Yunchan Lim and the Rachmaninoff Third Piano Concerto
This year we celebrate the th anniversary of composer Sergei Rachmaninoff’s birth. It is also one year since Yunchan Lim became the youngest pianist ever to win the gold medal in the sixteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, held once every four years. Lim’s acclaimed performance of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor, with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra under the baton of conductor Marin Alsop, clinched his victory and was by all accounts a rare moment.
Music competitions are not ephemeral events. They impact the broader world of classical music by determining which newcomer artists receive media attention and influencing the level of prestige accorded to their concert appearances and recording deals. Competitions also serve as a barometer for stylistic and interpretive trends, in a similar way as literary, film, or art festivals. What happens in competitions should be scrutinized, and this essay takes the occasion of the first anniversary of Lim’s historic performance to do so.
Rachmaninoff’s towering Piano Concerto No. 3 is a concert hall “warhorse.&rdquo
"This is the kind of album that will save the classical music recording industry. It’s the kind of album I want to buy 20 of and hand out in the street to strangers.
It’s the kind of album that, if you’ve never heard a Beethoven sonata before will convert you for life and ruin every other performance you’ll hear".
The Telegraph
If one day you hear that HJ Lim plays in your city, run. All gifts of heaven and earth. La Croix
HJ Lim and her piano. More than a recital, it is a communion. A feeling of living something essential, unique that enlightens. In her playing, virtuosic scales are only phrasés, soul movements, each one being significant. Express
Her powerful playing, without taboos, ultraromantic, imaginative and visionary remind of the finest pianists of the past. Tribune de Genève
Her recital was a concert that one could only hear once or twice in 50 years, without any exaggeration (…) I felt that I could die, feeling her total commitment. Totally beyond human abilities. HJ totally risks her life for it. Totally, in a different level. Immeasurable power of
Boston in His Hands: Yunchan Lim’s Rachmaninoff
Yunchan Lim, a year-old pianist and one of the fastest-rising stars of the classical world, returned to Boston on March 17 to perform Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2. Dubbed “classical music’s answer to K-pop” by the New York Times, Lim first catapulted to the international stage in as the youngest winner of the Cliburn Competition, where his performance of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 has amassed over 14 million views on YouTube. Currently a student at the New England Conservatory, Lim made his debut with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in February featuring this very piece. This month, he returned to the Boston venue to deliver a concert with the Orchestre de Paris, under the baton of Klaus Mäkelä as part of the Celebrity Series of Boston.
The Orchestre de Paris prefaced the night with a poetic delivery of Debussy’s “Prélude à ‘L’après-midi d’un faune,’” a beautiful homage to the piece that premiered in Paris in The concert proceeded chronologically through musical history, next introducing its most anticipated act of the night, Rachmaninoff’s “Piano Concerto No. 2.” Composed in following a disastrous reception of a pr
Introducing HJ Lim
HJ Lim’s recording of the Complete Beethoven Sonatas was released on iTunes this May; the CD set later in the summer; her debut concert at Wigmore Hall, London in fact took place just over a month ago. All of this is unprecedented. No EMI artist has ever attempted this sonata cycle so early in their careers; Daniel Barenboim was in fact one year older, Alfred Brendel’s first cycle was in his early thirties. Furthermore, even Lang Lang, Yundi Li, and Yuja Wang only started from a single ‘debut’ CD (perhaps of Chopin, Liszt, or Rachmaninoff) not an 8CD set of some of the most challenging music ever written. For young pianists, the complexity and range of Beethoven’s sonatas are typically forbidding. But HJ Lim apparently does not have such fears, referring to these sonatas endearingly as her ‘childhood friends’.
So what are these performances like? I cannot say that I have digested her approach fully, and I don’t want to ruin the surprise for listeners, but I can say that they do offer a distinctive approach to the music. The most obvious feature is just how quickly a lot of this music is played: HJ Lim’s
Biographies you may also like
Abdul halim sharar biography of christopher A prominent scholar, author, translator, and novelist of twentieth century. Had a keen eye on the socio-cultural life of Lucknow. Collection of best and thought provoking articles of Abdul Halim Missing: christopher.
Shashank bali vadhu biography of michael jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, ), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. He played 15 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) between and , winning six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls. He was integral in See more.
Iphigenie castiglioni biography of abraham Read the full biography of Iphigenie Castiglioni, including facts, birthday, life story, profession, family and g: abraham.
Mohammad reza hedayati biography templates Mohammad Reza Hedayati is the founder of Hedayati Design Studio in the field of industrial design, product design, design strategy and branding. Hedayati lives in Tehran, Iran.
Brandon mcmillan lucky dog biography Brandon McMillan is a well-known American TV personality, animal trainer, and animal welfare advocate, recognized for his engaging presence and remarkable work with .
Pie corbett biography of rory The Talk for Writing process Key stages The underpinning process Essential features Useful ideas Imitation comprehension Innovation IndependentMissing: rory.