Triple Concerto with Camerata Ireland, pianist Barry Douglas, and cellist Andrés Diaz for Satirino Records. In 2008, Decca/Korea released Serenata Notturno, an album of light classics that went platinum within six months of its release.

Chee-Yun has performed frequently on National Public Radio’s Performance Today and on WQXR and WNYC in New York City. She has been featured on KTV, a children’s program on the cable network CNBC; A Prairie Home Companion; Public Radio International; and numerous syndicated and local radio programs worldwide. She has appeared on PBS as a special guest on Victor Borge’s Then and Now 3, in a live broadcast at Atlanta’s Spivey Hall during the Olympic Games, and on ESPN performing the theme for the X Games. In 2009, she appeared in an episode of HBO’s hit series Curb Your Enthusiasm. A short documentary film about her, Chee-Yun: Seasons on the Road, premiered in 2017 and is available on YouTube.

Chee-Yun’s first public performance, at age eight, took place in her native Seoul after she won the Grand Prize of the Korean Times Competition. At 13, she came to the United States and was invited to perform Vieuxtemps’ Concerto No. 5 in a Young People’s Concert with the New York Philharmonic. Two years later, she appeared as soloist with the New York String Orchestra under Alexander Schneider at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. In 1989, she won the Young Concert Artists International Auditions, and a year later she received the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant. In Korea, Chee-Yun studied with Nam Yun Kim. In the United States, she trained at The Juilliard School with Dorothy DeLay, Hyo Kang, Daniel Phillips, and Felix Galimir (chamber music).

In addition to her active performance and recording schedule, Chee-Yun is a dedicated and enthusiastic educator. She gives master classes around the world and has held several teaching posts at notable music schools and universities. Her past faculty positions include serving as the resident Starling Soloist and Adjunct Professor of Violin at the University of Cincinnati College–Conservatory of Music and as Visiting Professor of Music (Violin) at the Indiana University School of Music. From 2007 to 2017, she served as Artist-in-Residence and Professor of Violin at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

Chee-Yun plays a violin made by Francesco Ruggieri in 1669. It is rumored to have been buried with a previous owner for 200 years and has been profiled by The Washington Post.

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Ellen Fujikawa

Mike Kerr and Jenny Backhaus

Maurice and Alexandra Mandel

Edward McPherson

Rita Mitchell

Mitsuhiko and Reiko Nakano

Dr. Janice Gudde Plastino

Rosalind Russell

Joseph Sheridan

Dan & Jeanne Stokols

Robert Strang

Mary Vensel White

Update as of 7/14/26

DONATE TODAY

Please consider making a donation to support the work of the National Choreographers Initiative. We need your contributions to support the dancers and choreographers involved in the project. Be an angel to the arts-dance! Thank you!

Send your donation to: NCI 3334 E. Coast Hwy #276, Corona del Mar CA 92625