Cellist Sungmo Park - Discography

Bohuslav Martinu (1890–1959), one of the leading Czech composers of the 20th century, developed a distinctive musical language that brought together the folk traditions of his homeland, the refined sensibility of French music, and modern approaches to rhythm and harmony.

This album brings together Martinu’s three cello sonatas and two sets of variations. Composed at different stages of his career, Cello Sonatas Nos. 1, 2, and 3 reveal the evolution of his musical language as well as his deep understanding of the cello. In Variations on a Theme of Rossini and Variations on a Slovakian Theme, his free imagination, brilliant virtuosity, and characteristic rhythmic vitality come vividly to life.

Martinu’s music for cello is distinguished by the equal partnership between cello and piano. Rather than giving prominence to one instrument over the other, the two engage in a continuous dialogue—at times interacting, at times confronting one another—as they shape the music together. Moving between raw, powerful energy and lyrical melodies imbued with a sense of longing for his homeland, these works reveal Martinu’s unique musical world.

Through the three sonatas and two sets of variations, cellist Sungmo Park and pianist Shunji Hirota explore the distinct colors and emotions of each work, illuminating both the rhythmic vitality and lyricism at the heart of Martinu’s music.

For listeners encountering Martinu’s cello music for the first time, this album offers an introduction to his distinctive musical world. For those already familiar with his works, it provides an opportunity to experience his three cello sonatas and two sets of variations together in a single collection.

This album sheds new light on the works of the 18th-century Italian composer Joseph Marie-Clement Dall'Abaco.

Situated at the crossroads of the Baroque and Classical periods, he composed a wide range of instrumental works for the cello.

The "11 Caprices for Solo Cello" encapsulate the instrument's essential techniques and expressive possibilities, including bowing, double stops, and trills.

In this recording, these caprices are reinterpreted on the modern cello, preserving the structural balance of the original works while revealing their character and narrative with a rich tone and a refined, multidimensional expression.

This album features the major cello works of the 20th-century composer Ernest Bloch (1880–1959).

Bloch was a composer who wove his identity and spiritual world into his music, and his cello compositions reveal both intense lyricism and a deep sense of prayer.

The album includes the complete “Suite for Solo Cello No. 1–No. 3,” works that reflect profound introspection and expressive power through the voice of the cello.

It also features pieces for cello and piano—“Méditation Hébraïque,” “From Jewish Life,” and “Nigun”—which combine the cello’s heartfelt resonance with traditional colors to create a uniquely emotional atmosphere.

These pieces were recorded in collaboration with pianist Professor Shunji Hirota, whose sensitive partnership and musical dialogue deepen the lyrical essence characteristic of Bloch’s music.

The album was completed after about a year of preparation and recording, with the aim of conveying the spiritual resonance and inner depth of Bloch’s music to listeners.

This album features Sungmo Park’s cello solo performances accompanied by basso continuo based on original manuscripts. Including even Boccherini’s lesser-known repertoire, it presents all 23 sonatas in a single, highly scholarly recording.

Luigi Boccherini (1743–1805) was a Classical-era composer and cellist from Italy. While he left behind many outstanding chamber works, he is especially renowned as one of the first great composers for the cello, notable for his concertos and sonatas that showcase virtuosic bow techniques, extensive use of high registers, and exploration of diverse positions on the fingerboard.

Many of Boccherini’s sonatas exist in multiple manuscript versions—some with unclear origins, and others identical to the autograph but with various alterations—scattered across music libraries around the world. This has long posed challenges in organizing the original and variant versions.

Thanks to the research of French musicologist and critic Yves Gérard (1932–2020), many of these issues were clarified. As a result of his work, Boccherini’s compositions were catalogued using a “G” numbering system, published in London in 1969.

This album includes all 23 sonatas (G1–G19, G565, G579, G74, and L’Imperatrice).
Professor Hyojung Kang, cellist and viola da gambist, contributed to 18 of the basso continuo recordings, while double bassist Sungjik Park, currently active with a German orchestra, participated in five of the sonatas.

Comprising a total of 36 movements, the Bach Cello Suites are regarded as one of the greatest masterpieces in the history of cello repertoire.
Although no autograph manuscript has survived, these suites have been widely performed and interpreted in diverse musical ways since their rediscovery by cellist Pablo Casals in 1925.

This complete recording captures an attempt to reflect the ever-changing, rich, and mysterious beauty of nature through the music of Bach.

This piece is one of the representative works by David Popper (1843–1913), a renowned cellist and composer of his time. It is a collection of virtuosic etudes that not only showcase the expressive range of the cello but also demand advanced technical skills.

Comprising 40 pieces, this collection includes challenging techniques such as high positions, double stops, spiccato, fast rhythmic passages, and a wide variety of bowing articulations. As such, it has become an essential etude set for cello students and performers around the world.

This album marks the first complete recording of all 40 etudes by a Korean cellist. It was produced over the course of approximately nine months of recording.

I hope this album will serve as a meaningful contribution to those who admire Popper’s music and to cellists seeking to further develop their technical skills.