Conductor Sol Chin

Re: Adam Reed’s post 104031 of 1/12/24

Thank you, Dr. Reed, for introducing me to Sol Chin’s repertoire as a conductor.  I see she is very much a lover of Mahler’s music!

You stated, 

Recently, I accidentally came across a young, uncompromisingly Romantic symphonic conductor, Sol Chin, whose work is still little known outside South Korea. She conducts in a dramatically clean and expressive style, and conducts as much with her face and posture as with her hands and baton.  (Emphasis mine.)

I’ve never heard of such a concept: uncompromisingly Romantic conductor.  Could you offer criteria for what makes a conductor uncompromisingly Romantic?  Or, perhaps compare to other contemporary conductors who don’t exhibit such qualities? 

Finally, what other conductors have you seen who conduct in the same or similar manner to Sol Chin?  Leonard Bernstein, Toscanini, Solti, Dutoit?

/sb

Re: Adam Reed’s post 148060 of 1/14/24

I’m pretty sure Sol Chin is very well aware of Beethoven’s method of conducting.  Below is an account by Louis Spohr who saw Beethoven conducting Symphony No. 7 in person.  Keep in mind that Beethoven was a mere 5’4 and nearing full deafness.

At piano he crouched down lower and lower as he desired the degree of softness. If a crescendo then entered he gradually rose again and at the entrance of the forte jumped into the air. Sometimes, too, he unconsciously shouted to strengthen the forte. It was obvious that the poor man could no longer hear the piano of his music. This was strikingly illustrated in the second portion of the first Allegro of the Symphony. In one place there are two holds, one immediately after the other, of which the second is pianissimo. This, Beethoven had probably overlooked, because he began again to beat time before the orchestra had begun to play the second hold. Without knowing it, therefore, he had hurried ten or twelve measures ahead of the orchestra, when it began again and, indeed, pianissimo. Beethoven to indicate this had…crouched clean under the desk. At the succeeding crescendo he again became visible, straightened himself out more and more and jumped into the air at the point where according to his calculations the forte ought to begin. When this did not follow his movement he looked out in a startled way, stared at the orchestra to see it still playing pianissimo and found his bearing only when the long-expected forte came and was visible to him. Fortunately this comical incident did not take place at the performance.

https://clintonsymphony.org/2020/02/08/cso-celebrates-beethovens-250th-birthday-with-wellingtons-victory-and-7th-symphony/

*sb