Kuk-jin Kim - Ballade “Hwadu“ (Meditative Inquiry) for Piano — Première Recording by Hwan Hee Kim скачать в хорошем качестве

Kuk-jin Kim - Ballade “Hwadu“ (Meditative Inquiry) for Piano — Première Recording by Hwan Hee Kim

All five of Kuk-jin Kim’s published Ballades have been performed at least once according to the data presented in Sunjeong Lee’s book “Guide to the Piano Works of Contemporary Korean Composers“. One of the contributions of this PhD project is the acquisition of the private sheet score and contextual information for the unpublished Ballade titled “Hwadu“ (Meditative Inquiry), generously shared by the composer’s pupil, Juae Lee. The piece is distinctive within Kim’s output. Together with Ballade No. 5, known as “Seungmu“ (Korean Monk's Dance), it shows a more explicitly spiritual and culturally rooted character compared with the untitled Ballades No. 1 to No. 4. Although “Hwadu“ in modern Korean often refers to a simple “talking point“, its original meaning in Buddhism is far deeper. It denotes the central question in Seon practice, the focus of intense contemplation that leads the practitioner toward awakening. There is no direct English equivalent, but meditative inquiry conveys the combination of disciplined thought and inward searching that defines the concept. This world first video of “Hwadu“ (Meditative Inquiry) traces the work’s journey from quiet reflection to powerful release. It begins in stillness, the piano unfolding its central question in a subdued, intimate register. The music gradually expands, gaining weight and colour before surging into proclamations that feel both urgent and spacious. Silences act as points of concentration, while sudden bursts of motion challenge the listener’s sense of balance. In the final prestissimo section the writing becomes strikingly physical, pressing forward with relentless drive as if the inner question has reached its most intense moment of inquiry. The score’s architecture, rooted in Korean thought yet expressed through the piano’s voice, reveals a work of rare focus and depth. This performance documents the piece for the first time and honours the trust extended by Juae Lee in sharing this significant material.