Violinist Han Su-jin is returning with "The Four Seasons," an album capturing the varied beauty of nature. She places Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons" and Piazzolla's "The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires" on a single record, presenting landscapes of nature alongside the emotions of the human interior.
"As a child I lived in Busan and on an island in England, surrounded by the sea and by nature. Nature is part of my identity," Han said at a press conference held on the 30th at Sounds S in Seoul's Yongsan District. "That is also why I chose Vivaldi's 'The Four Seasons,' a work that feels like part of nature itself."
Piazzolla's "The Four Seasons" is a work that pays homage to Vivaldi's. It was originally written as tango music for instruments including the bandoneon and violin, and has since been performed in a variety of arrangements. For this album, Han performed the version arranged for violin and string orchestra by composer Leonid Desyatnikov.
On the difference between the two works, Han said, "With Vivaldi, it feels like becoming part of nature as you play." She added, "Piazzolla, by contrast, is colored by jazz and tango, so primal energy coexists with human emotions such as romance and nostalgia." She went on to say, "I structured the program so that the two worlds — the seasons that depict nature's landscapes and the seasons of the human interior — speak to each other."
The album was recorded with the English Chamber Orchestra (ECO). In its early years after its founding in 1960, the ECO was supported by Benjamin Britten, one of Britain's leading composers, and since 1977 it has received the patronage of King Charles III, then the Prince of Wales, making it one of Britain's foremost chamber ensembles. Following the album's release, the ECO will visit Korea for the first time in 15 years to perform with Han. The tour program includes Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons" and Britten's "Simple Symphony." The performances begin on the 24th of next month at the Tongyeong Concert Hall, followed by Arts Center Incheon on the 25th, the Daegu Concert House on the 29th and the Lotte Concert Hall on the 30th.
Han has also faced considerable hardship as a performer. Deaf in the left ear from birth, she developed a jaw joint disorder as well and had to put down the violin for about six years starting in 2012. "I first learned at the age of four that I could not hear at all in one ear," she said. "Through music I have adapted in my own way, and now I perform without much difficulty." In rehearsals with an orchestra, for example, she watches the players to match the sound, while in actual performance she focuses on the conductor.
The long hiatus prompted her to reconsider what it means to live as a performer. "When I first had to undergo jaw surgery, I actually welcomed it because I thought I could rest, but as the treatment period dragged on I grew anxious," Han said. "That time made me realize how much I love music, and what a great blessing it is to live as a performer."
