Sounds for the soul

This album is an extension of my series “Mes Belles Rencontres” (My beautiful encounters) for Belle et Bien, a cancer association in France. It features seven remarkable guests, each with a unique and inspiring story to share.

These stories span a range of experiences, from patients and surgeons to a hairdresser who styles wigs for women undergoing chemotherapy. Each narrative is deeply touching and full of hope, woven together by the music that connected us during my own cancer journey. Music was the bridge, and I gave each guest the freedom to choose a piece that resonated with them, resulting in this treasured tracklist. Central to the album is Beethoven’s Tempest Sonata, a piece that holds special significance for me.

During my pregnancy, I frequently played this sonata, and my unborn daughter responded with lively movements, as if she were engaging positively with the music. When she was two years old, her reaction to the same piece was dramatically different—she found it too loud and asked me to stop. Whether this was a memory from her time in the womb or simply a child’s sensitivity to sound, it was a powerful reminder of music’s emotional impact. This beautiful encounter with my daughter is one of the many cherished moments that inspired this album.

Min-Jung Kym