September 6, 2025
Athens, GR 14 C
Expand search form
Blog

Yunchan Lim wows the Proms with muted intensity

Yunchan Lim wows the Proms with muted intensity

Two members of the audience collapsed in the first half of last night’s BBC Prom concert. The air-conditioning at the Royal Albert Hall was on full-blast but the atmosphere in the pit was choking.

And then there was Yunchan.

A wisp of a pianist, barely filling his dark suit, the 20 year-old Korean sat at the piano with an authority unseen in one so young. His entry in Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto was so quiet the conductor Paavo Jarvi had to tamp down the BBC Symphony Orchestra and let the soloist dictate dynamics.

I think I heard a pin drop in the Adagio – its tune plundered by Bernstein in West Side Story – but I might be mistaken. Some around me barely dared to breathe. The finale, which often feels self-repetitive, was dashed off at Olympic speed.

Yunchan Lim returned for two ovations. With the second he played a Bach transcription, then he was gone. No wave of farewell. Almost an apparition.

photo: BBC/Chris Christodoulou

The post Yunchan Lim wows the Proms with muted intensity appeared first on Slippedisc.

Previous Article

Rome books Netrebko

Next Article

Bayreuth sells out

You might be interested in …

Who is the Bird of Paradise?

Who is the Bird of Paradise?

Described as a musical comedy by its composer, Franz Lehár’s last operetta has more in common with Puccini’s great operas than classic American musicals, as demonstrated by its premiere amid great fanfare at the Staatsoper […]

Record biz mourns inspiring leader

Record biz mourns inspiring leader

Classical recording people have been sharing memories of Bill Holland, former CEO of Universal Classics and Jazz, who died at the end of the year, aged 81. Bill started out sweeping floors in an Oxford […]