Elusive piano star gets signed
NewsEver since Yunchan Lim won the Van Cliburn competition last year, moving conductor Marin Alsop to tears in his concerto, the teenaged Korean has been chased around the world by label executives waving contracts.
Speaking little English and preferring his own company, he dodged and weaved past most of them. One label, Decca, proved most persistent.
When they finally got Yunchan into conversation, they found he knew most of their piano catalogue by heart and was interested in obscure artists and microphone placements.
Last night, Yunchan, 19,signed with Decca.
The rest are gnashing teeth this morning.
I hope he uses this chance to spite them by asking to record lots of Boulez, Stockhausen, Ligeti, Xenakis….and Decca will be like ‘oh gawd this stuff won’t top the classical charts’ and Yunchan will be like ‘take it or leave it’.
Is music still “avant-garde” if the composer died decades ago? How is this a progressive viewpoint?
It’s not, and hence I have never heard anyone claim that these composers were the avant-garde of any other times than their own. Observing2 didn’t say so either but hinted that they may not top the charts, which sounds likely.
You may be right, you may be wrong, but I do hope that Yunchan remains level-headed and in control of his career and its pacing.
As for that list of composers, I can happily go through the rest of my life without ever hearing any of them again. But then, I’m a person whose musical tastes have always placed strong emphasis on melody.
Not just on melody, but the possibilities of melody!!
I could not agree more. Some Luigi Nono too. We need a disc out of the Pierre Boulez Piano Sonatas by Yunchan Lim, at least of the Sonata No. 2. Pair it up perhaps with the Opus 27 Variations of Webern and some etudes by Ligeti. Should Yunchan feel the heat to record Rachmaninoff, have him make a recording of it then, but with the best orchestra and conductor that can be found, which isn’t Sokhiev, Spano, what other fakes on the podium? The Rachmaninoff Third in effect has become Lim’s ‘trophy concerto’ for the dilettantes to fawn over (with posters of YCL on the ceilings of their boudoirs – are we ready to throw up yet?) and I would not blame him for wanting to toss it aside, while the Fourth in G minor is really the best of Rachmaninoff’s concerti anyway. Best podium choices again then: Daniele Rustioni, Myung-Whun Chung, Semyon Bychkov, Bychkov really perhaps, then Kent Nagano, Ivan Fischer, or if still active, very effective, Edo De Waart.
What ethereal, otherworldly qualities Lim’s playing contains, and it does, there is also a highly developed concept of layering voices, overtones, of harmonic progressions and what have you. The well night perfect example of the Romantic piano concerto for him to record then is the Busoni and to be sold as the Romantic piano concerto it truly indeed is. Alongside that then the sonatinas, the Fantasia contrapunttistica with Lim and Minsoo Sohn and Three pieces with Reich and Riley by Ligeti as well.
There’s something special about piano and Korea. Like for the art of conducting in Finland and Italy.
This is certainly true for Korean pianists and the Korean community in the US: they turn out in force. Seong-Jin Cho’s recent appearance with the National Symphony brought out whole families with children. Yunchan Lim’s September date at The Kennedy Center was sold out well in advance (before he canceled). Lim’s Rach 2 with Alsop (April 2024) is the hottest ticket the Baltimore Symphony has had in a long time.
These audiences will buy recordings!
We should never stop thanking the deity of choice for Asians keeping our beloved art alive like this!!
Klaus Makela is special? Really? Handsome guy, I have no doubt, but green, at least I think.
News flash: He won one piano competition, he hasn’t accomplished anything else yet, the road to classical music fame and glory is paved with piano competition winners.
I hope that the conductor for any recording of Rachmaninov’s Third Concerto by Yichang Lin is chosen very carefully by Decca, thinking back to the Van Cliburn Competition, where the direction from the podium left a lot to be desired.
With apologies that should be Yuchang Lin not Yichang
Yunchan, actually.
still wrong spelling…
Off topic, but does anyone know the “personal reasons” causing YL to cancel his latest set of performances? Before it was a hearing problem.
Only if one of them is strong and determined, as in “Casablanca”.
Methinks this signals the beginning of a beautiful relationship.
Honestly, the wording of this news doesn’t sound like he is “oh so in demand”, it just sounds like he is already a diva at 19 saying “no” at everything and hard to please. He is a good catch but not the end of world if one cannot. His teams insistence of this language is exhausting and not genuine even a bit. Please calm down guys, cheers!
You obviously haven’t followed his work so far or seen his interviews. I think he is just being careful not to have his career be a two minute wonder.
Well I think, it might be a logical decision on UMG’s side, YL had released an album under UMG already but they didn’t promote it that much for some reason. UMG has both DG and Decca. DG has a long list of stars, they release an album everyday and young popular names, such as Bruce Liu (their current darling) and especially Seong-Jin Cho (another Korean star who sells really well) so they might move Lim to Decca to keep that brand strong because it will sell very well, that is for sure. At least the whole S.Korea will buy that album… So the decision was probably not that romantic like “the young prodigy woke up one day and said I will sign to Decca!” but a logical business move but hey, let’s go with the romantic narrative, it wouldn’t harm anyone 😉
Awesome, classy and reserved guy. You don’t see him jumping on bandwagons or tweeting about his allegiance to Turkey and Palestinians. Some artists know when to keep their mouths shut and focus on the playing. Igor Levit goes for the opposite, but having built a brand around it, is well positioned to milk it for publicity. But for most artists, it’s Better not to make statements, especially statements of allegiance or judgement.
This is a superb artist. Modest and sensitive.
Good decision.
Who is UMG? Pardon my ignorance.
Lim is not elusive. He just isn’t a publicity whore like Lang Lang or Yuja.
Deutsche Gramophone isn’t gnashing their teeth. They’re too busy signing the umpteenth 20 year old graduate of the Sibelius academy.
However, you will notice that the US media loves him and gives him all the publicity there is, because unlike Lang Lang or Yuja Wang, who made their initial splash through advocacy from famous and powerful conductors, Lim is a star made by the US press and his K-pop adjacent fans. With Yuja Wang especially everyone knows how the US music journalists treated her. They are now do anything to pretend she and their coverage of her never existed.
*doing everything
A few years before his death, I was at a meet and greet interview with Loren Maazel. In the course of the conversation, he absolutely slammed Lang Lang for his stage antics. I had to hug myself, since I couldn’t hug Maazel.
Another great suggestion for a recording project. Alban Berg Chamber Concerto with Daniele Rustioni and Francesca Dego, Berg Sonata and Carter Night Fantasies. EIC woodwinds, LSO perhaps …. ?
It would certainly be good for everyone if he played some grown-up music!