JOANNE KONG

Recognized as an artist of exceptional versatility, keyboardist Joanne Kong has received critical praise for her "great finesse and flexibility," (The Washington Post) "utmost keyboard sensitivity and variety of tone," (Richmond Times-Dispatch ) "remarkable technical ability," (The Oregonian) and "superb artistry." (San Antonio Express-News)

BR133 is the first-ever recording of the Goldberg and Diabelli Variations on the harpsichord and piano, performed by a single artist. The harpsichord used in the recording was built by Eric Herz of Cambridge, MA, it is modeled after the instruments of the 18th-century German builder Hieronymous Hass.

With a specialty in the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, Dr. Kong has been a featured soloist in the Los Angeles Bach Festival, Oregon Bach Festival, Abbey Bach Festival, Bach Aria Festival and Institute, Houston Harpsichord Society Recital Series, Texas Bach Collegium series, and has received critical acclaim for her interpretations of the Goldberg Variations and Well-Tempered Clavier.

As a Beethoven performer she was designated as a Laureate in the 1983 National Beethoven Foundation Fellowship Auditions, and won the Grand Prize in the International Piano Recording Competition for a 1985 performance of the Diabelli Variations.

Kong's concertizing as a soloist has included orchestral performances under William McGlaughlin, Myung-Whun Chung, Alberto Bolet, Samuel Baron, and George Manahan, and she is in frequent demand as a chamber keyboardist at concert venues throughout the country, including recent collaborations with the Shanghai String Quartet, flutist Eugenia Zukerman, and cellist James Wilson. Her numerous radio broadcasts across the country have included National Public Radio, WQXR in New York, and WFMT in Chicago.

"Kong is a fine pianist, but more importantly for these purposes she is a supremely gifed accompanist, a stylish and reliable partner enchancing music in which the violin is the dominant voice (BR147)."
Clarke Bustard, Music Editor
Richmond Tines- Dispatch

"This has instantly become one of my favorite CDs, and I have hundreds, even just of baroque music....Kong's CD is a masterpiece, and should be bought without hesitation by all Bach fans."
Dr Barry D. Steben
National University of Singapore

"It takes an artist with a great deal of self-confidence, not to mention talent, to undertake recording another version of Bach's Goldberg Variations. Joanna Kong's recording of the work on harpsichrd helps to give it a more historically accurate perspective, and her ability at the keyboard offers reason for contemplating its addition to your collection....Ms. Kong demonstrates enormous improvisational ability in rendering these variations....The subtle wit, charm, and inventiveness she brings to this work allow it to move beyond their status as mere lullabies and into the realm of pleasurable musical interludes to be savored over and over....If you're looking for an alternative to the Gould recordings, this one should head toward the top of your audition list."
John Crossett
soundstage.com

“Novel as this double CD may be, the real distinction of these recordings is their performances. Her Bach is unusually lyrical, while it adheres to standard Baroque performance practices. The “Diabelli” disc is more than a bonus. Kong’s songful, soulful and sensitively dynamic treatment ranks at or (usually) above the levels of the dozen-odd other recordings of the piece that I've heard.”
Clarke Bustard, Music Editor
Richmond Times-Dispatch

But if you want to try harpsichord renditions [of the Goldberg Variations] you might be better off trying Pierre Hantai (the bubbliest and liveliest), Gustav Leonhardt (the most scholarly), or Joanne Kong (the best sounding/most natural recording and the most lovingly played).
Francisco Carvallao
Amazon. com

Other Joanne Kong Brioso CD's, BR133, BR147 and BR150

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