Pianist Kim Sun-wook to perform Prokofiev

Kim Sun-wook will perform Prokofiev’s second piano concerto with the London Symphony Orchestra on March 11./ Courtesy of Vincero

By Do Je-hae

Pianist Kim Sun-wook's focus for the last two years has been Beethoven. His sonatas and concertos have formed the core of the London-based musician's performances and recordings.

It is surprising that he has chosen Prokofiev's second piano concerto for his return to Korea next month. With a full cycle of Beethoven's 32 sonatas behind him, Kim will show a passionate side of his playing through one of the most exciting concertos ever written for his instrument. He has rarely performed the piece, except for a couple of concerts in Paris in 2011.

Kim will be partnered by the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) during its concert at Seoul Arts Center on March 11.

The orchestra has been important in developing his career in Europe. In November 2012, he performed Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No 4 with the London Symphony under Sir John Eliot Gardiner, receiving favorable reviews from the British press.

Kim sets himself apart from other Korean pianists of similar status like Son Yeol-eum, by focusing on Austro-German composers and studying conducting at the same time.

The London Symphony Orchestra’s Seoul tour will showcase works by Mussorgsky, Schubert and Mahler.

He is one of the leading Korean pianists of his generation since winning the prestigious Leeds competition in 2006, becoming its first-ever Asian winner.

The young pianist is also a passionate chamber musician. His chamber music partners have included former Berlin philharmonic concertmaster Guy Braunstein and Olaf Maninger, a principal cellist with the same orchestra.

Kim recorded Beethoven's Piano Concerto No.5 for Deutsche Grammophon last year for his recording debut.

This year, he will focus on Romantic repertoire, including Schumann and Franck.

The LSO's Seoul tour on March 10-11 will be led by British conductor Daniel Harding, who has been the top U.K. orchestra’s principal guest conductor since 2006.

Harding came to international recognition when he conducted the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra at the age of 21 in 1996.

The LSO's program on March 10 will include Mussorgsky’s “Night on Bald Mountain,” Stravinsky’s “Petrushka” and Schubert’s Symphony No. 8 in B Minor, D. 759 or the "Unfinished Symphony." Their second concert on March 11 will feature Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 in D major "Titan" as well as Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor.

The LSO has released many of its live performances on disc under its in-house label "LSO Live.’’ Since 2007, Russian conductor Valery Gergiev has been the orchestra’s music director. Gergiev is also the music director of the Mariinsky orchestra as well as general director of the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, making him one of the most powerful cultural figures in Russia.