The Great Romantics
Saturday, March 6, 2027, 3:00 pm
Hoffman Auditorium, Bruyette Athenaeum
University of Saint Joseph, West Hartford
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In this dynamic concert, the FVSO presents two works by stalwart romantic composers Schumann & Brahms. Join us for an evening of these orchestral juggernauts featuring Hartt Faculty member Soyeon on piano.
BRAHMS: Symphony No. 3 in F major, Op. 90
Allegro con brio
Andante
Poco allegretto
Allegro — Un poco sostenuto
SCHUMANN: Piano Concerto in A major, Op. 54
Soyeon Kim, soloist
Allegro affettuoso
Intermezzo: Andantino grazioso
Allegro vivace
Johannes Brahms (1833–1897) German
Symphony No. 3 in F major, Op. 90 (1883)
First Performance: December 2, 1883 the Musikverein in Vienna with the Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Hans Richter.
FVSO Performances: 02/24/01 (Eells)
Composed during the summer while staying in the Rhine town of Wiesbaden, the 3rd symphony is widely considered Brahms’ most tightly constructed and poetic symphony. It is famous for its structural cohesion and its recurring, deeply personal “F–A♭–F” musical motto, which stands for Frei aber froh (“Free but happy”). The work breaks classical symphonic tradition by avoiding a loud, triumphant finish; instead, all four movements conclude quietly, with the dramatic finale ultimately dissolving into a peaceful, shimmering reminiscence of the symphony’s very opening chords.
Robert Schumann (1810–1856) German
Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54 (1845)
First Performance: December 4, 1845, the Hotel de Saxe in Dresden, Germany. Soloist, Clara Schumann and conducted by Ferdinand Hiller.
FVSO Performances: 12/10/11 (Eells)
The piece originally began as a standalone, single-movement Phantasie in 1841, but Schumann later expanded it by adding an intermezzo and a vivacious finale. Eschewing the empty, flashy virtuosity popular in 19th-century concertos, Schumann crafted a deeply collaborative, poetic masterpiece where the piano and orchestra engage in an intimate musical conversation. The premiere was highly successful, with Clara’s passionate performance receiving immense praise. While it initially took time for conservative audiences worldwide to grow accustomed to its lack of showy, athletic piano gymnastics, it eventually became celebrated as the definitive model for the Romantic-era piano concerto.
Soyeon Kim
EDUCATION
M.M. Hartt School, University of Hartford
Performer’s Certificate. Department of Music, University of Connecticut B.M. School of Music, Seoul National University
Soyeon Kim, pianist, has enjoyed her musical career with numerous appearances in recital and chamber music as a soloist and collaborative artist. Most recently, as a winner of the Miami String Quartet Competition, Ms. Kim had the honor of performing with the Miami String Quartet. As a winner of the Chamber Music competition, she also performed at the Chamber Music Honor Concert at the University of Hartford.
Soyeon has been a prize-winner in several competitions including the HanKook Newspaper Music Competition, the Little Angels Music Competition, the Music Journal Competition, the Yookyoung Music Competition, and the Korean Music Association Competition. She has had solo recitals in a variety of venues: the Jane Allen Recital Hall in St.Louis, MO, the Hettenhausen Center for the Arts in McKendree University, the Concert Series of First Presbyterian Church of Edwardsville, IL, the Friday Concert Series of Youngsan Grace Hall in Seoul, South Korea, the Shepley Concert of Christ Church Cathedral in St.Louis, MO, the Guest Artist Recital Series in Ohio University, and the Concert Series of Principia College.
She received her Bachelor of Music degree from Seoul National University, her Performer’s certificate from the University of Connecticut, and her Master of Music degree from the HARTT School in the University of Hartford. She was a faculty and staff accompanist at McKendree University, Midwest University, and Community Music School of Webster University. She was also an adjunct faculty of the Korean National University of Arts in Seoul.
Soyeon is currently on the piano faculty at the Hartt School, and Westminster School where she is a Piano Instructor of the Performing Arts Program. She resides in Farmington, CT with her family.
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