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Buy "The Colburn Sessions" on CD or digital download
CD Booklet (PDF 10MB)
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Reviews
"A gorgeous recording" - Laurie Niles, Violinist.com
"a riveting set of tracks... The album is pure bliss, thanks to Sung's virtuosic command of the double bass (she deftly navigates the instrument's high register) and her gift for expressive, lyrical interpretations." - Greg Cahill, Strings Magazine
"The South Korean double-bassist Mikyung Sung is the remarkable soloist on The Colburn Sessions, a brilliant two-disc set… Bottesini’s Tarantella is a dazzling opening track, Sung displaying stunning facility and clarity. The second CD is even more impressive… Mendelssohn’s Cello Sonata No. 2 Op. 58 with an astonishing final movement that takes your breath away… Superb playing..." – Terry Robbins, The WholeNote
"When I first happened upon this album, I was dumbfounded. So far as I can tell, it should be physically impossible to play a double bass in the manner that Ms. Sung does. Flying through endless quick series of notes with on the nose intonation along the extended neck with thick strings of this instrument: how in the world does she do that? But, of course, there is more to this two-CD set than mere technical brilliance." - Bill Heck, Classical Candor
"Riveting performances … unerring intonation and artful, vocal-like phrasing. The graceful articulation of Sung's long, flowing lines mesmerizes. Whether operating at a high velocity or a slow and sultry pace, Sung never falters. On performance grounds, The Colburn Sessions consistently dazzles." - Ron Schepper, Textura
"this is a sparkling set, fully exploiting the flexibility of the instrument in a range of pieces by composers from Bottesini to Rachmaninov... in each the recording does a fine job of bringing out the character of Sung's instrument, and balancing it superbly with the accompanying piano" – Andrew Everard, HiFi News and Record Review
"a Korean double bassist for whom technical challenges do not exist... channels her considerable virtuosity toward musical ends... Sung’s supple bow arm, spot-on high-register intonation, and vocally oriented phrasing make the three Bottesini showpieces sound important... beautifully inflected long lines... you’ll easily get caught up in the sheer joy, élan, and insouciant ensemble repartée that these musicians bring to the Mendelssohn’s outer movements." - Jed Distler, ClassicsToday
"sweetly lush in the manner of an exalted cello... breath-taking finesse... instrumental accomplishment at its best" - Gary Lemco, Fanfare Magazine (Nov/Dec 2023)
"She plays the instrument like a cello. You would never guess how difficult it is to play sweetly and in tune… I wonder if Massenet could even have imagined such a beautiful double-bass sound. The Mendelssohn…sounds quite natural on the double bass. The Franck sounds very good on this instrument, too. …it’s such a surprise that this unwieldy instrument can be made to sound so warm, so lyrical and emotional." – Donald R. Vroon, American Record Guide (Mar/Apr 2024)
"With no doubt the best Solo-Double-Bass CD I have ever heard in my life." (publisher of a German bass magazine)
"Absolutely superb playing on The Colburn Sessions by @mikyungbass" (Heppleston Double Basses)
"Listening to the CD has a different feeling than on stream, and I am deeply moved." (a customer from Japan)
"I'm listening to my two CDs over and over." (another customer)
"As expected it is an amazing album." (MinorKey.net)
"In the hands of Mikyung Sung the instrument sounds like a deeper version of a cello, richly lyrical and with a surprising agility." (mFiles)
