Events

Due Cembali:

Sonata No. 2 in C Major
Sonata No. 6 in E Minor
Sonata No. 8 in G Minor
Sonata No. 13 in A Minor

Solo:

Sonata No. 9 in G Minor, II. (performed on piano)

Program Notes:

One of the great Italian Baroque keyboard virtuosos and improvisers, Bernardo Pasquini was influenced by Frescobaldi and likely served as both a mentor and teacher to D. Scarlatti. Despite his renown in the seventeenth century, Pasquini’s legacy in keyboard works remains somewhat elusive today. His fourteen solo keyboard sonatas and fourteen duo sonatas are relatively unknown because they survive only in the form of figured bass—a common shorthand notation of the period. During the Baroque era, keyboardists were expected to create complete realizations using their knowledge of harmony, rhythm, melody, and ensemble skills.

These sonatas (which Pasquini referred to as “Basso Continuo Sonatas” for solo works and “Due Cembali” for duos) offer a unique opportunity for performers to engage directly with the performance practices of the time. With a basic understanding of figured bass, harmonic structure, and contrapuntal techniques, performers can craft their own realizations of Pasquini’s sonatas. Pasquini intentionally left the right-hand part unscored, trusting performers to use their creativity and expertise in figured bass to complete his compositions. His sonatas offer a unique opportunity for modern performers to develop their own interpretations, allowing them to bring Pasquini’s music to life with fresh realizations, just as keyboardists of his time would have done.

Jenny Soonjin Kim became an exclusive SONY Classical artist, and her solo album for Sony Classical, “Eternal Beethoven,” showcases her profound artistry. She is currently a professor at Claremont Graduate University, California, and was also invited to be a professor at Wiener Masterclass at MDW- Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien. Throughout her dynamic and prolific career, she has recorded keyboard works ranging from Bach to Schoenberg for Arabesque Records and has also completed the 50 keyboard sonatas of both Leopold Kozeluch and Johann Friedrich Doles (a world premiere) on fortepiano for Brilliant Classics. Kim obtained the Doctor of Musical Arts from Claremont Graduate University in California, a Master’s degree at the University of Southern California, a diploma in Music Business: Music Management and Merchandising from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a Bachelor of Arts at Seoul National University. Currently, she is working on Beethoven’s Complete Five Piano Concertos with the Savaria Symphonieorchester in Vienna, Austria.

Sung-Hwa Park is currently an adjunct professor at USC Thornton School of Music, directing the Functional Skills program for keyboard majors. She leads workshops and summer classes on keyboard functional skills and figured bass in China, Korea, and Taiwan. She serves as a visiting artist at And Vision, Tokyo, and as an educational consultant for Yamaha-China in the mainland and Forest of Music Press, Taipei, with ongoing projects including the publication of Pasquini’s Basso Continuo sonatas and a beginning method books series.