Salomo for alto flute solo

Isang Yun: Salomo for alto flute solo was written in 1976 and published in 1977 by Bote & Bock. The piece was premiered on April 30, 1979, in Kiel, Germany, as part of the "das neue werk" series by Beate-Gabriela Schmitt.
This alto flute piece is a contemplative work derived from his large-scale cantata, "Der weise Mann" (The Wise Man), which was written the same year. In fact, the musical material of this composition is an enlarged and modified excerpt from the first movement of this cantata, featuring texts attributed to King Solomon and verses by Lao-Tse.
In 1977, Yun was deeply involved in the democratic movement for South Korea, participating in the Korea Democracy National Reunification Overseas Union in Tokyo. Having been abducted and imprisoned a decade earlier (1967), he used this period of his life to advocate for the reunification of his divided homeland.
Salomo represents Yun's concept of "The Wise Man" (the title of the parent cantata), a figure who mediates between "right and wrong" or "East and West" to reach the "pivot of Tao". The music moves from meditative states to "shamanistic" agitation, mimicking the ornamentation and microtones of the traditional Korean flute, the daegum.
Yun’s flute works from this period were closely associated with Roswitha Staege, who recorded the piece and was a frequent collaborator. Originally for alto flute, the work is also frequently performed on the C flute (concert flute).