Lim Yunchan announces change of program for June recitals

Star pianist Lim Yunchan has announced changes to the program for his upcoming June recitals.

Initially slated to feature works by Frederic Chopin, the program “has been changed at the artist’s request,” said his Korean management, MOC Production, via Instagram on Friday.

“In order to respect and support the artist’s enthusiasm for the new program and musical judgment, as the performance organizer, we have decided to change the program,” it said.

The initial lineup was Chopin’s Trois Nouvelles Etudes, B. 130, 12 Etudes, Op. 10 and Op. 25.

The revised program will showcase compositions including Mendelssohn’s Songs Without Words in E major, Op. 191, Songs Without Words in D major, Op. 85-4, Tchaikovsky’s “The Seasons,” Op. 37b and Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition.”

Lim, the youngest winner of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2022, is one of the most sought-after pianists today.

His first solo album, “Chopin Etudes,” was released internationally on the Decca label on April 19.

The nationwide recital tour are to be Lim’s first solo performances in Korea in two years.

His tour kicks off at Lotte Concert Hall in Seoul on June 7, followed by a performance in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, on June 9, Daegu on June 12, Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province, on June 15, Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, on June 19 and Gwangju on June 19. On June 22 he is to return to Seoul for a final recital at Seoul Arts Center.

The decision to revise the program comes in the wake of a recent injury. Lim was forced to cancel two weeks of concerts in Europe, from March 27 to April 10, due to an injury to his hand.

Lim returned to the stage for a concert with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra led by Marin Alsop on Friday to perform Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2.