By Lee Hyo-won
It was a night to behold, and the audience showed it without hesitation with a full house standing ovation.
Korea has seen its fair share of classical music prodigies and young stars, but few receive the degree of attention — and more importantly the respect, rather than just mere curiosity about some amazing finger work — that is showered upon the 22-year-old Kim Sun-wook. Maestro Chung Myung-whun once remarked that no pianist has achieved what Kim has at his age.
He wrapped up Saturday at Seoul Arts Center a cross-country recital tour that marked a big homecoming after studying abroad for two years in London — tickets of the 2,400-seat hall were sold out for the first time since master pianist Paik Kun-woo’s historic Beethoven piano sonata series in 2008.
The tastefully arranged program made the tour a much anticipated one for classical music aficionados here, and the evening began with Beethoven’s Sonata No. 30.
The audience greeted the young player with a loud round of applause but hushed instantly as Kim entered the stage with an air of seriousness and sat right away to work.
One of the German composer’s works from his later period, the sonata is not frequently played here — it’s of course technically exigent but requires a depth and grace that is not easy to deliver convincingly. But Kim is an old soul, and one instantly forgot how young this artist was in the way he brought weight and girth to piece.
The first half of the concert proceeded without pause for applause or entrances by late comers. The opening piece, in E major, saw a smooth transition into the C-sharp minor key of the next piece, Sonata No. 14 “Moonlight.”
Here, listeners became completely immersed to hear a piece they were familiar with, and as the pianist gave a hauntingly beautiful yet cool-head interpretation — he infused grace and elegance, though quite ironically burning off sentimentality to give way to the most lilting phrases that were rife with nostalgia.
The second part of the concert continued with Schumann’s “Arabesque,” a showpiece for virtuosity that the greatest pianists such as Horowitz have made famous. He gave full flight to the poetry of the piece’s rondo form, and the contrasting episodes enabled Kim to demonstrate his capacity as a musician, particularly with a contemplative sensitivity in the coda.
The evening wrapped up with “Kreisleriana,” in which the artist’s capacity for theatrical bravura shined through and through, while ending on a serene, meditative note that had the audience in a gasp, waiting a good half-a-minute in a sort of silent trance, before giving a thunderous applause.
Yet the highlight of the evening had yet to take place, as Kim surprised the audience with an uncanny choice of encore — Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition.” Listeners were stunned that he would tackle the piece, which would usually comprise the core program of a given concert, as a bonus — and Kim, apparently having brushed off the weight of anxiety in pulling off the concert program, brought about vigor, rhythm and zest to the piece, while of course paying heed to precision and form.
Moreover, the artist seemed to champion the very physicality of piano-playing — tackling 20-plus-minute pieces for over two hours but still having room for yet an encore.
The only regret is of course that local fans will not be able to see Kim perform live for a while.
The evening’s lasting impression however will undoubtedly be the talk of the town to tide over the withdrawal — at least until the pianist plans to return to Seoul’s LG Art Center in 2012 with Beethoven’s full cycle of 32 piano sonatas over eight concerts.
In the meantime, Kim will be busy with overseas concert engagements, including those with the Royal Concertgebouw, Radio France Philharmonic and the Philharmonia, among others.
hyowlee@koreatimes.co.kr