Chee-Yun and the state of classical music

October 27, 2025, 12:42 AM · This isn't exactly a review, more of a commentary on what I see in classical music today based on the concert I just attended, and others in which I had a similar experience here in southern California.

I was fortunate to be able to attend Chee-Yun's concert in Irvine this afternoon and it was unforgettable; I've seen many good violinists (Bomsori, Itzhak Perlman, etc.) but her performance of Bach and Faure and Ravel were stunning; perfect technique and very emotive playing as you'd expect from one of the best violinists out there.

She also took time to explain a little about each piece, the overall composition, the reason it was composed, etc. which I think many appreciated. The pianist, Albert Cano Smit, will have an amazing future in classical piano; he was expressive, ranging from light perfect touches to powerful chords and more. This was a welcome change from the very lackluster performance Alessio Bax gave of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto 2 at Segerstrom last month, though the Pacific Symphony was stunning as always.

However, the main point I wanted to make is that well over half the attendees at today's concert were well under 30 and were enthralled. I also saw at least 20 kids under 12 and none of them were fidgeting or falling asleep.

Perhaps one might say was the time of day (late afternoon instead of evening), the location, or the amazing blend of Chee-Yun's violin and Albert's piano playing, but my experience today, and at other wonderful classical performances here and at venues around SoCal shows that younger people do still attend classical concerts in large numbers, and remain enthralled with the magic of a violin and piano, with or without an orchestra, just as much as people have for hundreds of years.

Replies (5)

Christian Lesniak

October 27, 2025, 1:50 AM · I saw Chee Yun a good number of years ago, playing the Tchaikovsky VC, and I really liked the variety of colors in her sound. I wish she would come back to Denver. She incidentally studied with Nam Yun Kim (RIP), who must have been a really special teacher, because I hear student after student of hers that are just stunning musicians.

I also heard Albert Cano Smit last year, play maybe the best rendition of a Mozart Piano Concerto I've heard live. He played the last concerto (No. 27), which is a pretty introverted piece. His sound was really beautiful and his phrasing was absolutely convincing - I think it's a tricky concerto to pull off. I'm hearing him play Brahms 2nd concerto next year.

Sounds like a great concert!

Richard Jackson

October 27, 2025, 2:05 AM · Nice! The two of them together were really special; they performed Brahms Violin Sonata 3 tonight and it was flawless.

Richard Pairaudeau

October 27, 2025, 2:10 AM · Richard and Christian: very positive accounts - thanks!

Cotton Mather

October 27, 2025, 1:03 PM · People of all ages appreciate live music done well. All the folks freaking out about "classical music dying!!!" need to get off the internet for a while. If you go out and play it, it will never die. If we all sit inside and lament while the instruments gather dust, well yeah, it certainly will disappear.

Lydia Leong

October 28, 2025, 12:19 AM · I heard her perform that same program recently in DC, at great value -- free at a local church. When I was a college student, I was briefly enamored of her early CDs, and I enjoyed getting to hear her live for the first time.

There were plenty of people in attendance, at a variety of ages, although not many families with children.

Chee-Yun and the state of classical music

Replies (5)

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