"Kim Sun-wook has grown significantly through his work as a conductor, and he is a great inspiration to me. For this duo, audiences can expect a grander and broader performance than five years ago."
Violinist Clara-Jumi Kang made the remarks at a recent press conference ahead of her concert tour with pianist Kim Sun-wook. Since winning international competitions, Kang has built her career primarily in Europe, receiving steady invitations from major orchestras and festivals while expanding her presence on the global stage. She has continued to perform ensemble programs with Kim both at home and abroad, and this tour marks her first domestic duo performance with him in five years, following their complete Beethoven violin sonata cycle in 2021.
Kang said Kim's recent expansion into conducting has influenced their chamber music work together. "Kim was already a performer who brought out orchestral colors well, but now his expression is so powerful it gives me goosebumps," she said. "World-class musicians like Janine Jansen have told us that listening to our chamber music feels like listening to an orchestra."
She said the musical influence she receives from Kim is significant. "Kim is one of the most passionate people about music I have ever known," she said. "For him, it is music all day long. Having such a person close by is itself a great inspiration." She added, "We have never once argued while performing together. That is how well our musical chemistry works."
The recital program is designed to maximize the rich sonority and depth of Kim's piano playing. The concert opens with Beethoven's Violin Sonata No. 1, followed by violin sonatas by Respighi and Weinberg, works rarely performed in Korea.
Respighi's sonata was composed during World War I, around the time Italy was defeated at the Battle of Caporetto, and carries the tragedy and deep sorrow of the era. The sonata by Weinberg, a Jewish-Polish composer, also reflects the personal tragedy of losing family members in the Holocaust. "It was because of my strong trust in the pianist that I could choose such orchestral and densely textured sonatas," Kang explained.
While the first half of the program features works with dark moods, the concert closes with Richard Strauss's Violin Sonata, a work of hopeful character. "I believe every story should ultimately end with love and hope," she said. "Since the earlier works carry dark emotions, I placed at the end this heroic and bright piece written by Strauss in his 20s."
Kang has also drawn attention for the richer tone of her playing since recently switching instruments. For the past three years, she has been using the 1702 Stradivarius "Tunis" with sponsorship from Kia. "It is a masculine instrument with a sound that seems to boil up from below," she said of the violin. "My repertoire has expanded considerably, and I have been able to attempt more challenging works." She added, "It is also an instrument well suited to expressing the dark emotions of Respighi and the distinctive emptiness of Weinberg in this concert."
Looking ahead to her career, Kang expressed a wish to "continue my prime for the next 30 years." She said, "It is true that I am in the best physical condition right now. But there is a perception that violinists have shorter careers than other soloists, and I want to break that limit. I want to deliver performances at the level of my prime even in my 70s."
The tour opens Nov. 19 at Sejong Art Center and continues across 11 cities nationwide, including Jecheon, Bucheon, Donghae, Seongnam and Busan. The two musicians will also take the stage for a duo recital at the Verbier Festival in Switzerland in August.
