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| (Photo = Yonhap News) |
[Alphabiz = Reporter Lee Go-eun] Pianist Yekwon Sunwoo has released Liszt, his first album in three years, and launched a nationwide recital tour. At a press conference on May 7 at Seoul’s Shinyoung Chamber Hall, Sunwoo highlighted Franz Liszt’s oeuvre and outlined the musical aims behind the record.
“To be able to convey Liszt’s drama is to possess a wide range of pianistic technique,” Sunwoo said, calling Liszt “a mountain to be climbed—daunting, and yet irresistible.”
The album includes Liszt staples such as “Consolation,” “Liebestraum (Dream of Love),” and “Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2,” along with his paraphrase of Verdi’s opera, “Rigoletto Paraphrase,” and Schumann’s “Widmung (Dedication).”
Sunwoo described the album as “songs played on the piano,” explaining that it moves from a meditative opening through intimate, art-song–like pieces and dramatic operatic transcriptions, and concludes with the Hungarian Rhapsody.
The nationwide tour, which opens at Iksan Arts Center on the 15th, will feature selections from the album alongside Schubert’s Piano Sonata No. 20. Sunwoo explained why he paired Liszt with Schubert:
“Schubert sings a pure, inward emotionality, while Liszt employs dramatic, kaleidoscopic colors,” he said. “The contrast between the two composers should make for an interesting program.” He added that, beyond Liszt’s virtuosic display, he was drawn to the composer’s deeply human lyricism.
The recording took place in a Berlin church once associated with conductor Herbert von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic. Sunwoo praised the venue’s distinctive resonance and acoustic qualities.
Sunwoo established an international profile when he became the first Korean to win the Van Cliburn Competition in 2017. He has continued to release albums, including Mozart (2020) and Rachmaninoff: Reflection (2023). He characterized the new record as a work in which hushed lyricism coexists with surging emotion, and invited listeners’ interest.
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