I didn’t know there were many artists living
in Brooklyn," pianist Angela Jia Kim, a Park Slope resident
who may lay claim to the unofficial title of "busiest classical
musician," says with a laugh.
Kim’s whirlwind schedule – performing in solo recitals, with
Trio Salome or in orchestral concerts across North America, in
France and Japan, as well as promoting her newly-released CD
"Dances and Fantasies" – forces her to see less of
her neighborhood than she would like.
"I love it," Kim exclaims about her Brooklyn digs,
and then explains why. "I’m from Iowa." After a well-placed
pause, she continues, "I grew up in Ames, Iowa." She
giggles at the thought, as if she doesn’t believe it.
"My dad was a math professor at the University of Iowa,"
says Kim. "I go back and give recitals once in awhile. I
knew it was boring when I was growing up, but I didn’t know it
was that boring."
Kim’s childhood in Iowa couldn’t have been too boring, as she
early on displayed a musical talent nurtured by her parents,
especially her mother.
"My mom was a pianist, and she was also my first piano teacher,"
Kim recounts. "Starting from age 2, I had wanted to play
the piano, but my mom didn’t want me to start playing at that
age. So, finally, after I turned 4, she gave me my first lesson,
and by the age of 5, I gave my first solo recital."
Kim, who would only say she was in her "late 20s,"
doesn’t think it’s that outlandish a notion to be performing
in public at such a young age.
"When your mom is your first teacher, you go places fast,"
she says with a shrug. "It was really fun at first, because
my mom made it fun for me. I played things like ’Mary Had a Little
Lamb,’ and my feet would barely touch the ground! But at that
age, you have absolutely no inhibitions. You just don’t realize
that you’re getting up in front of a bunch of people – it’s not
such a big deal at that age. It’s just fun!"
Obviously, Kim still considers performing fun, as one glance
at her grueling tour schedule shows: she played the Laguna Beach
Chamber Music Festival in California at the beginning of April,
and even found time to return to Iowa for a recent solo recital.
On April 21 Kim will perform at the Trinity Church Concert Series
in Lower Manhattan, where she will play the four Impromptus of
Franz Schubert, along with the third piano sonata of Frederic
Chopin.
"Chopin is an obvious choice for a pianist, but he’s wonderful
to play and to listen to," Kim says. "His sonata is
full of emotion." (Kim returns to the Trinity Church series
June 2 to perform with Trio Salome, which includes violinist
Nurit Pacht and cellist Julie Albers.)
An equally important undertaking is Kim’s debut recording. Titled
"Dances and Fantasies," it’s an excellent introduction
to a very talented pianist, showing off her versatility and individual
stamp on such disparate composers as Schubert, Mozart, Alexander
Scriabin and Maurice Ravel.
"My favorite composer is probably Ravel: I’m obsessed with
him, and I’ve probably played all of his piano works," says
Kim. (On her new disc, she tackles the shimmering "Valses
nobles et sentimentales" and the somber "Pavane pour
une infante defunte.")
"One of my absolute favorite works is Scriabin’s ’Fantasy
Sonata No. 2,’" she says. "It’s a cliche to say this,
but it’s a very sensual piece … he wrote it while he was honeymooning
with his wife, and I love the colors in the music.
"Schubert’s ’Wanderer Fantasy’ is one I perform a lot, and
the ’Fantasia’ [in D minor] by Mozart is another one of my favorites.
And that’s pretty much how the recording came about – it sort
of just happened, since these are all composers I really love
to perform."
Not all of the composers that Kim enjoys playing are regularly
heard in recital programs, and that is something she’d like to
change. "I’d like to get more into [Olivier] Messiaen’s
music," she says of the notoriously difficult-sounding French
composer.
"I once went to a concert of his piano music and I thought
that it was just too much for me – I walked away feeling psychotic!"
says Kim. "But once I started to play it, I thought, ’This
is amazing.’ So I’m really looking forward to one day doing some
of it. But most concert promoters don’t like to program stuff
that’s so crazy."
But if Angela Jia Kim gets her way, they will.
Pianist Angela Jia Kim performs Schubert and Chopin at the
Trinity Church’s series, "Concerts at One," on April
21 at 1 pm at St. Paul’s Chapel, at Broadway and Fulton Street
in Manhattan. The concert is free. For more information, go to
www.trinitywallstreet.com.
Kim’s Miro Classical Records CD, "Dances and Fantasies,"
featuring solo piano works by Ravel, Scriabin, Schubert and Mozart,
is available now at www.angelajiakim.com.
The CDs are $13.50 and $15 (autographed).