The Sound and the Fury - Shea-Kim Duo

The Sound and the Fury
Shea-Kim Duo
Blue Griffin Recording BGR593 (bluegriffin.com)

Dvořák: Mazurek, Op. 49

Grieg: Violin Sonata In C Minor, Op. 45 - 2. Allegretto Espressivo Alla Romanza

Janáček: Violin Sonata - 1. Con Moto

The following review is an excerpt from Strings Attached (February 2022) which can be read in its entirety here.

The Sound and the Fury is the first studio recording by the Shea-Kim Duo, the husband and wife team of violinist Brendan Shea and pianist Yerin Kim (Blue Griffin Recording BGR593 bluegriffin.com). Dvořák’s Mazurek Op.49, with its abundant and virtuosic double stops, was inspired by and dedicated to the great Spanish violinist Pablo de Sarasate. Grieg’s Violin Sonata No.3 in C Minor Op.45 is the biggest of his three violin sonatas and, possibly because of the simply beautiful slow middle movement, one of the composer’s favourite works.

Janáček’s Violin Sonata, his only work in the genre, was written in early 1914, just prior to the outbreak of the Great War. The composer later referred to “the sound of steel clashing” in his head.

Shea plays with a warm tone on a violin which can tend to sound somewhat muted at times. Kim’s piano contribution is first-class throughout.

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