REVIEWS / QUOTES
- PAUL YEON LEE as a Composer -
"Paul Yeon Lee is a composer for whom music burns intensely, with a passion that binds craft to eloquence. His accomplishments are impressive and the promise for his future is remarkable. Much wonderful music is yet to come."
"I think you are an excellent and interesting composer, with a passion that is not often found in music nowadays."
"A composer with a compelling voice of his generation."
"Lee's music is individual and compelling, a product of his tenacity in holding to his own creative vision."
"Paul's music envelops a profusion of human emotions; from the most sublime and tender of feelings to the extreme levels of force and power. He truly has a gift of expression."
- Anthony J. Cirone, San Francisco Symphony Percussionist/ Composer/ Conductor Chair of the Percussion Department at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music- Music of PAUL YEON LEE -
ARI, ARI... ari (아리, 아리... 아리) for String Quartet (2008), ca. 8 min.
"Paul Yeon Lee’s Ari, Ari... ari consists of a theme and variations on the famous Korean folk song Arirang. Lee was inspired by childhood memories of his grandmother singing out of tune in a hoarse, wavering voice. Aptly, he assigned the opening melody to the upper C string on the viola. Charlton Lee infused the melody with stunning coloristic effects: slightly ponticello raspiness, combined with an ultrawide vibrato and emotive slides along the fingerboard in a region of the viola that’s rarely employed.
The resulting sound immediately transported the listener to the Far East, though in a genuine way, completely avoiding Orientalist cliché, surely due in part to both the composer and the performer being of Asian origin. The quartet moved though a dramatic array of variations, with bits of the original Arirang melody always recognizably wavering between foreground and background. "
"... The Lee piece is one that deserves many more performances; it is built upon a pentatonic-scale Korean folk melody and blessed with gorgeous Gershwin-esque harmonies. It’s a perfect example of how lyrical and richly textured a modern work can be—indeed, ari means “beautiful” or “lovely” in the Korean language."
THREE IMAGES for Clarinet in B-flat and Violoncello (2007), ca. 7 min.
"... Lee’s "Three Images for B-flat Clarinet and Cello," played tonight, contained provocation, pleasure, and pulsation, with three subtitled movements called "Labyrinth," "Love," and "Passion." The fragment of a melody was the subject of a dream Mr. Lee experienced, and although he wasn’t able to remember the entire tune, he grabbed on to a small portion, and enlarged it. Tom Piercy was the clarinetist, and is so fantastic he could probably burn holes in a plastic straw and play it! Maxine Neuman was the cellist, with a fiery sound that made the piece come to life. The interplay of both instruments, and the feelings of vitality they conveyed, was incredible. From the highest overtones a cello plays to the highest clarinet notes, the spirit was strikingly felt, with impressive animation."
L'HISTOIRE DE BABAR for Piano Four Hands and Narrator (2007)
Music of Francis Poulenc/ transcribed by Paul Yeon Lee
"It was a pleasure working with Paul on this Babar project. I initially had the idea of having a four-hand version of this solo piano work in order to play it with my partner Ami, and we asked Paul to write a transcription for us. Each time he finished a section, we would meet in a local Starbucks to go over it together--it was a really fun process. Paul did a great job and we are very happy with the final result. We hope to have many occasions to play this work. We have spoken to the Poulenc Association in France, and it will be soon published by Chester Edition."
"We are very impressed with what Mr. Lee has produced and would like to proceed with putting this into print."
- Chester Edition in LondonNOCTURNE for Percussion Orchestra (2006)
"... Paul Yeon Lee, who earned a Michigan doctorate and contributed the debut piece, “Nocturne,” for a percussion orchestra of nine players, most of them engaged creatively with keyboard instruments, a collection of xylophones, vibraphones and marimbas. Lee put together an aural adventure that stressed atmospheres rather than just noise."
EARTH, WIND AND FIRE for Percussion Orchestra (2006)
"I have been a big fan of Paul's music... Upon hearing his String Trio No. 1, I was inspired to arrange this exciting, powerful work for my Percussion Ensemble at Indiana University. The result is Earth, Wind and Fire for Nine Percussionists. Thank you, Paul, for your inspiration and contributions to contemporary music."
- Anthony J. Cirone, San Francisco Symphony Percussionist/ Composer/ Conductor Chair of the Percussion Department at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music ECHOES OF THE NIGHT for Percussion Quartet (2004)
“Monday's program opened with the premiere of Paul Yeon Lee's "Echoes of the Night." Lee is a young man whose talent for composition, said Cirone, has impressed him for ten years. Lee repaid the support given him with this two-part composition for percussion quartet, deftly played by ensemble members Josh Bowman, Jeff Franca, Rieko Koyama, and Yumiko Nishioka. The initial portion of "Echoes" sounded, indeed, like stray and mysterious sounds of the night, distant and yet also a profound presence, a reflection of what the composer said he experienced during a stay at the MacDowell Colony, a refuge for musicians seeking peace and time to create.
Puzzlingly, the concluding section didn't at all suggest "Echoes of the Night" but, rather, invasions of lumbering beasts. The rustles and swishes and whooshes and tinkles had changed to poundings and whistles, impressionistically off the mark. There's no argument, however, that Lee obviously has an imaginative streak when it comes to combining the emanations from various percussions. The music showed inventiveness and knowledge of the instruments. ”
"Your technique is mature and polished, and you have a fine ear for true beauty! I particularly liked the ethereal vibes/glock/crotales combination in "Echoes of the Night"; it's a great instrumental sound, but what I really liked was the way you laid out the rhythms--the notes sound "random", yet the passage is clearly contrapuntal. Also, I like the 2-voice counterpoint you set up with the marimba and vibe/xyl rolls, and especially the way it emerges in more of a chorale texture in the movement V. It's a quite effective gesture, set against the motoric timp and bongos in other sections. Your music, formally, is set up a bit like a haiku, evanescent and whimsical, but your "words" suggest an epic poem!"
STRING TRIO NO.1 for Violin, Viola and Violoncello (2003)
"Your string trio is terrific; very idiomatic, very good string writing! The players seem to really enjoy the movement IV (Lunatico)!"
"Upon hearing his String Trio No. 1, I was inspired to arrange this exciting, powerful work for my Percussion Ensemble at Indiana University... "
- Anthony J. Cirone, San Francisco Symphony Percussionist/ Composer/ Conductor Chair of the Percussion Department at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music"Wonderful trio... it's a good piece. "
"We really enjoyed working with you on your piece. I am sure we will perform it again at some point, as it is a very effective piece."
"I'll stay in shape for this recording by committing to a regimen of leg-lifts and squats, so I can still access the primal yet focused energy of lunatico that we achieved so successfully in Flushing."
"Paul, we are honored that you enjoyed our performance and wish to record with us. Your trio is so profound and full of so many colors. Knowing that you heard the haunting theme in a dream is very evocative for both performer and listener. It is as if this music is from some different darker world!"
"Paul Yeon Lee's String Trio is a very moving work. It is a work from his soul. Paul has mastered composing a passionate and emotional work. He is one of the up and coming composers of our time. A very gifted composer!"
- Joshua Friedlander, Concertmaster of Gig Harbor Peninsula Symphony Orchestra/ Asst. Concertmaster of Olympia Symphony Orchestra/ Asst. Concertmaster of Federal Way Symphony PHOENIX for Orchestra (2000)
"beautiful lyricism blended with dramatic, energetic and rhythmic driving sections."
"... tremendous talent. I think he's got a special gift that's immediately apparent. Amongst the panel it was a unanimous decision that Paul was a terrific composer and deserved the commission opportunity."
"... shows such a wide variety of expression, impressive as you seem to be exploring the full range of aesthetic possibilities."
"Phoenix was a great hit with my performance with the Quincy Symphony Orchestra. The orchestra shone with brilliance and it was a crowd favorite for the kiddie concert!"
- Richard Haglund, Quincy Symphony Orchestra guest conductor/ Music Director of Erato Chamber Orchestra/ Music Director of Sangamon Valley Youth Symphony/ Assistant Conductor of Illinois Symphony Orchestra"The opening is "in your face" bravado, energy, and complexity. Somewhat later a trumpet signals some calm, but the intense swirling energy returns, especially with the play of percussion and bells and percussion and woodwinds. A great ascending brass melody follows leading to momentary frenzy, then to calm with the harp, and a beautiful viola melody. Throughout this part the "play" of woodwinds and strings is colorfully interspersed with soft temple blocks. The tension returns briefly with the brass, followed by a beautiful cello/violin duet, then with a flute and string pizzicato...leading to a very lush orchestral build-up, with brass and strings tugging at the returning -- and, in fact, a reawakening of a massive sound -- of the energy of the Phoenix, "re-emerged!"
NOCTURNE for String Orchestra (2000)
"Poignant striking. This piece clearly came from the heart of the composer with intensity and drive."
Music Director of Sangamon Valley Youth Symphony/ Assistant Conductor of Illinois Symphony Orchestra
SILHOUETTE for Orchestra (1998)
"Lee's prize-winning score, Silhouette, got the evening off to a thunderous start. The 12-minute orchestral score starts with a staccato outburst and then unfolds in a series of short episodes filled with pounding rhythms, bold colors and dissonant effects. Daniel Hege (conductor) led a brash performance that caught the dark power of Lee's music."
SANJO (산조) NO.1 for Flute solo (1996)
"... really enjoyed your piece at the concert, very original and personal."
DESPAIR for Clarinet in B-flat and Violoncello (1993)
"I detected some nicely tailored dry-point dissonant counterpoint that might have earned an A-minus in Milton Babbitt's classrooms."
"... music envelops a profusion of human emotions; from the most sublime and tender of feelings to the extreme levels of force and power."
- Anthony J. Cirone
The manuscript of SANJO (산조) NO.1 for Flute solo (1996)
