Ruth Leon recommends… Yunchan Lim – Wigmore Hall
Ruth Leon recommendsYunchan Lim – Wigmore Hall
This is the UK debut of the phenomenal Korean pianist Yunchan Lim. He won the Gold Medal at the 2022 Van Cliburn Competition in Fort Worth at the age of 18 – the youngest ever winner.
Already a prodigious success at various international competitions, he can seemingly play anything well. The young musician could hardly have chosen a more demanding collection of composers to show off his talents to London.
In this diverse and extremely difficult programme, he attacks not just Bach and Beethoven, but, in a nod to his English hosts, he starts the programme with John Dowland’s Pavana Lachrymae arranged by William Byrd.
He ends it with Lizst’s Liebestraum No 3. Sandwiched between these wildly different musical personalities he takes on Bach’s 15 Sinfonias (BWV787-801), Beethoven’s 7 Bagatelles Op. 33, and his 15 Variations and a Fugue on an Original Theme in E flat ‘Eroica Variations’ Op. 35.
Then, for an encore, he returns to Bach with Myra Hess’s transcription of Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring.
He has been the recipient of almost embarrassingly enthusiastic reviews and articles for one so young. ‘Lim is a one-in-a-million talent’, wrote the Dallas Morning News, while for jury chair Marin Alsop he is ‘that rare artist who brings profound musicality and prodigious technique organically together.’ He’s still a music student and, following a world tour after his Cliburn win, he now returns to South Korea to resume his studies.
Superb!
One could only pity the Cliburn jury members – none of them could have ever reached this level of playing!
Interesting that 2 of the jury members commented on the magnificence of Yunchan’s Rach 3 performance when he won the Cliburn last year. You can read about how floored they were on their youtube video of Yunchan’s Rach 3.
GOAT was mentioned several times by the commentators. Including Ben Laude, Marie McDermott and Jean-Efflam.
A star was born during that now legendary Rach 3 performance by Yunchan during the Cliburn finals!
I think Anna Geniushene outshone him on the Beethoven.
Yunchan gives a fine performance, to be sure, but although it ticks all the correct boxes there is little wow, and the humour is in short supply.
(but the Cliburn performances were unabashedly stupendous)
With no disrespect to Anna, but I don’t think she is even close to Yunchan when it comes to the Beethoven.
As for Yunchan, he remains the most exciting new pianist to come along in at least 35 years!
Lim’s Rachmaninov 3 and Liszt Transcendental Etudes were Copernican moment.