subito con forza

Unsuk Chin was born in Seoul, South Korea, on July 14, 1961. She moved to Hamburg, Germany, in 1985 and later in the decade moved to Berlin, where she is based now. She wrote her brief subito con forza in 2020 on a co-commission from BBC Radio 3, the Cologne Philharmonic, and the Concertgebouw Orchestra; the latter gave the world premiere on September 24, 2020, in Amsterdam. The score is inscribed “On the occasion of the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth.”

The score for subito con forza calls for 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, percussion (2 players: I. vibraphone, crotales, triangle, small and large cymbals, 2 gongs, tam-tam, tambourine, snare drum; II. xylophone, marimba, tubular bells, cymbal, tam-tam, whip, guiro, tambourine, 3 snare drums [small, medium, large]), piano, and strings (first and second violins, violas, cellos, and double basses). subito con forza is about 5 minutes long.

Unsuk Chin wrote her subito con forza—“suddenly, with power”—as a miniature tribute to Ludwig van Beethoven in 2020, during which year many celebrations for the composer were planned and scuttled due to the pandemic. The score is inscribed “On the occasion of the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth.” Chin has said that she is strongly influenced by Beethoven’s constant search for new directions and his creation of new challenges and new solutions in each of his significant pieces. The Italian expressive marking “subito con forza” implies a sudden shift from one texture to another, a frequent event in Beethoven’s music. Chin embedded hidden references—some not so hidden—in her five-minute piece, explaining that “what particularly appeals to me are the enormous contrasts: from volcanic eruptions to extreme serenity.”

Born in Seoul, South Korea, Unsuk Chin was taught to read music by her father, took piano lessons, and aspired to be a concert pianist before focusing on composition at the National University of Seoul, where she studied with Sukhi Kang. Chin followed the example of Kang’s teacher, the eminent Korean composer Isang Yun, in deciding to further her studies in Germany, where she worked with the iconoclastic Hungarian György Ligeti. Ligeti’s example suggested to Chin the unbridled use of any number of musical styles to achieve her expressive aims, including non-Western music, as well as delight in the intricacies and puzzles of composition. She also worked intensely at the electronic music studio at the Technical University of Berlin, an experience that continues to affect her treatment of acoustic instruments. She received the prestigious Grawemeyer Award for her Violin Concerto in 2004.

One of the most accomplished and sought-after orchestral composers today, Chin has been commissioned by many of the most important orchestras in Asia, Europe, and the U.S. The Boston Symphony Orchestra co-commissioned her Violin Concerto No. 2, Scherben der Stille, for violinist Leonidas Kavakos, who gave the American premiere with the BSO and Andris Nelsons in March 2022 here at Symphony Hall. The BSO co-commissioned her orchestra piece Mannequin and gave the American premiere in November 2015, Ken-David Masur conducting; in 2011 the BSO, soloist Gautier Capuçon, and conductor Susanna Mälkki gave the American premiere of her Cello Concerto.

Unsuk Chin’s works are characterized by brilliant surface activity, textures of highly active individual parts, and the use of unusual combinations of instruments and extended playing techniques to create unique, pungent sounds. Her interest in the spectral harmonic makeup of sound and use of microtones results in an ethereal, otherworldly kind of effect, used in conjunction with a broader harmonic palette. These sounds are incorporated into a musical architecture with a sure sense of narrative and expressive effect. subito con forza, packing a lot of varied events into a small space, is a microcosm of the composer’s sonic imagination and delight in orchestral action.

Robert Kirzinger

Composer and writer Robert Kirzinger is the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s Director of Program Publications.

The American premiere of Unsuk Chin’s subito con forza was given by the Minnesota Orchestra led by David Afkham in October 2021.

The first BSO performance was led by Dima Slobodeniouk at Tanglewood on August 21, 2022, in the Koussevitzky Music Shed.