A review of Nubim's album <Crossroads: Live>
English translation: This is a new work by Nubim, who used to work in Korea and is currently studying and working on jazz and classical music in the Netherlands. She composed the music herself, and the performance was done by a Turkish violinist and an Austrian bassist. In this album, Nubim included pieces based on various works of art from the East and the West, including Korean woodblock print 'Great Dharani Sutra', 'Mandaeru' in Byeongsan Seowon', paintings by Mondrian and Hendrik Averkamp, literary works such as Camus' 'The Stranger' and Hemingway's 'The Old Man and the Sea', and Spanish flamenco dance. This is a plan worthy of Nubim, who turned from architecture to music and has always shown interest in various fields of art. The important thing is whether the plan is well-constructed in the duet performance of the violin and bass, and this is also satisfactory. The jazzy tension and harmony between the two instruments, to the point where you wonder if every single movement was really composed, gives a sense of time to the works of art that are the subject matter, and makes you look at each work in a new way. As a result, the paintings resonate three-dimensionally, the narrative of the novel becomes more dramatic, and the architecture reveals the dynamism inherent in continuity. This is the result of Nubim contemplating each work of art and interpreting its impressions through the thoughtful use of various musical materials. And this is something that only music can do. / Choi Kyu-yong (music critic), August issue of the magazine 'JAZZPEOPLE' |
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<The Chapel of Light: Applying architecture and literature to music >
This is a new work by composer Kim So-young, who works under the name Nubim. These have been written in the Netherlands for the past four years. The album recorded in Rotterdam and Den Haag from 2018 to 2019 included a total of nine compositions. Each piece is related to literature, buildings and a city (kindly there is no 'untitled'). Composer Nubim, who majored in architecture, presents works that cross jazz, classical and cinematic music. The first track of the album is ‘Between Silence & Light’. Nubim expressed 'Mandaeru' of Byeongsan Seowon in electronic music. This work reminds me of the breeze that sits on the open Mandaeru. ‘A Strong Will’ drew Hemingway's ‘The Old Man and the Sea’ with S'yo Fang’s piano solo. The will not to know how to give up, the fragments pass by. The title track 'Chapel of Light I', played by Wietse Voermans' alto saxophone and S'yo Fang's piano, expresses the cathedral of Ronchamp designed by Le Corbusier. It is like a midday daydream watching the light of stained glass pouring from a wide variety of frame-like windows. 'Rotary Vertigo', played by the same instruments, depicts the Guggenheim Museum in Manhattan. The thrill of the spiral staircase that I looked down from above comes to mind. The next track 'Flower' is an expression of Kim Chun-soo's poem 'Flower'. Clarinet from Peter-marc Dijcks and Marimba from Georgi Tsenov allude to the existence of 'I' and 'He'. The margins except for both instruments seem to have evaporated are cool. 'City Life', played by Tenor Sax from Wietse Voermans, Alto Sax from Stephanie Francke, and S'yo Fang, described London. The daily life of a busy and old city comes to mind. 'From Winter to Summer', played by S'yo Fang and Aliya Iskhakova, as a 4 hands on 1 piano, is based on Kwangpoongkak in Soswaewon. I want to go to the place where the valley water flows and the wind of the forest blows. 'Erotos III' was thought to be related to Araki Nobuyoshi's photos, but Nubim portrayed Albert Camus' novel 'The Stranger'. Peter-marc Dijcks' clarinet, Ivan Nogueira's cello, and Nubim's electronic music keep the mystery and intermittent anxiety at a distance, and the exchange between instruments becomes increasingly frequent and tight. You can feel the direction from dark to bright. The last track is also the title track, 'Chapel of Light II'. The pipe organ of Hayo Boerema and the electronic music of Nubim are more clearly and aggressively draw Ronchamp's cathedral than the previous track. Although Nubim's music is contemporary music, it is relatively short in length, and the expression is clear, and it is not so difficult because it is program music. Among various attempts, tracks containing Nubim's electronic music were most appealing. Electronic music-oriented records are also worth looking forward to. Nowadays, travel is banned, and I feel like I was traveling by music. - Ryu Tae-hyeong (music columnist, Korea) Nubim(누빔)이란 이름으로 활동하는 작곡가 김소영님의 신작이다. 지난 4년동안 네덜란드에서 작곡한 작품들이라 한다. 2018~2019년 로테르담과 덴 하그에서 녹음된 음반에는 총 9곡이 수록됐다. 각 곡은 문학, 건물, 도시와 관련이 있다(친절하게도 ‘무제’는 없다). 건축학을 전공한 작곡가 누빔은 재즈, 클래식, 영화음악을 넘나드는 작풍을 선보인다. 첫 곡은 ‘Between Silence & Light’이다. 병산서원의 ‘만대루’를 누빔이 전자음악으로 표현했다. 탁 트인 만대루에 앉아 온몸으로 맞던 소슬바람이 생각나는 곡이다. ‘A Strong Will’은 스요 팡(S’yo Fang)의 피아노 솔로로 헤밍웨이 ‘노인과 바다’를 그렸다. 포기할 줄 모르는 의지, 그 단편이 스쳐 지나간다. 비트제 푀르만스의 알토 색소폰과 스요 팡의 피아노가 연주하는 타이틀 곡 ‘Chapel of Light I’은 르 코르뷔지에가 지은 롱샹 성당을 표현했다. 각양각색의 액자 같은 창에서 쏟아지는 스테인드글라스의 빛을 보는 한낮의 몽상 같다. 같은 편성으로 연주하는 ‘Rotary Vertigo’는 맨해튼의 구겐하임 미술관을 그렸다. 위에서 내려다본 나선형 계단의 아찔함이 떠오른다. ‘Flower’는 김춘수의 시 ‘꽃’을 주제로 했다. 페터 마르크 디크스의 클라리넷과 게오르기 체노프의 마림바로 ‘나’와 ‘그’의 존재를 암시한다. 두 악기 외에 모두 증발한 듯한 여백이 시원하다. 푀르만스의 테너색소폰, 스테파니 프랑케의 알토색소폰, 스요 팡이 연주한 ‘City Life’는 런던을 그렸다. 분주하면서도 유구한 도시의 일상이 떠오른다. 스요 팡과 알리야 이샤코바가 포핸즈피아노로 연주한 ‘From Winter to Summer’는 담양 소쇄원 광풍각을 소재로 했다. 계곡 물이 흐르고 대숲 바람이 불어오는 그곳에 가고 싶어진다. ‘Erotos III’는 아라키 노부요시의 사진집과 관련있을 줄 알았는데 카뮈의 ‘이방인’을 그렸다.디크스의 클라리넷과 이반 노게이라의 첼로, 누빔의 전자음악이 미스터리함과 단속적인 불안이 거리를두고 이어지다가 악기간 교류가 빈번해지고 타이트해진다. 어둠에서 빛으로 가는 방향성이 느껴진다. 마지막 곡 역시 타이틀곡으로 ‘Chapel of Light II’다. 하요 보에레마의 파이프오르간과 누빔의 전자음악이 함께한다. 앞선 1부에 비해 훨씬 더 적극적으로 뚜렷하게 롱샹 성당을 그린다. 음반을 다 듣고 나니 누빔의 작품들은 동시대음악이지만 비교적 길이가 짧고 표현이 분명하며, 표제음악이어서 그리 난해하게 다가오지 않는다. 다양한 시도 속에서도 누빔의 전자음악이 등장하는 곡들이 가장 솔깃했다. 전자음악 위주의 음반도 기대해 볼 만하다. 여행을 금지당한 요즘, 음악으로 여행한 것 같은 기분이다. -글: 류태형 / 음악 칼럼리스트 |
The news of being selected for ICMC 2018
- magazine 'Art & Culture', June.2018 The news of being selected for ICMC 2018
- magazine 'JAZZPEOPLE', June.2018 My first album <Yellow Woods> was included among 150 albums selected based on historical value in the book 'Rediscovery of Korean Jazz Records' (2017, author: Sunggeon Park, music critic).
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