CODY ENGLANDER
Staff Writer
To pianist HieYon Choi, music is more than the listening experience: It’s a form of worship.
“The music I’m bringing is not for entertainment, it’s something beyond that,” Choi said. “It reveals some kind of an unknown truth within the audience.”
In her first residency at Chautauqua Institution, Choi will perform at 4 p.m. today in Elizabeth S. Lenna Hall with a selection of contemporary works by Unsuk Chin and traditional works from Claude Debussy and Franz Schubert. She has performed mainly in Europe and Asia, but is excited to bring her sound to Chautauqua — especially the contemporary work of Chin.
Choi has a special connection to Chin’s work; before the pieces were published, both artists collaborated to develop them.
“It’s quite a special performance for me,” Choi said. “Before the publication of the pieces, she brought me in to sight-read the pieces.”
But Chin’s Three Études is not just an important composition because of the relationship Choi has with it.
“Her piece is one of the most performed contemporary pieces of our time,” Choi said. “It is very famous in Europe. I am very happy to introduce this piece for the Chautauqua audience.”
The next three pieces she will perform come from Debussy’s Études, which she notes as sounding like Greek mythology to her.
“[The arrangements] are so magically intertwined, in an almost architectural way,” Choi said.
The last piece she will perform in today’s recital is the final Schubert Sonata. Choi said the composition reminds her of the comedy and tragedy masks, cheerful moments and somber melodies at war with each other throughout the piece.
“The most tragic moment, that’s the best part of the piece,” Choi said. “[The listener] ascends to heaven.”
An out-of-body experience is important to her recital, transcending music as purely a form of
entertainment.
“The music is about uplifting spirits,” Choi said. “I hope the audience would have that kind of expectation. We’ll have true, deep exchanges through anthe music.”
