Sunwoo Yekwon Performs Winning Piece from Van Cliburn Competition on Stage

Rachmaninoff Piano Concertos Nos. 1-3
October 15 at Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall

Pianist Sunwook Yekwon will perform Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3, the piece that brought him the glory of winning the 2017 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.

The concert planning company Mast Media announced on the 8th that Sunwook Yekwon will perform three of Rachmaninoff's piano concertos at the Concert Hall of the Seoul Arts Center on October 15. Sunwook Yekwon is scheduled to perform Rachmaninoff's Piano Concertos No. 2 and No. 3, which are the most frequently performed among the composer's four piano concertos, as well as the "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini."

In particular, Piano Concerto No. 3 is the piece Sunwook Yekwon performed in the final round when he became the first Korean to win the gold medal at the Van Cliburn Competition. However, since winning the competition, he has never performed the entire Piano Concerto No. 3 on a domestic stage. This time, he will perform No. 3 on a domestic stage for the first time since his competition victory. He will also perform Piano Concerto No. 2 on a domestic stage for the first time in four years since 2020.

Sunwoo Yekwon [Photo provided by Mast Media, (c) Namgoong U]

Last year, which marked the 150th anniversary of Rachmaninoff's birth, Sunwook Yekwon also released the album "Rachmaninoff, A Reflection." The album includes Rachmaninoff's "Variations on a Theme of Corelli" and "Variations on a Theme of Chopin," among others. During the nationwide tour concerts commemorating the album release, he performed variations rather than piano concertos. At the album release press conference, Sunwook Yekwon described Rachmaninoff as "a composer who emotionally stirs the heart."

In the upcoming October concert, Sunwook Yekwon will collaborate with the Suwon City Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Lee Seungwon, who became the first Korean to win the Malko International Conducting Competition last April. Sunwook Yekwon and Lee Seungwon share a close friendship. When Lee Seungwon was a violist with the Novus Quartet, they frequently performed together. This will be their first time sharing the stage as conductor and soloist.

This concert is part of the "Concerto Marathon Project," a planned series presented by Mast Media. The project features concerts filled exclusively with piano concertos by a single composer. Last year, Shin Changyong performed Prokofiev, Baek Hyesun performed Brahms, and Park Jaehong performed Beethoven piano concertos.