Gary Hoffman, cello, and Chloé Mun explore the cello world of a genius—Beethoven
Gary Hoffman, cello
Chloé Jiyeong Mun, piano
“Pure Beethoven”
The Cello Worlds of a Genius
Ludwig van Beethoven
(1770–1827)
Twelve Variations on “Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen” from Mozart’s “The Magic Flute”; F major, Op. 66
Sonatas for Cello and Piano
No. 3; A major, Op. 69
No. 4, C major, Op. 102, No. 1
No. 5, D major, Op. 102, No. 2
Gary Hoffman
“We play as we are.” In Gary Hoffman’s case, these few words have rarely been more true.
Whether performing before audiences or his students at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Belgium and at the most prestigious American universities, he does not take the stage to deliver a message. He stands before us, not to please us. He plays from within; music and life are one. This seems so simple in a world drowning in images, slogans, and poses.
Like every poet of the stage, Gary Hoffman made his decisions early on. From his parents—both professional musicians—and his teachers, Karl Fruh in Chicago and, above all, Janos Starker, he knew no compromise. Winning the first Rostropovich Grand Prix in Paris in 1986 opened doors for him. Yet he has never betrayed his artistic convictions.
He plays to be himself. The rules are self-explanatory: master the technique and gradually immerse oneself in the world of a piece. But to what end? It is about far more than perfection. In his eyes, the pursuit of efficiency and power never takes precedence over the expression of beauty—that beauty which has nourished him since his youth, when he listened to the greatest musicians. He plays with absolute respect for the score, but also with a questioning of tradition. Admiration is not subservience. His recordings with La Dolce Volta prove this. He instills in young musicians a love of doubt, curiosity, and taking risks—from the great repertoire to new compositions.
Since his debut at Wigmore Hall in London at the age of 15, he has been playing in pursuit of an ideal. As a sought-after soloist, Gary Hoffman has been performing for many years with the world’s finest orchestras: the symphony orchestras of Chicago, London, Montreal, Toronto, San Francisco, and Baltimore, as well as with the English, Moscow, and Los Angeles Chamber Orchestras, the Orchestre National de France, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, the Netherlands and Rotterdam Philharmonics, the Cleveland Orchestra for the Blossom Festival, and the Philadelphia Orchestra. In these performances, he has collaborated with such celebrated conductors as André Previn, Charles Dutoit, Mstislav Rostropovich, Pinchas Zukerman, Andrew Davis, Herbert Blomstedt, Kent Nagano, Jesús López-Cobos, and James Levine.
As a regular guest of the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society in New York, this remarkable chamber musician is in high demand.
Gary Hoffman has recorded for BMG (RCA), Sony, EMI, Le Chant du Monde, and now also for La Dolce Volta.
He has called Paris his home since 1990. He plays the “Ex-Leonard Rose” cello by Nicolo Amati, built in 1662.
Chloé Jiyeong Mun
“In her, I rediscovered the naturalness of musicality that I had thought was lost.” Jörg Demus, jury chairman of the 60th International Busoni Competition.
Pianist Chloé Jiyeong Mun gained international recognition in 2014 at the age of 18 when she won first prize at the international competition in Geneva, Switzerland. In 2015, she also won the International Busoni Competition in Italy. Since then, she has been regarded as one of the most sought-after musicians of her generation.
She has collaborated with leading conductors worldwide, including Alexander Shelley, Yuri Bashmet, James Judd, Roberto Beltrán Zavala, Victor Pablo Pérez, and Mario Venzago. She has performed with renowned orchestras such as the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, the Trieste Verdi Orchestra, the Nuova Orchestra Ferruccio Busoni, the St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra, the Orquesta y Coro de la Comunidad de Madrid (ORCAM), the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Korean National Symphony Orchestra. Her recitals have taken place at venues including the Gewandhaus, Wigmore Hall, the Warsaw Philharmonic, the Salle Cortot, the Arthur Rubinstein Philharmonic in Bydgoszcz, and the Seoul Arts Center. She has also performed at renowned festivals such as “Chopin and His Europe,” the Chopin Festival in Duszniki, the Arthur Rubinstein Piano Festival, and the Omaggio di Michelangeli Festival. Chloe released her debut album, “Schumann Piano Sonata No. 1 & Fantasie,” on Deutsche Grammophon.
In addition, as a dedicated chamber musician, she is invited annually to the Seoul Spring Festival of Chamber Music and the Seoul International Music Festival.
Chloe was born in Yeosu, South Korea, in 1995 and began playing the piano at the age of five. She studied with Professor Daejin Kim at the Korea National University of Arts from 2010 to 2020 and, in 2022–23, as an artist diploma student at the Barenboim Said Academy under Sir András Schiff. During the 2024–25 season, Sir András Schiff presented Chloe on renowned stages such as the Rudolf Firkušný Festival, Schloss Elmau, the Lockenhaus Festival, and Perugia Musica Classica.
