Unsuk Chin reviews

Here is a dazzling programme of 20th- and 21st-century Etudes from the young British pianist Clare Hammond, who would deserve many plaudits just for getting through this many notes. With its whirling kaleidoscopes of pianistic effects, this array of wizardry is not for the faint-hearted.

This disc confirms why Unsuk Chin is an essential voice in today’s music. Spanning more than a decade of creativity, these three concertos demonstrate her ability to work within yet transform existing norms through utterly convincing, thoroughly mesmerising music.

How frustrating! The music for composer Unsuk Chin’s operatic take on Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland is marvellous and these performances are outstanding. Soprano Sally Matthews in the demanding lead role as the innocent, continually bemused, occasionally exasperated Alice draws us into this topsy-turvy world. The other cast members are just as strong, with soprano Gwyneth Jones especially memorable as the Queen of Hearts. Kent Nagano ensures that the every shimmering, swirling detail of this richly imagined score can be heard.

Unsuk Chin has established a significant international reputation over the past decade or so. She grew up in Korea, but has lived in Germany for more than 20 years; the influence of her teacher Ligeti is apparent not so much in any tangible sonic way, but through her non-doctrinaire approach to composing.