Born in 1993, Mikyung Sung is a Korean double bassist for whom technical challenges do not exist. More importantly, she channels her considerable virtuosity toward musical ends, as proven throughout this double album.
The first disc mostly contains original double bass works, while the second disc is given over to familiar cello and violin sonatas adapted for the instrument. Sung’s supple bow arm, spot-on high-register intonation, and vocally oriented phrasing make the three Bottesini showpieces sound important. Massenet’s Meditation emerges less hackneyed than usual on account of Sung’s seamless and beautifully inflected long lines.
Those who think of Hindemith’s sonatas as arid and academic will be surprised by the pithy and inventive Sonata for Double Bass. I’m particularly taken with the central Scherzo, where Sung scurries across the strings like an Olympic skater, supported by hair-trigger high-register piano chords. By contrast, the lush and exuberant neo-romantic bass/piano interplay in the Sonata by Hungarian composer Vilmos Montag (1908-1991) might be described as Korngold meets Martinu. Here I must mention pianist Jaemin Shin’s colorful command and vivid presence; he is not just a collaborative pianist, but an equal partner in every way.
Cynical listeners might dismiss Sung’s playing the Mendelssohn D major and Franck A major sonatas as a stunt, yet you’ll easily get caught up in the sheer joy, élan, and insouciant ensemble repartée that these musicians bring to the Mendelssohn’s outer movements, or to the swirling momentum in the second and fourth movement climaxes of the Franck sonata. What is more, all the selections apparently stem from complete unedited live performances or studio takes. The sonics convey palpable concert hall realism, albeit with more judicious balances on the first disc. Impressive stuff, indeed!
