No bombast, no grand gestures. As part of the KCC On Stage 2025 concert series, the Korean Cultural Center opted for a different form of grandeur: an evening in which silence spoke, breath sounded, and centuries-old music came to life anew. Four young, internationally acclaimed musicians performed a program around German Baroque, under the direction of recorder and traverso virtuoso Yeuntae Jung. Subtle, thoughtful and above all intensely musical.
Whoever makes music on historical instruments, makes music with breath as a guide. In that breathing lay the power of this evening: it was as if the music unfolded of its own accord, carried by stylistic mastery and a deep historical awareness. The setting contributed greatly to this: the hall breathed the intimacy of a cozy chamber concert, where musicians and audience found each other effortlessly.
Old voices, new breath
The evening opened with the Trio Sonata BWV 529 by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750), originally for organ, but here in a refined arrangement for recorder, violin and basso continuo. Yeuntae Jung and violinist Han Sol Lee Eo wove their lines like gossamer threads through each other, elegantly supported by the warm sound of Thomas Fields on viola da gamba and the clear, driving harpsichord playing of Tung-Han Hu.
Then followed a rarely heard gem: the Sonata in E minor by Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (1710–1784). The eldest son of J.S. Bach employs a more stately, controlled idiom, in which Jung excelled with fine-grained expression. His traverso sounded soft, yet penetrating – as if each motif were a thought, articulated with breath as language.
The Trio in F (TWV 42:F3) by Georg Philipp Telemann (1681–1767) subsequently brought color and lightness. Fields shone on gamba with a singing, round tone that never lost sight of style. The dialogue between recorder and gamba had something disarming: this music breathed life, not erudition.
A brief harpsichord intermezzo – a fragment from BWV 998 by J.S. Bach – gave Tung-Han Hu a soloist moment in which his refined touch and rhetorical feeling came fully into their own. No show, but quietude. And the eye had something too: the instrument itself was a true work of art, which contributed to the visual charm of the evening.
The sons of Bach: contrast and character
Then two other sons of Bach had their say. Johann Christian Bach (1735–1782) surprised with an elegant Trio in C – gallant, light-footed and clear. Jung and Lee Eo found an almost effortless balance, in which each phrasing seemed to emerge naturally. The refined structure of the program made it possible to distinguish the differences between father Bach and his sons with crystal clarity – each with their own voice, each brought to their full potential in an intelligently constructed dramaturgy.
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714–1788) brought the concert to an expressive climax with his Trio in G (H. 574). Here the Empfindsamkeit sounded in full glory: abrupt turns, pronounced expressivity, and an inner drama that was perfectly tempered by the stylistic precision of the ensemble. Everything flowed, nothing was forced. It was true "Sturm und Drang" – musical and emotional – after which the surprising encore took an unexpected turn: an original arrangement of Arirang, the unofficial anthem of South Korea. The recognition in this universally melancholic song brought a moving finale that lifted many to higher spheres.
Music that speaks, plays and shines
The ensemble's interplay testified to a tight artistic connection: a well-rehearsed group in which each instrument was given room to shine. The pleasure of playing leapt from it – enthusiastic, with a smile – a joy to watch them at work. Because the musicians also played in smaller ensembles – solo, in duos or trios – each instrument had the chance to show different facets of its character. The explanations they gave about their instruments were enlightening and enriching, even for those already somewhat familiar with historical performance practice. No dry reading, but spontaneous and charming commentary that gave the whole an extra dimension.
Yeuntae Jung linked it all together in an accessible manner. His commentary was full of interesting biographical facts about the composers, each with a subtle touch of irony. It contributed to the relaxed atmosphere and made the sometimes complex music particularly accessible to a broad audience.
Korean virtuosity in European style
What made this evening extra special was its cultural layering. At a time when the term 'intercultural' often becomes mere decoration, this concert showed what true dialogue looks like: subtle, deepening and without pretense. Young Korean musicians, trained at top institutions such as the Universität der Künste Berlin, brought European Baroque with a naturalness that radiated both respect and freshness.
Yeuntae Jung, finalist of Musica Antiqua Brugge and laureate of the Berlin Bach Competition, conducted with quiet, sensitive authority. Han Sol Lee Eo, winner of the Schmelzer Competition 2024, played with refined flair in which even French Baroque could be heard for a moment. Thomas Fields, laureate of the Telemann Competition 2025, was stylistically unwavering. And Tung-Han Hu, connected to the Institut für Alte Musik in Berlin, surprised with clarity and playfulness in his continuo.
No reconstruction, but inspiration
In the warm intimacy of the concert hall, the music of Telemann, Bach and his sons came to life not as museum heritage, but as living art. No academic reconstruction, but an inspired experience.
The Korean Cultural Center organized its first concert on "early music" with this, and the choice of musicians proved to be a bullseye. After a long working day, you went home in good spirits, your mind recharged, your energy meter back at full.
The concert showed how music can build real bridges: not through spectacle, but through authenticity. And so after the final chord, only wonder remained – for the richness of the baroque, for the breath of the past, and for the power of music in the hands of young masters.