Violinist Esther Yoo released her new album totady titled Love Symposium on the Deutsche Grammophon label.

The album's repertoire revolves around the theme of love, and the centerpiece is Leonard Bernstein's 1954 Serenade, after Plato's Symposium for violin and orchestra. The work, which consists of five movements, is a musical portrayal of Plato's Symposium, a philosophical dialogue dating from roughly 385 B.C.E in which a variety of characters discuss the meaning and essence of love.

Yoo complements Bernstein's work with shorter contributions from Ralph Vaughan Williams, Gustav Mahler, Edward Elgar, and the songwriting duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.

Yoo is joined on the album by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Long Yu.

"The inspiration was really an exploration of love in all its guises," Yoo told The Violin Channel. "We often think of love in music as something purely romantic and idealized, and I wanted to create a sound world on this album where we experience real love—the blissfully transcendent, the powerfully intoxicating, the gut-wrenchingly painful, and everything in between.

"I drew from a mix of philosophical sources and personal experiences—everything from the ideas in Plato’s Symposium to the very real, grounded love we feel for nature, family, friends, and significant others," Yoo continued. "It’s a musical portrait of the various connections that shape life, including the essential journey of learning to love oneself."

Hear the full album below:

 

Violinist Esther Yoo was the youngest prizewinner of both the International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition and the Queen Elisabeth Competition, and since then, she has appeared as a soloist with orchestras including the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philharmonia Orchestra, Toronto Symphony, Deutsche Radio Philharmonie, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, and more.

Alongside pianist Zhang Zuo and cellist Narek Hakhnazaryan, she is the founder of the Z.E.N. Trio, with whom she tours internationally and has released two albums on Deutsche Grammophon. Highlights of her 2025/2026 concert season include appearances with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the Z+ International Chamber Music Festival, and her recital debut at Seoul Arts Center. Yoo currently serves on the faculty of the Royal College of Music in London.