September of 2021 Playlist (Midday)

September is here. HERE is one of the playlists. This month I am sharing the Midday playlist.

For this month’s Midday Playlist, I included both upbeat and calm songs, just because why not? I decided that I will mix it up. I am in Korea for the whole month. I have time to broaden my musical horizon, so I am not limiting myself to certain mood or atmosphere.

Do share your playlists with me!

ICE T \ YOUHA

I’m Into You (with KIRIN, Dala & Jungu) \ Park Moonchi

Amigo (feat. BabySoul) \ Kwon Eun Bi

Shut up, I love you (Korean version) \ Yang Joon Il

Cant’t Fall In Love \ Xydo

Remember \ PARK JI HOON

We’re Cool (with PARKMOONCHI UNIVERSE) \ Park Moonchi

Count On Me \ JAY B

Knock (feat. Park Moonchi) \ Kwon Jin Ah

You Stare Vacantly Into Space (feat. Lee Chanju) \ 수잔 (Susan)

JUDDY \ JuanKim Trio & Friends

August of 2021 Playlist (Morning)

Hi all. I created 3 playlists for myself for the month of August. I would like to share one of them, which I listen to in the morning to kick off the day.

If you have an Apple music account, you can access the list HERE directly

If not, here’s a screenshot of the list.

21. 08 Playlist (Morning)

1. Today’s Mood \ Cheeze

2. Pose \ Red Velvet

3. DINOSAUR \ AKMU

4. Wanna Love You \ Paul Kim

5. A Case of the Mondays \ Stella Jang

6. These Walls \ Sam Kim

7. Carsickness (feat. Kim Sawol) \ hwang puha

Enjoy!

1. Let me know what you think!

2. Share your morning songs in the comment section!

July of 2021 Playlist

Hello, August. My summer has been so far busy and exciting! I was invited to Kingston Chamber Music Festival, and performed Nino Rota’s Trio for flute, violin and piano. My performance from last December with Astral was live broadcasted on WQXR New York. I did a recording of Viet Cuong’s Fine Lines with Music from Copland House. I got to see lots of old friends coming through the New York area, went to 10 different furniture shops to search for sectionals, sofas, couches, etc, won the lottery for Shakespeare in the Park, and moved to a new place!

During that busy month, music really calmed me down, and helped me go through all of them. Today, I would like to share them with you.

Nino Rota, Trio for flute, violin and piano

This is the piece I played at Kingston Chamber Music Festival. This is a very fun piece to play and listen to. I am so happy that I got to play this hidden masterpiece

Weber, Sonata in A flat major. This piece is originally written for the solo piano, but I have heard it on the flute and piano more. I am thinking about programming this exciting piece for a December Astral Recital in Philadelphia.

Enjoy!

Quarantine Playlist #1

Hope everyone is safe and sound. It’s been very challenging to find and maintain inspiration during the self-isolation. I am trying the best to keep myself inspired. I have been listening to orchestral/instrumental masterpieces and discovering repertoire unfamiliar to me. These are the albums that I have listened to for past two weeks. Unlike other playlist posts I’ve decided to add my experience to each album.

Unknown (to me) repertoire by students of J. S. Bach. Through this album I have been discovering so many hidden charms of during/post- Bach period. I found this album while specifically looking for recordings of the Müthel Sonata. I came across the sheet music of it, and looked quite similar to the writing of C. P. E. Bach, so I was quite intrigued to find out how it sounds.

My teacher from undergraduate, Michel Debost had us learn obbligato flute parts from Bach Cantatas every week. The flute parts are both musically and technically demanding yet fulfilling. During the quarantine, I’ve decided to re-visit them and practice the ones I didn’t learn years ago. My goal is not to play these like a set of etudes. You will be surprised how difficult these obbligato parts are.

My curiosity from Bach’s cantatas led me here. There are lots of important flute passages in the Passions and the Mass. I find that these masterpieces are some of the greatest achievements in human history, and they never get old.

After hearing the Berlin Philharmonic playing the St. Matthew Passion live twice, I started building obsession to the piece. To be honest with you, however, I can’t listen to the entire piece in one sitting. But that doesn’t mean this is not a masterpiece!

Berlin Philharmonic + Rattle has been my all-time favorite. Mitsuko Uchida happens to be one of my musical idols. … and here we go.

Many years ago, my Music Theory teachers from undergraduate recommended that I should listen to Helmut Lachenmann. I forgot about the suggestion for many years. Then I was organizing my CD collections the other day, and found this album. I definitely need a score to have a better understanding. I am not going to lie. I need some time to understand this better.

More specifically Stravinsky’s Petrouchka. I’ve played it in concerts, I’ve played it in auditions, I’ve heard it in concerts. But I couldn’t recall the last time I sat in front of a stereo and listened to this piece. Every time I listen to great performances of Stravinsky’s music, I am always reminded why I want to be a musician. I want to tell stories, not just playing the notes.

Can this lead me into a Stravinsky pilgrimage?

Mostly this curiosity started from the famous flute solo of the 8th symphony. I find that it is rather challenging to perform the music of Dvorak. Is it because Dvorak’s music is from a culture that is quite unknown to me? There’s more to it. As a flutist, I have very limited experience of playing Dvorak’s music. So far I’ve played the Slavonic Dances, and various arrangements of the Violin Sonatine. So this curiosity starts from the well-known symphonies by Dvorak, and it will spread out to lesser known symphonies and chamber repertoire. What makes the music of Dvorak so special / unique / original?

Stay safe and be well.

Beomjae.

January of 2020 Playlist

This month has featured a lot of traveling, and that means I listened to lots of music during my time on moving vehicles. Often times, I would discover some new and obscure pieces when going through different albums on Apple Music, but I seem to be exploring my favorite repertoire this month. My inner voice creeps in and asks me “ … scared of changes?”

I found a new (to me) album of the Bach flute sonatas though. I always enjoy listening to French Harpsichordist, Jean Rondeau. While going through his C. P. E. Bach concerto recording, I discovered this Bach sonata album.

Having an access to a music streaming service is absolutely wonderful. But the only downside is that I can’t quite get all the information on the performers, pieces, etc–as you would read about them on the CD sleeves.

But anyway, here’s the highlight of my January playlist.

December of 2019 Playlist

In the midst of December, holidays are just around the corner. During this time of the year, I always get into an old habit which I obsessively listen to Romantic Art Songs, heavily focused on my all-time favourite composer … Franz Schubert.

Schubert: Die schöne Müllerin

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau & Gerald Moore

Schubert: Lieder

Ian Bostridge & Julius Drake

Schubert: Die schöne Müllerin

Mark Padmore & Paul Lewis

Shubert: Winterreise

Mark Padmore & Paul Lewis

Schubert: Die schöne Müllerin and 3 Lieder

Fritz Wunderlich & Hubert Giesen

Schumann: Dichterliebe / Schubert & Beethoven Lieder

Fritz Wunderlich & Hubert Giesen

Schubert: Im Frühling

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau & Sviatoslav Richter

Fall of 2019 Playlist

This fall, I have been listening to a lot of great French flutists’ recordings. Here’s the list of albums I have been obsessed with.

Emmanuel Pahud: Dreamtime

Vincent Lucas: The Art of Solo Flute

José-Daniel Castellon: Works of Flute and Orchestra: Jolivet and Martin

Magali Mosnier: Mozart

Jocelyn Aubrun: 1943

Yo-Yo Ma, Chris Thile & Edgar Meyer: Bach Trios

Summer of 2019 Playlist

I did not spend much time listening to Korean popular songs in the past. But I started listening to a few before this summer, then I got into a few older “Classics” of the Korean pop songs. Then I began my journey of building a playlist on my Apple Music app. I enjoy listening to them when I am on the plane, subway, or walking … any activity that involves commuting.

The lyrics are not at all provocative, and in fact they are somewhat poetic. When I introduce those older Classics songs to my non-Korean speaking friends, I have a trouble translating the lyrics into English. It is very difficult to convey Korean poetic words, especially because often the words don’t necessarily form a complete sentence or the words have double meanings or ambiguous wordings creates multiple connotations, and so on.

Enough with the talks. Here’s the list.

김광석 - 서른 즈음에

이한철 - 산책

아이유 - 비밀의 화원

이적 - 걱정말아요, 그대

이은미 - 우리 두사람

김연우 - 반성문

이수현 - 소리

아이유 - 사랑이 지나가면

선우정아 - 고양이

최재훈 - 비의 랩소디

박정현 - The End

Feel free to share your favourite Korean pop songs with me in the comments.

Playlist in My Head: Summer of 2018

1.1: It has been a really hot summer. Perhaps hot is not the right word to describe this summer’s penetrating heat. I always use the summer time to catch up with recordings I did not get to listen to during the season or the school year. This summer, however, I did not do that becasue I was busy binge-watching Bates Motel. 

2.1: Instead of making a long list of summer playlist, there has been an ongoing list of classical music happening in my head. Walking down the street, lying on the bed, driving in a car, exercising ... the music in my head never stopped. 

2.2: I thought it’s perhaps the early sign of a brain-related malfunction or whatnot. But I will worry about that later. Let me share the list for now. 

• Beethoven, Violin Sonata No. 3 in E flat major, Op. 12

• Beethoven, Septet in E flat major, Op. 20

• Mendelssohn, Cello Sonata No. 2 in D major, Op. 58

• Mozart, Clarinet Quintet in A major, K. 581

• Mozart, Clarinet Concerto in A major, K. 622

• Saint-Saens, The Swan from The Carnival of the Animals

• Struass, An der schönen blauen Donau, Op. 314

3.1: There were also some non-classical tunes popping up in my head occasionally. 

• You do something to me [Leo Reisman and his orchestra] & [Ella Fitzgerald]

• Let’s do it [Ella Fitzgerald]

• Ain’t misbehaving [Fats Waller]

• Cheek to Cheek [Dick Haymes & Carmen Cavallaro]

• Manhattan [Lee Wiley]

• South of the border, west of the sun [Bing Crosby]

• I’ve got a pocketful of dreams [Bing Crosby]

• Taking a chance on love [Helen Forrest & Benny Goodman]

3.2: The non-classical tunes above are frequently played songs on my Apple Music playlist called, “Well, I am drunk.” 

Playlist of Spring 2012

a follow up post from How I got myself into listening to prog rock

(https://www.beomjaekim.com/beomblog/2017/7/18/how-i-got-myself-into-listening-to-prog-rock)

MUSE: The Resistance

Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon

YES: Close to the Edge

The Beatles: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Zappa: The Yellow Shark

Steve Reich: Music For 18 Musicians

Glass: In the Upper Room

Philip Glass: Koyaanisqatsi

Cantemir: Le livre de la science de la musique

Takemitsu: November Steps

Mahler: Complete Symphonies

Ravel: Sheherazade

Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Opp. 109, 110 & 111

Brahms: Clarinet Quintet

Britten: Violin Concerto

Brahms: Violin Sonatas

Debussy: La Mer

et cetera..

• Alex Ross: The Rest is Noise – A Mahler List: http://www.therestisnoise.com/2009/06/a-mahler-list.html

• Takemitsu: Rain Coming

• Brahms: String Sextets (Leipziger Streichquartett)

• Glass: Glassworks