Pianist Im Donghyuk, See You in October and November

Next Month's Collaboration with Trinity Philharmonic... Beethoven Performance at Solo Recital in November

Pianist Lim Donghyuk [Photo by Credia, (c) Sangwook Lee]

[Asia Economy Reporter Byunghee Park] Pianist Lim Donghyuk (36) will take the stage consecutively in October and November.

On October 19, he will perform as a soloist at the 5th anniversary concert of the Trinity Philharmonic Orchestra, playing Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2, and on November 6, he will hold a solo recital. Both performances will be held at Lotte Concert Hall.

The Trinity Philharmonic Orchestra is a purely private symphony orchestra that debuted on December 31, 2015, with the New Year's Eve concert at Gangdong Arts Center. Conductor Ryu Seonggyu, who served as the chief conductor of the Cheongju Philharmonic Orchestra, has been the music director and chief conductor since 2018. He will also conduct the upcoming performance. The Trinity Philharmonic Orchestra will also perform Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5.

Lim Donghyuk's solo recital on November 6 commemorates the 250th anniversary of Beethoven's birth. Lim will perform three Beethoven piano sonatas: No. 14 "Moonlight," a masterpiece of Beethoven's middle period overflowing with intense passion, grief, and longing for happiness throughout the piece; No. 23 "Appassionata"; and No. 30, the first of Beethoven's three late sonatas, notable for its lyrical first movement.

Pianist Kim Sunwook (32) will also perform three Beethoven piano sonatas at his solo recital commemorating Beethoven's 250th anniversary, with Sonata No. 30 overlapping with Lim Donghyuk's program. Kim plans to perform Sonatas No. 30, 31, and 32. Kim's recital, originally scheduled for the 13th, was postponed to December due to the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Along with the three Beethoven sonatas, Lim Donghyuk will perform Schumann's "Kinderszenen" ("Scenes from Childhood"). "Kinderszenen" was also included in the album "Chopin & Schumann" released last September by Lim Dongmin, Lim Donghyuk's older brother.

The Lim brothers, Lim Dongmin and Lim Donghyuk, were the first Koreans to win prizes at the 15th Chopin Competition in 2005. The brothers attracted significant attention by jointly winning third place.

After graduating from the Moscow Conservatory, Lim Donghyuk distinguished himself by winning prizes at the Long-Thibaud Competition and the Hamamatsu Competition. He is also a pianist who has won prizes at all three of the world's major competitions, including the Chopin Competition. In 2003, he placed third at the Queen Elisabeth Competition but refused the award, dissatisfied with the judging results. In 2007, he tied for fourth place at the Tchaikovsky Competition.