In September 2019, Cameron University professor of music Dr. Hyunsoon Whang embarked on a personal goal to performing the entire cycle of Beethoven’s 32 sonatas. This month, she will present the tenth – and penultimate – concert of that cycle on Sunday, March 30, at 3 p.m. in the McCutcheon Recital Hall.
Tickets purchased at the door are $10 for adults and $8 for senior citizens, members of the military and non-CU students. Cameron University students, faculty and staff receive one free admission with their CU I.D. Tickets can be reserved by calling the box office at 580-581-2346. Tickets can also be purchased in advance online at https://www.cameron.edu/art-music-and-theatre/events/buy-tickets. (Taxes and processing fees apply.)
The Beethoven sonatas are considered one of the most important collections of works in the history of music. With only six sonatas left to perform, Whang says she chose the three for this concert as they would make a seamless program.
Whang will open the concert with Sonata No. 9 in E Major, Op. 14 No. 1, which she refers to as “a compact and delightful sonata.”
“This is not a large-scale sonata, and the general character is much less intense and dramatic compared to most of Beethoven's opus,” Whang says. “Cast in three movements, the sunny Allegro first movement is followed by a Schumanesque, dark and ambiguous intermezzo. The sonata ends with a rondo on a happier note. It is a sonata without a traditional slow movement.”
She will follow that with Sonata No. 13 in E-flat Major, Op. 27 No. 1.
“This is a poetic, psychological sonata that is more like a fantasy than a classical sonata,” Whang says. “In fact, Beethoven gave it a subtitle, ‘Sonata quasi una fantasia,’ which translates to ‘sonata in the manner of a fantasy.’ Although it has four movements, all movements are ‘attacca,’ meaning there are no pauses between movements. The first movement is beautiful, warm and improvisatory with a surprising fast, middle section. The second movement (scherzo) is agitated and even demonic in character. The contemplative slow movement serves as an introduction to a jovial, virtuosic finale reminiscent of Bach's music. Toward the end, Beethoven momentarily brings back the slow movement only to be interrupted with the fast, most joyous coda.”
Whang will end the concert with Sonata No. 31 in A-flat Major, Op. 110, considered one of the most profound Beethoven sonatas.
“Once again, this sonata is one continuous work instead of being separated by pauses after each movement,” Whang says. “Many of Beethoven's works from his late period (1814-1827) show this tendency of continuous, cyclic nature where all movements build toward and culminate in the final movement. The first movement is lyrical and heartfelt which is followed by an energetic, almost defiant scherzo in duple meter. The third movement is vocally conceived in that it begins with a recitative, then a very sad, tragic aria unfolds. The last movement is a full-blown fugue with the tragic aria's reappearance in the middle. The fugue comes back in an inversion then builds up to a climactic, orchestral ecstatic ending.”
Whang will complete her performance cycle of Beethoven’s piano sonatas during the Spring 2026 semester.
The Korean American artist began her piano studies at the age of four and has performed in Europe, Canada, Australia, Asia and nearly all 50 states. Equally versatile as a soloist and a chamber musician, she has collaborated with noted musicians including Alexis Weissenberg, Leonard Slatkin, Joel Revzen, Miriam Burns, Jon Kalbfleisch, Michael Tree and David Kim. She is on the Oklahoma Touring Artist roster and is a frequent guest artist with the Florida Chamber Music Project.
Her latest recording, “Johannes Brahms In Twilight,” is a collaboration with clarinetist Daniel McKelway and features Brahms’ later works, “Sonata for Clarinet and Piano Op. 120” and “Klavierstücke, Op. 119.” Released in December 2024, the collection is available on Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, Amazon Music and other streaming services.
A dedicated educator, Whang has taught and nurtured generations of piano students. She has given masterclasses in several countries and adjudicated many state and national competitions. She regularly presents interactive recitals for rural public-school children, fostering a love of classical music for the youth. She is a recipient of the Oklahoma Governor’s Arts in Education Award.
Whang studied at the North Carolina School of the Arts, the St. Louis Conservatory, The Juilliard School, and received a doctorate from Indiana University. A professor of piano at CU, she holds the McMahon Endowed Chair in Music. She also teaches at the Interlochen Arts Camp in Michigan each summer.
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PR#25-035
