London Korean Links

Covering things Korean in London and beyond since 2006

Category: Western classical music (page 3)

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Selected publications

Yunchan Lim plays Chopin at the Albert Hall

event date Tue 20 May 2025 venue Albert Hall posted

Frederic Chopin took the piano and transformed it into the ultimate vehicle for the Romantic imagination. There’s a burning fire beneath the poetry of his music, or as one contemporary put it ‘cannons hidden in flowers’. In the hands of Yunchan Lim – who in 2022 became the youngest-ever winner of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition … [Read More]

Seong-Jin Cho: A Ravel-athon, at the Barbican

event date Fri 02 May 2025 venue Barbican Centre posted

A sold-out hall greeted Seong-Jin Cho’s Barbican debut in 2023. His much-anticipated return navigates a scintillating all-Ravel programme, saluting the composer in his 150th anniversary year. Bookended by the early serenade and the last piano suite, which honours his inheritance, Ravel’s piano music is laid before us, from the wistful Pavane that made his name, … [Read More]

Yunchan Lim plays Bach and Hanurij Lee at the Wigmore

event date 07 Apr - 08 Apr 2025 venue Wigmore Hall posted

Bach was on the bill when Yunchan Lim made his acclaimed Wigmore Hall debut in 2023. The Korean pianist, Gramophone Young Artist of the Year 2024, returns to perform arguably the composer’s greatest keyboard work, as he takes on the monumental Goldberg Variations. Programme Hanurij Lee (b 2006): …round and velvety-smooth blend… (UK première) JS Bach: Goldberg Variations … [Read More]

Korean art songs with Binny Supin Yang

event date Sat 23 Nov 2024 venue KCCUK posted

Soprano Binny Supin Yang will introduce you to the world of Korean Art Songs (가곡 Gagok) this November. With music by composers from Hong Nan-pa to Lee Wonjoo, you’ll get to listen to the dynamic world of Korean art songs. In this unique recital Soprano Binny Supin Yang will be accompanied by pianist Jamie Andrews [Read More]

K-Music Festival 2024: an introduction

posted updated 13 Sep 2024 by Philip Gowman 3 minute read

The programme for the 2024 K-Music Festival is quite possibly the best yet. For LKL, the real gems are the opening and closing events. We hear that the National Changgeuk Company‘s Lear, which opens the festival, is every bit as good as their Trojan Women, which we raved about; and for the closing event pretty … [Read More]

Yunchan Lim plays Beethoven’s Emperor in Prom debut

event date Mon 29 Jul 2024 venue Albert Hall posted

Yunchan Lim makes his Proms debut with the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Paavo Järvi, performing Beethoven’s final piano concerto, the ‘Emperor’. Bookending the Prom are Bruckner’s First Symphony and Estonian composer Erkki-Sven Tüür’s Aditus In 2022 Yunchan Lim became the youngest ever winner of the Van Cliburn Competition, America’s most distinguished contest for outstanding pianists. … [Read More]

Korean art exhibition and concert with the Thames Philharmonia

event date 19 Jul - 21 Jul 2024 venue Landmark Arts Centre posted

KAET Exhibition – 2024 Korea Art Exhibition An exhibition of fine art, photography, Korean painting, crafts and contemporary art work selected by artists from the Korean Art Association. A vibrant collection that encompasses Korean traditions, culture, life style and landscape. Thames Philharmonia with Soo-Yeon Ham (piano) Join us for an evening of sumptuous classical music … [Read More]

K-music 2024: Hera Hyesang Park with David Junghoon Kim

event date Sat 26 Oct 2024 venue St John's Smith Square posted

A Unique Blend of Korean Heritage and Vocal Mastery Soprano Hera Hyesang Park, renowned for her exceptional vocal mastery, makes her K-Music Festival debut with a fresh reinterpretation of traditional Korean songs following her appearance at the Edinburgh International Festival this summer. ‘It’s a celebration of vocal brilliance and cultural depth, promising a night of unforgettable music … [Read More]

Novus String Quartet returns to the Wigmore

event date 14 Apr - 15 Apr 2024 venue Wigmore Hall posted

Wigmore Hall regulars the Novus String Quartet – Jaeyoung Kim (violin), Young-Uk Kim (violin), Kyuhyun Kim (viola) and Wonhae Lee (cello) – return to London for an hour-long coffee concert on Sunday morning, 14 April, and a full length concert on Monday evening, 15 April Sunday 14 April 2024, 11.30am WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART: String Quartet … [Read More]

Seong-Jin Cho plays Beethoven 4

event date Wed 10 Apr 2024 venue Royal Festival Hall posted

Seong-Jin Cho plays Beethoven’s poetic Fourth Piano Concerto. You can’t keep inspiration down. Michael Tippett heard the chugging of a steamboat on a Swiss lake, and his Second Symphony burst into vibrant, bustling life. Wagner wrestled with faith and philosophy, and created music that seems to hover, glowing, in mid-air. And Ludwig van Beethoven sat … [Read More]

Review: Hera Hyesang Park’s stunning London debut

posted updated 24 Nov 2024 by Philip Gowman 4 minute read

When faced with the choice of attending a recital by an opera singer I usually politely decline, whatever the reputation of the singer. The prospect of what is usually a selection of operatic arias performed outside of their dramatic context holds little appeal for me, particularly if the recital is accompanied by a piano reduction … [Read More]