More Cliburn winner Yunchan Lim

[Rach3]

Yunchan Lim, live video 2021, Korea, Beethoven, 7 Bagatelles,Op.33. A must-hear performance.Perfection, at age 17-18.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hklZbWhtvAo

Live video,2022, Poland, Brahms Ballades,Op.10. Played as a sonata, as should be, amazing depth at any age, let alone 18-19.On par with my recordings by Rubinstein,Sokolov, Richter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LStpBGcCgxg

Live video, 2020 ? , venue ? , Liszt Mephisto Waltz No.1. Makes the work seem better, more important, than it is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tnw7YyqEdV0

Bach , 15 Three-Part Inventions, BWV 787-801, live video, apparently at age 15 , some of my fav Bach keyboard works :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMo-XoSkPxc

Young man is the real deal, if any proof after his Cliburn performances is necessary.

[Rach3]

One more, just listening now:

Liszt, 2nd Year, “L'Annees de pelerinage-Italie”, live video 2020:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFjtI3ggpFc

[maestrob]

Thanks, Steve! I'll be getting to these soon...

[Rach3]

Had to add this one ; life is short :


Lim at Isangyun Competition,Korea, 2019, live video,2nd Round, eventual winner. The concentration required to go from the Ades to the Chopin, and hardly a breath between the Etudes ?! Etudes perhaps not quite early Cortot or Anda here musically yet , or perhaps just generational difference ( can’t fault his Nos.4 and 12 , my favs of the set ), but at 19 ?!

J. S. Bach: Ricercar a 3 from the Musical Offering BWV 1079
Thomas Ades: Traced Overhead Op. 15 (1995-96)
F. Chopin: 12 Etudes Op. 25

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pl_VpK0ulsw

[Rach3]

A post at YT for his Cliburn host family:


Jeff Detweiler
2 months ago
Check out his performance of the Transcendental Etudes from the semi final round of the Cliburn. My wife and I were his host family during the Cliburn. His typical practice schedule was starting around 1-2 pm, finishing around 4 am. He would take a short break, 30 minutes or so, for dinner that his mom cooked. I typically made him something to eat around 1 am. He likes toasted English muffins with butter and strawberry preserves. He never drank coffee only water. During practice, he would play a short passage several times, recording himself on his phone. Then listen to himself. Repeat the process until he was satisfied. He frequently would change the rhythm of a passage. I ask why. He said so I can get my fingers to be equal. He loves trees. Our house is so quiet now that he has returned to Korea. What an honor to have shared our lives with such a phenomenal person. Bravo Yun-chan!

[Rach3]

Yunchan Lim live in Amsterdam Aug.20,2023 playing Tchaikovsky’s “ Seasons” and Chopin’s Op.10 Etudes. As Lim seems a studious, sensitive young man I was interested in his choice of the “Seasons” and thus heard the first two sections , but only those two as I simply do not connect with the work. The Etudes I would also often pass hearing with other pianists, but glad I heard Lim. He brought wonderful ebbs and flows of sound to the right hand passages, often too notey in other hands, while finding and giving interesting voicing and prominences to the left hand.

https://www.nporadio4.nl/concerten/85c2 ... sjaikovski

[Belle]

A couple of those first links you provided weren't available but never mind; the rest is so good. Lim is a very composed and thoughtful pianist and I admire his performances.

Listening to the Tchaikovsky "Seasons" on the link from the Concertgebouw demonstrates how 'slight' - comparatively - that composer is with the piano repertoire when compared to Chopin. His music is always informed by the dance, I feel. Nevertheless these pieces are charming. I couldn't listen to them all the time just as I cannot with Faure and Grieg. As I listen to the Tchaikovsky I'm watching live streamed the movement of graceful man-made birds coming and going from Sydney International and the music provides just the right ambience.

[Rach3]

Yunchan Lim takes on the Beethoven PC # 4 Nov.15,2023 with Munich Phil.,Myung-Whun Chung conductor, Nov.15,2023 in Munich, and he handles the challenges quite well.I especially liked the first mov. cadenza and final mov., but a fine performance throughout belying his age. What message did Chung give all just before the start of the slow mov. ? Wonderful conductor,too. All before his recently reported hand problems.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9p69esEfcIU

[maestrob]

Yunchan Lim takes on the Beethoven PC # 4 Nov.15,2023 with Munich Phil.,Myung-Whun Chung conductor, Nov.15,2023 in Munich, and he handles the challenges quite well.I especially liked the first mov. cadenza and final mov., but a fine performance throughout belying his age. What message did Chung give all just before the start of the slow mov. ? Wonderful conductor,too. All before his recently reported hand problems.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9p69esEfcIU

Very fine, Steve, thanks! Myung-Whun Chung received his degree in conducting from Juilliard, studied there with Jean Morel, who also taught La Selva, Conlon and, of course, Levine among others.

[Ricordanza]

His typical practice schedule was starting around 1-2 pm, finishing around 4 am. He would take a short break, 30 minutes or so, for dinner that his mom cooked. I typically made him something to eat around 1 am.

I hope that this atrocious practice schedule was limited to the competition. If he keeps this up, he will burn out, physically and mentally.

[Rach3]

From what I can tell he appears to have kept his dates with the Baltimore Symphony/Alsop this weekend playing the Rach 2, so it appears his hand/arm problem was resolved.Apparently he was to play 2 nights, but a third night had to be added due to demand.

https://www.bsomusic.org/

[Rach3]

A review of his Carnegie debut February,2024:

https://bachtrack.com/review-yunchan-li ... ruary-2024

Carnegie is already advertising his April, 2025 Carnegie recital, to play Webern’s brief Variations and the “Goldberg” Variations.Tickets on sale in August.

[Danny]

Myung-Whun Chung received his degree in conducting from Juilliard, studied there with Jean Morel, who also taught La Selva, Conlon and, of course, Levine among others.

I suppose everyone knows that Myung-whun Chung is the younger brother of violinist Kyung-wha Chung.

Source of information:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myung-whun_Chung