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By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter
This month classical piano fans may find themselves torn by the agony of choice, albeit a rather happy one.
The day Feb. 27 marks the local concert debut ofRussian piano virtuoso Arcardi Volodos at 5 p.m., Seongnam Arts Center, Gyeonggi Province. The same day at 8 p.m., Lim Dong-hyek, the enfant terrible of the classical music world, will give a recital at Seoul Arts Center.
Continuing Horowitz’s Legacy
Volodos may not have a conspicuous cult following here like his countryman Evgeny Kissin but he is nevertheless a hero among connoisseurs, and the anticipation is all the greater since the tour comes on the heels of the one that was cancelled two years ago.
Critics and fans around the world praise Volodos for following in the footsteps of Vladimir Horowitz, filling the void left by the piano legend after his death in 1989. Volodos has built a reputation for his grand 19th-century style, complete with virtuosic agility, profound intelligence and lush lyricism.
Born in 1972 in St. Petersburg, Volodos was no child prodigy. He began serious piano studies at the surprisingly late age of 16, when most contemporary soloists are already stage veterans. He has repeatedly said in interviews that he never practiced scales and earned poor marks for technique; he maintains that music should not come from the fingers and describes his playing as creating ``sound images.’’
The pianist was no champion at big competitions either. This late bloomer’s talents did not go unnoticed however and Sony Classical offered him a rare long-term contract. Since making a New York concert debut in 1996 and a recording debut the following year, he has enjoyed a meteoric rise to international stardom.
In the upcoming tour here, he will play Scriabin’s Preludes Nos. 1 and 16, ``Dance languide’’ Op. 51, No. 4 and Sonata No. 7 ``White Mass’’; Schumann’s Humoreske, Op. 20; and Liszt’s ``La Vega’’ au Suite Alhambra No. 1, among others.
The program selection can be previewed through an album now available here. ``Volodos in Vienna’’ (Sony Classical) is a two-CD set that captures the pianist’s live performance in Austria in March 2009. A DVD is also due out in stores.
Fans can delve into Volodos’ Russian pianism through ``Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff’’ (Sony Classical), which features Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Seiji Ozawa-led Berlin Philharmonic as well as Rachmaninoff’s solo piano works.
Tickets for the concert cost from 40,000 to 150,000 won. Call (031) 783-8000.
Going `Beyond Chopin'
Lim Dong-hyek may be notorious as the young man who refused the third prize at the prestigious Queen Elisabeth competition. But his devilish talents have nevertheless inspired the support of master pianists, including Martha Argerich and Emanuel Ax.
The contemporary 25-year-old represents the new generation of pianists after elder artists such as Paik Hae-sun. The introduction of Lim is never complete without mentioning the size of his fan club that rivals that of pop idol stars.
The enfant terrible is loved, moreover, for his interpretation of Chopin. In 2001, he was the youngest pianist to ink a recording contract with the EMI label and won the Diapason d'or award for his album of Chopin. Shortly thereafter he and his brother Dong-min became the first Korean winners at the Chopin competition in Warsaw.
In his upcoming recital, he will perform Chopin's mazurkas and Polonaise-Fantasie, in time for the bicentennial of the composer. Having ventured into new repertoires, such as Bach's Goldenberg Variations in recent years, the program marks a return to Lim's favorite composer. But as the title of the recital _ ``Beyond Chopin'' _ suggests, he will showcase something new for fans, including the technically exigent Ravel's ``Gaspard de la nuit'' and Prokofiev's Piano Sonata No. 7.
Ardent fans torn between Volodos and Lim will be relieved to discover that the latter will tour other parts of Korea other than Seoul, including Goyang Aram Nuri Arts Complex, Gyeonggi Province, on Feb. 20.
Tickets cost from 30,000 to 100,000 won. Call 1577-5266. For more information about the tour, visit www.clubbalcony.com.
hyowlee@koreatimes.co.kr
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무디스, 스페인·伊·포르투갈 신용등급 강등
