Unsuk Chin drew her inspiration from the street; Pierre-Laurant Aimard plays a ‘classic’ by György Ligeti and a new work by Thomas van Dun is given its premiere.

Unsuk Chin and the city
In 2008 and 2009, Unsuk Chin visited Hong Kong and Guangzhou. The ambience of old neighbourhoods, with their narrow, twisting alleys, marketplaces and food stalls, put her in mind of the Seoul of her youth, where street artists would wander around, entertaining the passers-by with music and dance. In Gougalōn, Chin transformed those memories into a theatrical score, where the ensemble mimics an pathetic street band. The percussion instruments include empty bottles and jam jars. Chin was also inspired by the street for her chamber orchestra work Graffiti. In this three-movement work for chamber orchestra, layers of sound overlap like tags and pieces in a graffiti mural.

Pierre-Laurent Aimard plays Ligeti
We hear the masterful Piano Concerto by Chin’s teacher György Ligeti, with no less a performer than the Ligeti specialist Pierre-Laurent Aimard as soloist. Asko|Schönberg opens with a new piece written by the young Dutch composer and songwriter Thomas van Dun. His plans? At this point in time they remain to be heard.