Jeajoon Ryu Symphonie N 2 Im Lee Kim Kook Youn Gothoni Vinyle - Dux7897 - Contemporary

The album we are presenting is yet another CD featuring the oeuvre of the Korean composer Jeajoon Ryu (b. 1970). The artist’s music wins the hearts of listeners all over the world, since he is very close to the issues important to modern society. This recording is also an example of socially engaged music. Ryu composed the Symphony No. 2 in 2020, during the outbreak of a global pandemic. In this piece, the composer wanted to express the feelings that accompanied the suffering, loneliness and anxiety of many people. The composition includes fragments of Shakespeare’s sonnets – which he also wrote in isolation (due to the plague) – and the sound of the school bell – to many children a symbol of a lost world, since they were not allowed to go to school. Musically speaking, Ryu returns to classical trends, especially to Baroque techniques (counterpoint). It seems that by using a transparent and pleasant musical language, the artist wanted to express his hope for better times and for an imminent end to the pandemic.