Sunghyun Lee - Night Suite I (Version I) for 9 Players (2021)

This piece is consisted of 4 movements:

I. Dances of the Stars 
II. Fragments of the Neonlights 
III. Dreaming Clouds 
IV. Whispering Darkness

As a composer who lives in Seoul and mainly works at night, 
translating the various elements of the night into music was always interesting for me. 
In particular, the contrast between the image of a busy city and the image of quiet nature,
and the various fantasies of stars and lights of the city made me to write this work.

Sunghyun Lee (B.1995)

Composer : Sunghyun Lee

서울모던앙상블 Seoul Modern Ensemble 
세대와 세대를 잇는 SOUND BRIDGE

일시: 2021년 6월 1일 (화) 19:30 
장소: 일신홀

Conductor 정병휘 (Byeong-Hwui Jeong)
Flute 이현주, 
Oboe 문혁진, 
Clarinet 홍성수, 
Percussion 심선민, 
Piano 이은지, 
Violin 문지원, 권그림, 
Viola 변정인, 
Cello 김경란, 

Performed at Ilshin Hall, Seoul

Night Suite I (Version I) for 9 Players (2021)

Sunghyun Lee - Andante Luminoso I per Ottavino, Violino e Violoncello(2020/2021)

Sunghyun Lee (B.1995)

Composer : Sunghyun Lee

Appassionato Ensemble:
Ileana De Santis, ottavino
Davide Moro, violino
Umberto Pedraglio, violoncello

Performed at Villa Olmo, Como, Italy

I've been writing about night and light.
This is my 8th work written with thoughts and illusions about light.

Particularly In this piece, I wanted to use small melodies in extreme high registers, with limited pitch materials and fixed overtones, also with simple and transparent harmonies.

The overall sound world mainly goes back and forth between noise and clear pitches. I expect the harmonies and small melodies that occur briefly between them, could create a unique lyricism.

Andante Luminoso I per Ottavino, Violino e Violoncello (2020/2021)

Sunghyun Lee - Night Suite I (Version II) for 11 Players : Whole Movements (2021)

I. Dances of the Stars 
II. Fragments of the Neonlights 
III. Dreaming Clouds 
IV. Whispering Darkness

Sunghyun Lee (B.1995)

Composer : Sunghyun Lee

Conductor : Pasquale Corrado

Violin I : Giada Visentin
Violin II : Egida Zeneli
Viola : Leonardo Taio
Cello :  Luigi Visco
Pianoforte : Alessandro Simoni
Flute : Antonio Sartini 
Oboe : Laura Piras
Clarinet : Edoardo Mancini
Bassoon : Lorenzo Drago
Horn : Jacopo Maggi
Percussions : Gabriele Genta

Performed at Auditorium Parco della Musica, Rome, Italy
Teatro Studio Borgna

This piece is consisted of 4 movements:

I. Dances of the Stars 
II. Fragments of the Neonlights 
III. Dreaming Clouds 
IV. Whispering Darkness

As a composer who lives in Seoul and mainly works at night, 
translating the various elements of the night into music was always interesting for me. 
In particular, the contrast between the image of a busy city and the image of quiet nature,
and the various fantasies of stars and lights of the city made me to write this work.

Mercoledi 9 Giugno 2021 ore 17

Concerti di Diploma
"Note Contemporanee"
Corso di perfezionamento di Composizione
Docente Maestro Ivan Fedele

Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
Alta Formazione
Anno Accademico 2020/2021

Night Suite I (Version II) for 11 Players : Whole Movements (2021)

Concerto for Piano and Orchestra 
No.1 <Der Zauberlehrling> (2021)

Composer : Sunghyun Lee
Pianoforte : Sunmin Park
Conductor : Youngseon Choi
Performed by Millennium Symphony Orchestra, Seoul, Korea

Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No.1 <Der Zauberlehrling> (2021)

Isle Of Ecstasy I (喜悅島 I) 
for Korea Traditional Instruments (2018)

I. Solitude
II. Fast Machines
III. Night Interlude
IV. Groove on the Groove
V. Dance Forever

Isle Of Ecstasy I (喜悅島 I) for Korean Traditional Instruments (2018)

Sunghyun Lee - Suite Geometrica for 16 Players : Whole Movements (2022)

I. Zigzag Toccata
II. Distorted Arabesques
III. Kinematic Sonata

Sunghyun Lee (B.1995)

Composer : Sunghyun Lee

Conductor : Clement Power

Performed by Ensemble TIMF

Commissioned by Tongyeong International Music Festival 2022

Suite Geometrica for 16 Players : Whole Movements (2022)

Sunghyun Lee - Suite Geometrica for 16 Players : Whole Movements (2022)

I. Zigzag Toccata
II. Distorted Arabesques
III. Kinematic Sonata

Sunghyun Lee (B.1995)

Composer : Sunghyun Lee

Conductor : Clement Power

Performed by Ensemble TIMF

Premiered at Tongyeong International Music Festival 2022
Music Director : Unsuk Chin

Suite Geometrica for 16 Players : Mov.III Kinematic Sonata (2022)

Aether for 10 Players (2022)

Sunghyun Lee - Aether for 10 Players (2022)

Sunghyun Lee (B.1995)

Composer : Sunghyun Lee

Conductor : Yuwon Kim

Performed by Ensemble Blank

Commissioned by Ensemble Blank

Premiered at IBK Chamber Hall, Seoul Arts Center

Aether for 10 Players (2022)

Sunghyun Lee - Dreaming Shengs I for String Trio (2021)

Sunghyun Lee (B.1995)

Composer : Sunghyun Lee

Performed by Ensemble Hanui-Baram, South Korea

Performed at 42th Pan Music Festival, Seoul, South Korea

Dreaming Shengs I for String Trio (2021)

Sunghyun Lee - Danse Mécanique pour Quatuor à cordes (2023)

Sunghyun Lee (B.1995)

Composer : Sunghyun Lee

Performed by Quatuor Bozzini, Montreal, Canada

Performed at Time of Music Festival, Parish Hall, Viitasaari, Finland

9th July, 2023

Danse Mécanique pour Quatuor à cordes (2023)

Sunghyun Lee - Plucking, Brushing, Crushing and Vanishing 
for 3 Violas (2023)

Sunghyun Lee (B.1995)

Composer : Sunghyun Lee

Performed by Trio Estatico

Paul Beckett - Klangforum Wien
Megumi Kasakawa - Ensemble Modern
John Stulz - Ensemble Intercontemporain

Performed and Recorded at Cité internationale des arts à Paris
25th April 2023

Plucking, Brushing, Crushing and Vanishing for 3 Violas (2023)

Sunghyun Lee (*1995)
Suite Geometrica, for 16 players (2022, rev. 23)

00:00  I. Zigzag Toccata
08:16  II. Distorted Arabesque
14:36  III. Kinematic Sonata

Kamariorkesteri Avanti!
Bas Wiegers, conductor

Finnish Première, 30 June 2023, Avantin Suvisoitto '23

Avantin Suvisoitto '23

https://avantimusic.fi/suvisoiton-ohjelma

Suite Geometrica for 16 Players (2022, Rev. 23, Avanti! Festival Recording)

Sunghyun Lee (*1995)
Contraflux I for Flute Solo (2025)

Hwajune Kim, Flute

Partika-Saal, RSH Duesseldorf

Contraflux I for Flute Solo (2025)

Sunghyun Lee (*1995)
Journey to the Stillness for Two Violins (2025)

Wonjay Seo and Suvd Enkhtuvshin (Violin)

Partika-Saal, RSH Duesseldorf

Journey to the Stillness for Two Violins (2025)

Sunghyun Lee (*1995)
Jardin des Voyelles II pour Soprano seule (2025)

Soprano: Chorong Kim

Partika-Saal, RSH Duesseldorf

Jardin des Voyelles II pour Soprano seule (2025)

Sunghyun Lee (*1995)
Paillons Libres pour Piano (2025)

Piano: Sunghyun Lee

Partika-Saal, RSH Duesseldorf


Paillons Libres I pour Piano (2025)

Sunghyun Lee (*1995)
Usch... for Violoncello Solo (2025)

Violoncello: Uschik Choi

Partika-Saal, RSH Duesseldorf

Usch... for Violoncello Solo (2025)

Sunghyun Lee (*1995)
Abegg-Games II for Pianoforte (2023)

Pianoforte: Sunghyun Lee

Partika-Saal, RSH Duesseldorf

Abegg-Games II for Pianoforte (2023)

Sunghyun Lee (*1995)
Riddles and Fiddles, for cello and ensemble (2024)

Uschik Choi, cello

IEMA Ensemble 23/24

Hwajune Kim, flute
Megumi Nakajima, oboe
Pablo Piñeiro Mundín, clarinet
Olivia Palmer-Baker, bassoon
Robyn Blair, horn
Jinhyoung Kim, trumpet
Noah Perkins, trombone
Grzegorz Chwalinski, percussion
Shan-Chi Hsu, piano
Isaac Bifet, violin
Elijah Spies, viola
Emmett Jackson, double bass

Raimonda Skabeikaitė, conductor
Moritz Fischer, sound director

German Première, 17 September 2024, HfMDK Frankfurt


I simply wanted to create music that brought together the raw elements of things I have liked since I was very young. Additionally, I wanted to move away from the mechanical and angular progressions that are a key feature of my works—compositions made up of various free and open fragments—and write music that feels a bit more organic.

For me, the goal of all composition is the process of overcoming my limits and exploring new paths. This time, I wanted to use the cello as a solo instrument for two main reasons: as a sort of compositional exercise dealing with the balance between the cello and the ensemble, and to write "melodies" utilizing the various expressive possibilities of the cello.

The work is composed of three parts:
The first part is a prelude that highlights the virtuosity of both the ensemble instruments and the cello.

In the second part, the cello poses various questions and riddles to the ensemble. The ensemble instruments respond to the cello in a way that gives a mechanical feeling—like broken machines, they ignore the cello's input. However, the cello keeps questioning, acting as a catalyst that drives powerful musical progressions.

The third part is a noise-timbre study between the cello and the ensemble.  This ultimately transforms into electronic sounds, with the cello becoming "robotized," almost like a machine (but broken, crazy machine), concluding the piece.


Photo by Jieun Kim

Riddles and Fiddles for Violoncello and Ensemble (2024)

Luc Ferrari - Études d'improvisation (1977)

Sunghyun Lee (Piano)
Yejune You (Electronics)
Lukas Döhler (Violin)
Hwajune Kim (Flute)
Bastián Jorquera Figueroa (Slide whistles)

RSH Duesseldorf,
Part of IEMA-Elective Projects

(1st Mov.) Luc Ferrari - Études d'improvisation

(3rd Mov.) Luc Ferrari - Études d'improvisation

(6th Mov.) Luc Ferrari - Études d'improvisation

(5th Mov.) Luc Ferrari - Études d'improvisation

(4th Mov.) Luc Ferrari - Études d'improvisation

(7th Mov.) Luc Ferrari - Études d'improvisation

(2nd Mov.) Luc Ferrari - Études d'improvisation

M'Illumino D'immenso : Chamber Opera (2024)

Composer : Sunghyun Lee (B.1995)

Conductor: Dorian Todorov Dimitrov 
Scene: Beka Savic 

Cast:  
Joowon Kim (Claude Vivier)
Grantas Šileikis (Man in the Darkness, Vivier-Doppelgänger)
Mathias Vieira Tönges (Messenger of Death, Narrator)

Robert Schumann Hochschule Düsseldorf 
Deutsche Oper am Rhein

CONTENTS
I. Overture
II. Song in the Darkness
III. Suicidal Impulses
IV. I'm so sick of...
V. Words in the mirror
VI. Lonely Child

Music by Sunghyun Lee
Libretto by Sunghyun Lee, Claude Vivier

Written for Opera Project of Robert Schumann Hochschule Düsseldorf,
Alla Breve 2024

World Premiere :
October 20th, 2024
Maxhaus Düsseldorf - Katholisches Stadthaus

M'Illumino D'immenso : Chamber Opera (2024)

(Whole Mov.) Luc Ferrari - Sunghyun Lee : Études d'improvisation (1977)

Sunghyun Lee (*1995)
Jardin des Voyelles I pour Ténor, Baryton, Basse et Trois Instrumentistes (2024)

Conducted by Léo Warynski
Performed by Les Métaboles and Ensemble Multilatérale

Ténor: Marco Van Baaren
Baryton: Paul Alexandre Dubois
Bass: Marc Busnel 

Harp: Aurélie Saraf 
Percussion: Hélène Colombotti
Piano: Lise baudouin

Solitär, Universität Mozarteum Salzburg

Jardin des Voyelles I pour Ténor, Baryton, Basse et Trois Instrumentistes (2024)

I.
II. (06:40)
III. (13:55)

Performed by Quatuor Voce

Performed at Studio Ernest-Ansermet
Radio Suisse Romande, Geneva

  I composed String Quartet “Moment Etincelant” in 2014. This work is very meaningful to me. First, this is my first work in my university days done without taking any lesson. Second, this is my first pure “String Quartet” work. 
  When I composed this piece, I thought about the movements of light. This piece was created in my agonizing how to translate the movements of light into music, such as refraction, distortion, reflection, and wavelength. Accordingly, almost every parameter of music has been determined in a way to musicalize the various characteristics of light. 
  This music frequently flows with sound effects and gestures. Sometimes those gestures are gradually enlarged and shortened, I composed each gesture like the “Theme” of   traditional classical music. The form of music grows by lots of variations and transfigurations of those gestures, and I tried to make music which can be observed in various angles by using shapes of endless movements. And, I tried sudden switches of scenes and “accidental form” because I want to deliver direct and physical sounds to listeners by using deviation and destruction from continuous variation and systemic form.
  Three movements consist in one common motive, and this motive consists in tone materials from sound’s overtone effects. I wanted to make maximum reverberation from String Quartet with those motives and overtone effects. And, in every three movement, the four instruments often became one or two imaginary “hyper–instruments”. For example, they became floating sound structure by microtonal glissandos. Also, they became sound fragments by regular and rhythmical movements.

Moment Étincelant pour Quatuor à Cordes (2014)

Sunghyun Lee - Maximum Mixtures 
for Flute, Clarinet, Violin and Violoncello (2016)

Sunghyun Lee (B.1995)

I. Overlap - Breakup - Overlap - Breakup...
II. Juxtapose?

   This piece is a “compositional practice” to me. While I was studying some works of C.Debussy and I.Stravinsky, I decided to write a piece which is searching for certain techniques and languages – using vocabularies of 20th century  music. 
   So in 1st movement I want to deal with the “superposition“ and ”dissolution“ and in 2nd movement (which is still composing now) with the ”juxtaposition“ and ways of ”themetic“ development.

Composer : Sunghyun Lee

Conductor : Sol Chin

Flute : Areum Han
Clarinet : Yang-JI Baek
Violin : Jiwon Kim
Violoncello : Seungwon Jung

Performed at Seoul Arts Center

2018 Korean Composition Festival V

Maximum Mixtures for Flute, Clarinet, Violin and Violoncello(2016)

Sunghyun Lee - Onde I for Six Players (2020)

Sunghyun Lee (B.1995)

Composer : Sunghyun Lee

Conductor : Yoonhak Baek

Performed by Ensemble TIMF, South Korea

Flute : Jiyoung Lee
Clarinet : Jung-Won Yoon
Violin : Jiwon Kim
Violoncello : Jooeun Oh
Percussion : Eunhye Kim
Pianoforte : Sunin Jung

I. Stars and Crystals
II. Dialogues and Dances

Performed at 40th Pan Music Festival, Seoul, South Korea

Onde I for Six Players : Whole Movements (2020)

Sunghyun Lee (die 1995) is a composer from Seoul, South Korea.

He received his Bachelor's degree from Seoul National University and completed his master's program at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Italy, graduating with summa cum laude honors. During his studies, he had the privilege of being mentored by distinguished composers such as Unsuk Chin, Ivan Fedele, Oliver Schneller, and Uzong Choe.

Throughout his career, Sunghyun Lee has garnered recognition for his exceptional talent, securing prestigious awards in various competitions, including the Geneva International Music Competition and the "Appassionato Ensemble" International Competition. His works have been featured in prominent festivals and concerts worldwide, including ISCM World Music Days, Tongyeong International Music Festival, Avanti! Music Festival, Festival Contrasti, Como Contemporary Festival, Mise-en Festival, Daegu International Contemporary Music Festival, etc.

Sunghyun Lee has also collaborated with renowned musical ensembles such as Avanti! Chamber Orchestra, IEMA Ensemble, Ensemble Phoenix Basel, Fontana Mix Ensemble, Barcelona Modern Ensemble, Ensemble Mise-en, Schallfeld Ensemble, Ensemble Ictus, Ensemble Novecento, Quatuor Bozzini, Quatuor Voce, Trio Estatico, Ensemble TIMF, Zohn Collective, AsianArt Ensemble, Ensemble Phase, Ensemble Blank, Sori Percussion, and the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, showcasing his versatility and innovative, playful compositions.

Currently, Sunghyun Lee is continuing his compositional studies under the guidance of Professor Oliver Schneller at Robert Schumann Hoschule Duesseldorf. He is presently based in Frankfurt, Germany, where he continues to pursue his IEMA (International Ensemble Modern Academy) as a residence composer.

Sunghyun Lee

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