[Kim d]raws on an astounding range of sources for her analysis, always rooted in historical sources (art criticism, music reviews, Liszt's correspondence and notes, and more) and convincing theoretical analysis. Chapter 5 is most interesting to me, because it adds to the ever-present scholarly discussion about folk music['s influence on composers]. Kim offers a valuable discussion of the cimbalom and its similarities to the fortepiano's sound. Even more valuable, Kim's analysis suggests that 'folk' and 'art' overlapped often. This chapter will help people performing Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsodies on the piano. There are a lot of pictures and musical examples that make it easier to follow along.
AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE.
Liszt's Representation of Instrumental Sounds on the Piano: Colors in Black and White is a detailed study of Liszt's orchestral transcriptions. This book includes valuable insights into his evocation of the cimbalom in the Hungarian Rhapsodies and, more importantly, links Liszt's own conceptions about his music to complementary concerns shared by contemporary visual artists. Hyun Joo Kim joins the ranks of great scholars who can describe musical instruments and aspects of performance with scholarly rigor in precise, elegant writing. --
- Rob Haskins, University of New Hampshire,
Can an arrangement become as vibrant and alive as the original? This is one of the queries that H. J. Kim, musicologist of Indiana University, sheds light on in a convincing way in her book. The book's contents and its clear organization make this volume exemplary. Offers inspiring ideas[,] . . . it deserves to be read, especially by musicologists and musicians interested in the flourishing field of Liszt research.
MIN-AD: ISRAEL STUDIES IN MUSICOLOGY ONLINE
Kim is particularly keen to highlight the timbral dimensions of Liszt's arrangements, and thus brings analytical and hermeneutic techniques from musicology and art history to bear on his early partitions de piano, his symphonic poems, and his "Hungarian Gypsy-style" music. Kim's excellent coverage...reinforces the ingenuity with which Liszt was able to make the "sacred texts" of Beethoven and Berlioz his own. Kim ultimately expands Liszt's legacy, adding "translator" to his list of enviable accolades as pianist-composer.
STUDIA MUSICOLOGICA
A compelling study. Detailed and accessible. Readers will welcome the many ways they are invited to appreciate Liszt's artistic achievements, and pianists in particular will be inspired to perform Liszt's arrangements with a better-informed sense of purpose.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN LISZT SOCIETY