Fünf Stücke für Klavier - I

Isang Yun

After being kidnapped from Germany in 1967 by the South Korean Secret Service, transported to Seoul, tortured and sentenced to death, Isang Yun composed the opera Butterfly Widow in prison on the floor of his cell! It was not his first time in prison - his active resistance against the Japanese occupation of Korea had made him a political prisoner until the end of World War II. This time, the international composing community caused enough diplomatic pressure for his release to Germany in 1969.

This is the first of 5 Pieces for Piano, composed in 1958.