Dwell from the Cliburn — Liszt: Transcendental Etudes (Dwell) (Steinway)

★★★★☆

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The world awoke to Yunchan Lim within the Rachmaninov concerto last of the Van Cliburn competitors when the conductor, Marin Alsop, was seen wiping away a tear in wonderment at this astonishing younger expertise. Simply 19 on the time, Yunchan has been pursued ever since with media offers. He says he prefers to spend his time on a Korean mountain, considering infinity.

This, his debut recording, is a stay take of the semi-final spherical of the Van Cliburn, issued by its piano sponsor. The viewers is inaudible besides at begin and end, and the atmosphere is intense. An expert document label might need made the piano sound much less clattery, however there is no such thing as a smidgen of fault to be discovered with the staggering taking part in.

The place mature pianists have a tendency to indicate off in Liszt, Yunchan veers to introspection, searching for the transcendence of the work’s title reasonably than prompt stardom. The impact is hypnotic from the prelude on. Yunchan performs the notes — all of them — as pathways to a surreal elsewhere.

At molto vivace he’s a minimum of twice over the pace restrict. Within the Eroica motion he’s considerate, reserved, far faraway from Lisztian extravagance. That is an artist with a thoughts of his personal. We will hear loads of him when he chooses to share extra of himself. Meantime, simply take heed to this.

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Norman Lebrecht is among the most widely-read commentators on music, tradition and cultural politics. He’s an everyday presenter on BBC Radio 3 and a contributor to the Wall Road Journal, Bloomberg, Standpoint, Sinfini and different publications. His weblog, Slipped Disc, is among the many most generally learn cultural websites on-line, breaking unique tales and campaigning towards human abuse and acts of injustice within the cultural industries.

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