Franz Schubert - Impromptus (Hee Sung Joo)

Information

Composer: Franz Schubert

• 4 Impromptus, D. 899
• 4 Impromptus, D. 935

Hee Sung Joo, piano

Date: 2026

Label: NCM KLASSIK

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South Korean classical music label NCM Klassik releases pianist Hee Sung Joo's second solo album, Franz Schubert: Impromptus, her first project since his 2018 debut featuring Beethoven sonatas. The recording presents Schubert’s complete collections from 1827, D.899 (Op. 90) and D.935 (Op. 142), composed during the fertile final period that produced Winterreise. Joo contrasts the dramatic intimacy of D.899 with the expansive, sonata-like scale of D.935. In her liner notes, Joo highlights that her interpretation focuses on simplicity and purity, emphasizing that the greatest artistic challenge was choosing what to subtract rather than what to add.

Acclaimed pianist Hee Sung Joo established her international reputation by winning the 1995 Dudley International Piano Competition, followed by honors at the Simone Belsky and New Orleans competitions. An alumna of Seoul National University and the New England Conservatory, she maintains a distinguished global performing career, appearing at prestigious venues including London's Steinway Hall and the Berlin Philharmonic, alongside major ensembles like the KBS Symphony Orchestra. In addition to her solo engagements, she performs chamber repertoire with the Tonus Trio alongside violinist Go-woon Yang and cellist Kang-ho Lee. Since 2003, she has served as a professor of piano at Seoul National University.

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