David Geffen Hall is nearly sold out for the New York Philharmonic’s performances this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, making this a rare opportunity to hear Yunchan Lim, the 20-year-old piano prodigy from South Korea, perform Chopin’s Piano Concerto in F minor.
In a performance that belied his youth, Lim played with the poise and confidence of an artist much older, captivating the audience with his calm, eloquent touch. Just two and a half years ago, he was virtually unknown, but he quickly rose to international fame after winning the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in June 2022, becoming the youngest winner in its history. His performance of Rachmaninoff’s Third Concerto during the competition went viral, cementing his place on the global stage. Since then, Lim has performed a range of works, including an astonishing traversal of Chopin’s 24 Études at Carnegie Hall and a new recording.
Chopin’s music, with its delicate beauty and refinement, suits Lim’s style even more naturally than the dramatic warhorses of the Romantic repertoire, like Rachmaninoff. His playing exudes an effortless calm, never rushing or indulging in unnecessary flourishes. In the first movement of the concerto, Lim displayed dreamlike flexibility in his phrasing while maintaining a steady pulse. The Larghetto, the second movement, was particularly striking—its achingly poised 10 minutes framed by two notes, both A flats, that lingered in the air like a breath. Lim approached this section with the finesse of a great opera singer, emphasizing the music’s long, sustained lines without allowing the coloratura embellishments to overshadow the core melody.
The finale of the concerto showcased Lim’s graciousness and technical prowess, his precise touch allowing the textures of the music to shift from silvery lightness to a steely intensity. While Lim excels in slow, lyrical passages, his speedier moments, though clean and assured, lack a certain wit and sparkle that could bring more drama to the Allegros. His home territory is more in quiet, poetic delicacy, as evidenced by his encore, a serene rendition of Chopin’s Reminiscence Nocturne. This makes his upcoming performances of Bach’s Goldberg Variations in April particularly intriguing, as they promise the kind of thoughtful, introspective playing that suits his style.
Chopin’s piano concertos are often more intimate than grand symphonic works, with the piano taking center stage and the orchestra providing a delicate backdrop. On Wednesday, conductor Kazuki Yamada, making his debut with the Philharmonic, led a sensitive and atmospheric performance, allowing Lim to shine. The orchestra’s accompaniment, especially from associate principal bassoon Julian Gonzalez, was tender and complementary, with Gonzalez’s mellow solos standing out as a highlight.
Yamada, who is also the music director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, has already made his mark on the international scene, following in the footsteps of conductors like Simon Rattle and Andris Nelsons. His reading of Dai Fujikura’s tone poem Entwine was sleek and substantial, while his handling of Rachmaninoff’s sprawling Second Symphony was moderate yet engaging.
While New York’s Philharmonic faces the challenge of competing with the world’s best touring orchestras, such as the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, which recently performed Rachmaninoff’s Second Symphony at Carnegie Hall, Yamada and the Philharmonic offered a clear, straightforward reading of the work. The performance was light on its feet, and the orchestra’s buoyancy in the second movement, coupled with a sweet clarinet solo from Anthony McGill, added to the sense of ease.
After the rich layers of sound and emotional weight in Rachmaninoff’s symphony, the Philharmonic’s interpretation left listeners not yearning for more, but comfortably satisfied—much like the perfect counterpoint to an overindulgent Thanksgiving feast.
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