"Desire for the Stage, Expressed as 'Simple Passion'"

Violist Kim Namjung's 7th Solo Recital 'Simple Passion' at Seoul Arts Center
Romantic Program Featuring Schubert, Brahms... 'Return to Basics'
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Will Pioneer Diverse Opportunities to Present Pure Art and Pure Music

Violist Kim Nam-jung.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] “During the COVID-19 period, the fear that I might never be able to perform on stage again came over me. With that anxious feeling, I prepared this concert with pieces I felt I absolutely had to play, including Schubert's Arpeggione Sonata, which I had perhaps been avoiding until now.”

Violist Kim Namjoong, who continues to take on new challenges on stage, will present his seventh solo recital, "The Bow Dances VII - Simple Passion," at 8 p.m. on the 19th at the Recital Hall of the Seoul Arts Center in Seocho-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul.

In an interview with Asia Economy on the 6th, he said, “The theme of this concert, ‘Simple Passion,’ was chosen while preparing pieces I felt I absolutely had to perform amid the anxiety during the COVID pandemic that I might not be able to play in front of an audience anymore. I have long liked the novel of the same name by Annie Ernaux, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature, and I think simple passion is a kind of terrifying obsession. I want to present pieces I have been very obsessed with since I started music in this concert.”

The Arpeggione Sonata featured in this concert was composed by Schubert during a period when his health was deteriorating and he was suffering from depression. In his diary at the time, he wrote, “Every night when I go to bed, I hope I will not wake up again. And when morning comes, only the sorrow of the previous day overwhelms me. I think my work, which expresses my understanding of music and sorrow, a work created by sorrow, will bring the greatest joy to the world.” Kim Namjoong focuses on that yearning within the sorrow and plans to present this piece with viola melodies in this concert.

Violist Kim Nam-jung Recital Poster.

The concert will conclude with J. Brahms' Viola Sonata No. 2 in E-flat Major, Op. 120, alongside Schubert’s piece. On this stage, Kim Namjoong will perform in collaboration with pianist Ilya Rashkovsky.

Originally, he was planning a fusion concert program combining Korean traditional music with the Ji Younghee style Haegum Sanjo, which he presented at his solo recital last March. However, after rehearsals with Ilya, he shifted his focus to Romanticism and completely changed the setlist two weeks before the concert. He said, “Like Schubert’s sonata, Brahms’ sonata has a simple and beautiful melody, and even a slight slip is technically noticeable. Since it was originally composed for clarinet and Brahms himself adapted it for viola, I wanted to focus on reproducing the tone color Brahms envisioned for this piece.”

Although busy as a performer, he is also pursuing a doctoral program in Integrated Arts at graduate school and preparing a thesis on fusion performances. Recently, domestic performers have been receiving high attention by sweeping international competitions, but there is a lack of stages for performers in their 30s and 40s to continue performing. With a desire to contribute to forming a diverse performance ecosystem, he said, “I established the Fusion Performing Arts Association to present various stages where pure arts and pure music centered on classical music can be showcased through fusion performances. I will devote myself with simple passion so that many seniors, juniors, and colleagues walking the path of classical music can create opportunities to demonstrate their abilities in various directions rather than focusing on a single goal.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.