Winning pianist Sunwoo Yekwon will no longer regret
.jpg?w=728)
Pianist Sunwoo Yekwon plays a piece during a press conference held in Seoul, Wednesday. / Yonhap
By Yun Suh-young
"I tried to block all contact. I didn't even message my mother," Sunwoo Yekwon, the pianist who recently won the prestigious Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, said of his preparation for the event.
Sunwoo, 28, became the first Korean winner of the 15th competition of the quadrennial event, on June 10 at Fort Worth, Texas, the hometown of the competition's founder and pianist Van Cliburn.
"I tried to focus solely on music,” Sunwoo said Wednesday in Seoul, during his first meeting with Korean media after the competition. “There's a great amount of mental stress when preparing for a competition and I tried not to think about it. Whenever I did feel stressful, I would pour it out on a couple of friends. I feel sorry for them, but they were very understanding. I'm thankful to my mom as well. She understands me and doesn't reach out first.
"The competition held a lot of meaning for me. It was my last competition because of the age limit. It was also a major competition that I wanted to challenge myself with, following my unsatisfactory performance in a couple of past competitions. So I prepared five to six times more than I usually did."
His reason for participating was “not to regret.”
"I didn't want to regret looking back in my life,” he said. “If I enter my 30s and cannot participate in competitions anymore, I thought it will remain a stain on my career.
"I was so burdened this time that I fell and hit my head when getting up from a chair after hearing my name come up at the semifinals.
"I prepared very early on for this competition because I knew how much energy would be required to play the pieces every other day. Just like athletes, musicians need to be trained physically and train the muscles."
The winning pianist said he would not be entering another competition.
"I have no regrets now," he said.
Sunwoo won with a rendition of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor. The prize includes $50,000, three years of performance and recording opportunities across the U.S. and sponsored attire from Neiman Marcus.
Following his victory, his scheduled performance at the Seoul Arts Center on Dec. 20 sold out. His management company had to add another performance date, Dec. 15, to accommodate growing demand from fans.
"I feel thankful for all the attention,” Sunwoo said. “I don't think an artist can be any happier.
"Immediately following the final winner announcement, I had interviews, photo shoots and so many appointments that I didn't have time to think, really. I have more things to do now. I've been mentally exhausted but at the same time it's what I had been longing for, so I'm very thankful."
Sunwoo released his first digital album _ "Cliburn Gold 2017" _ on June 23, which includes his performances in the competition. The CD will go on sale in August.
It includes Ravel's La Valse, M.72, Grainger's Ramble on the Last Love-Duet from Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier, Hamelin's Toccata on "L'homme arme," Haydn's Sonata in C Major, Hob. XVI 48, Schubert’'s Litaney (Litanei auf das Fest aller Seelen, D. 343), S. 562, and Rachmaninoff's Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 36.
Sunwoo says he wants to be an artist who plays with his heart.
"I believe in the power of music to cure and bring happiness,” he said. “I wish to share my feelings with others through my music and touch many people's hearts."