Hei-Kyung Hong @ Vocal Arts D.C.

Charles T. Downey, Hei-Kyung Hong offers uneven recital at Kennedy Center
Washington Post, February 28, 2014

Korean Songs, Hei-Kyung Hong, Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, Duc-Ki Kim (EMI 2003)

Hei-Kyung Hong seemed like a fish out of water for most of her recital Wednesday night at the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater, presented by Vocal Arts D.C. The soprano, now in her 50s, has made a career as an opera singer. Her brief, somewhat dutifully performed program of art songs, in German and Korean, left room for three operatic encores, where a voice once inhibited seemed finally to burst forth.

Hong was at her best in slow songs with long melodic lines, like Schubert’s “Nacht und Träume” and “Ständchen,” which showcased her full, round tone and solid breath support. In faster, busier songs, her vibrato activated the sound with a less flattering, nervous quality, and the German diction sometimes became just slightly garbled. [Continue reading]

Hei-Kyung Hong, soprano
Vlad Iftinca, piano
Vocal Arts D.C.
Kennedy Center Concert Hall