Polish pianist Rafal Blechacz saw Korean violinist Bomsori Kim on television, in the Henryk Wieniawski International Violin Competition in 2016, and proposed a musical partnership. She was skeptical inasmuch as Blechacz had little experience with chamber music, but one may be thankful that they ended up trying each other out. The mix of Polish and French music suggests the career of Chopin, Blechacz's specialty so far, but really what's impressive here is the sharp differentiation in the duo's playing between the two French ...
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Polish pianist Rafal Blechacz saw Korean violinist Bomsori Kim on television, in the Henryk Wieniawski International Violin Competition in 2016, and proposed a musical partnership. She was skeptical inasmuch as Blechacz had little experience with chamber music, but one may be thankful that they ended up trying each other out. The mix of Polish and French music suggests the career of Chopin, Blechacz's specialty so far, but really what's impressive here is the sharp differentiation in the duo's playing between the two French pieces and the arch-Romantic Violin Sonata in D minor, Op. 9, of Karol Szymanowski. The gutsy performance of this early Szymanowski work is worth the price of the album in itself, but also sample the exceptionally delicate duo work of both players in the Fauré Violin Sonata No. 1 in A major, Op. 13. Kim's training was Korean and American, but she is emerging as a fine player of French music, even in the rather knotty Debussy Violin Sonata in G major. The program is structured with a...
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