Unsuk Chin - Sheng Concerto "Šu" (2009)

Chin demonstrates her absolutely masterful control of timbre in this piece, particularly in the way instrumental colors blend in and out with each other. Take, for example, how the muted violins in artificial harmonics sneak out of the sound of the solo sheng at 1:05, or how the clarinets come out of the sound of muted trombone and then move in and out of each others' sounds bringing out various shades of their tight quarter-tone harmony at 4:55.
The piece begins small, with only the solo sheng in slow meditative rhythm. Over the course of the piece, the intensity of rhythm and orchestration gradually builds up. This culminates in a highly rhythmic climax section at 13:25 before returning to the calm of the introduction at 18:20, now laid upon an incredibly eerie soundscape formed by percussion and strings.
Composer: Unsuk Chin (진은숙 Chin Unsuk) (July 14, 1961 -)
Sheng: Wei Wu
Orchestra: Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Myung-Whun Chung
Score available here: www.boosey.com/cr/music/Unsuk...
Scores I engrave: github.com/CMajSeven
How I make my videos: github.com/CMajSeven/Workflow...
Program I develop for this channel: github.com/edwardx999/ScorePr...

[@Michail_Chatziasemidis]

I absolutely loved it! She uses with a lot dexterity a wide range of timbres, that make the peace incredible!

[@GUILLOM]

The section beggining at 13:25 is wonderful.

[@ttwiligh7]

Gees...I'm at only the beginning and I got already hooked...This is just too beautiful...

[@randomprimate]

Wow, the percussion texture at the end is marvelous: piano strings and suspended cymbal rolled with mallets, frame drum rotated with a ping pong ball inside, rubbed Japanese temple bell, plus the fantastic string harmonics, tam tam, vibraphone, and tubular bells... I don't how the hell she thought up this combination, but it is A++++ long live Unsuk!

[@Flatscores]

First three notes of the theme really bring Takemitsu to mind.

[@guilhermetinoss]

it reminded me immediately Takemitsu´s Cerimonial - An Autumn Ode. Dont know if you ever heard it but I recommend it !

[@Flatscores]

@@guilhermetinoss The theme I had in mind was the one for "A Flock Descends Into the Pentagonal Garden" and "A Bird Came Down the Walk".

[@guilhermetinoss]

@@Flatscores I see. I am not completely familiar with this pieces of his, even thought I already listened to them. I am going to check it out again... Thanks!

[@dawnwhitney2975]

Magnificent! So happy to hear this.

[@slateflash]

Thank you so much!!

[@zgart]

YAY!!! I've been waiting for this one

[@f.p.2010]

after one listen this already turned out to be my favourite work of Master Chin.

[@yagiz885]

Wonderful!

[@pagorami5253]

oh this is beautiful

[@DavidRocheMusic]

Spectacular piece.

[@agustinguerrerotango]

Fantástica obra e interpretación!!!

[@MSchultheis]

Really good sense for dramaturgy in this, the buildups and different textures never get exhausting or too randomly changing. The quality of a good form is sometimes overlooked in favor for just finding interesting sounds.

[@k2awesomeness]

Yay, Unsuk Chin!

[@yb3542]

곡들마다 소리가 기가막힌다 진짜.. 내 곡 쓰다가 가끔 선생님 곡 들으면 너무 통쾌해

[@sudabdjadjgasdajdk3120]

hand organ concerto... man that is so cool

[@johnchan4136]

Brilliant!

[@qedimovarena7828]

Beautyfull orchestral ownership, reaching timbres! 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏 Also percussiions 👍

[@atempo4239]

와....역시 은숙님....!

[@user-np8wy2ze3o]

2024년 1월 클래식 계의 노벨상인 에른스톤 폰 지멘스 상을 아시아인 최초로 수상 했네요 여윽시 ~~~

[@marcsmith7789]

fascinating work! What incredibly original and imaginative writing. I'm blown away by the sounds she pulls out of the orchestra- and I have so many questions! How did she figure out how to create these incredible percussive effects?

[@yagiz885]

15:10 I love this aksak rhythm

[@stacey_1111rh]

This is if dark ambient were to become classical. Great piece

[@marcususa]

It's interesting how you search for sheng music on KZbin and Google for over 10 years, and this video never came up, but 3 years later KZbin recommends it. I can't complain. I am still alive to hear it, LOL, but I wonder if there is a way to funnel these videos sooner than a 3 year wait time. Perhaps, this video was private for some time?

[@AndewMole]

12:55 gliss on the string with credit card

[@mateogonzalez4414]

LMAO

[@MegaCirse]

Au-delà des faux semblants, Unsuk Chin dénonce l’ordre apparent et les paradoxes d'un monde insensible. Spirituelle, sensorielle et rebelle, cette poètesse dévoile les impostures secrètes, explore des jouissances sereines, un monde de rêves resurgissants !

[@Syllogyzym]

Hi, Philippe! Glad to see you're still haunting the same comment sections that I am :)

[@__414.88b_]

Full of darkness, yet so romantic

[@NFStopsnuf]

Hey look a Jiangnan sizhu instrument!

[@NFStopsnuf]

A lot of tonguing exercises necessary for many members of the orchestra

[@oscargill423]

Wow?

[@yu-jiyao24]

牛得很

[@pianissimo5951]

11:19 stravinsky that u?

[@pianissimo5951]

11:08

[@steveegallo3384]

This is the Perfect Antidote to when you're feeling TOO mellow and calm....and feel like some Nervous Anxiety is called for.

[@GUILLOM]

I find this concerto quite relaxing actually

[@schneiderFFF]

16:10 is probably may favorite or 11:18

[@kssyrp]

14:37 WOW...

[@georgeholloway3981]

The comments here are an absolute s**tshow.

[@MrRbjunior83]

In fact, what is the point of all this? What does he say and who will listen to it?

[@RichardPJohnMusic]

What's the "point" of any other music? Why does music need a "point"?

[@MrRbjunior83]

@@RichardPJohnMusic Because music is a message, a thought, a philosophy, a faith, music is "God". And here there is no message, no thought, no philosophy, no faith, no God. There is nothing here.

[@AlejandroLamKhoa]

@@RichardPJohnMusic sounds like you should listen to more new music; maybe then you’ll expand your “definition” of music.

[@Michail_Chatziasemidis]

Well, at least I heard it and it truly spoke to me.

[@AlejandroLamKhoa]

@@RichardPJohnMusic sure, but i can still criticize your definition of music as narrow. Without going philosophical about how it doesn't fit your definition of music, what don't you like about this piece? Let's start with that.

[@stephenjablonsky1941]

That's an awful lot of dissonance. If your life is bland this piece may help spice things up. Sadly, when it ends you will be unable to hum anything you heard. Unsuk is a brilliant composer who disavows the concept of melody. These 21 minutes are like a trip to North Korea on a bad day.

[@TariqKhan-np2wx]

narrow view of music and music is not just about humming a tune.

[@RichardPJohnMusic]

So Stephen, what's the maximum amount of dissonance one is allowed? I'm not the greatest fan of the above work, but good music is about a lot more than a "good tune".

[@Michail_Chatziasemidis]

Dissonance has been emancipated since Schönberg and School of Vienna's atonality. I guess that the maximum is what the piece objectively permits.

[@ZtlaMusic]

I don't understand why one would consider things such as being melodious or easy to recall as inherently desirable qualities. Different palettes for different results.

[@MegaCirse]

Well said bro !