Having secured a rock star reputation with barn-burning romantic virtuosity, Yunchan Lim has shifted gears over the last year with a series of recitals featuring the Goldberg Variations. While showcasing his steely technique and remarkable dexterity at Tuesday’s Celebrity Series concert, Bach’s masterpiece also provided opportunities for a young pianist to achieve mesmeric control of the hall through sheer concentration.
The ice breaker came from Hunurij Lee, a Korean composer a year or two younger than the prodigy pianist, I kid you not. The piece titled …Round and velvety-smooth blend… , commissioned for Yunchan Lim, attempted to conjure a microcosm of the main work on the program. Its gentle sonority tossed with equal portions of fiery passages honestly predicted the upcoming contrasts in the Goldbergs. Soft sounds in the upper register sounded ethereal and vaguely Scriabinesque for a reason we were soon to discover.
Even with a Bach masterpiece, it is no small feat to control the attention of Symphony Hall… well packed for the night, with the exception of strange bald spots in the best parts in the orchestra. Lim got off to a great start in a very intense Aria, its moodiness enhanced by a subtle rubato. However the first few variations struggled to compete with digital beeps and fussiness of the audience settling down. Starting with the first variation, the impression was hectic rather than graceful, and the assertive, busybody-bass line drew most of the attention. The virtuosic fifth variation sounded frantic and rather muddy, overdosing on the pedal. One could find consolation in the fact that the pianist had successfully finished his period of big competitions, and these nitpicks would hardly matter for the success of the evening. And indeed, by the time of the Fughetta, the course got straightened, as if the composer’s architectural power had reemerged. Subsequently, the requisite velvet properly intermixed with dazzling virtuosic, glittering, brocaded silk, just like Hunurij Lee advertised in his opening act, or as Bach had designed.
The promised gentle touch reached its pinnacle in the Adagio variation 25. Lim’s level of concentration got the hall in its grasp. It mesmerized and hinted at a completely new musical paradigm, reaching through a century or two. The middle period of Scriabin would be cut of the same sonic cloth.
More razzle-dazzle followed in Variations 28 and 29, leading up to a charming Quodlibet. And then Aria da capo came across as a vague recollection of its original appearance, leaving the listener contemplating the whole rollercoaster just experienced and wondering what repertoire Yunchan Lim is likely to bring to us next, with the power of concentration that he had just demonstrated.
Subdued last notes notwithstanding, a riotous reception ensued, with much yelling and stomping, signaling readiness to hear the entire Klavierűbung. The pianist responded with the Largo from the F Minor Concerto BWV 1056.