Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Extraordinary 19-year-old prodigy YUNCHAN LIM makes a smashing debut with the New York Philharmonic

• By drediman
• May 13, 2023
• No Comments

Yesterday, I attended a memorable performance by the New York Philharmonic at David Geffen Hall. As helmed by the exciting young American conductor James Gaffigan, the orchestra has rarely sounded better – grounded, precise, and eloquent.

The concert got underway with a caressing rendition of Valentin Silvestrov’s Prayer for Ukraine, which served as a palette cleanser and serene prologue to an afternoon of hard-hitting music-making. The program continued with a superb reading of Prokofiev’s restless, stormy Third Symphony. Throughout the moody and turbulent work, Gaffigan handled the many rhythmic shifts with verve and authority and brought out the many textures of the score with both lucidity and urgency. Under the conductor’s baton, the orchestra faced the symphony’s menacing and mysterious waters bravely and unflinchingly, all the while playing with balance and abundant character.

The concert concluded with the main draw — extraordinary 19-year-old prodigy Yunchan Lim (the youngest winner of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition), who in his smashing debut with the New York Philharmonic launched into Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto and never looked back. Lim approached the titanic work with expansive poetry, drama, and style that belie his tender years. As the concerto built to its thrillingly inevitable climax, he displayed effortless dexterity and power, driving the sweeping music at full hilt to the very end. With this performance, the young South Korean pianist has become the talk of the town, and deservedly so. Suffice to say, the conclusion of the performance was met with thunderous ovation. Three encores later, the audience still craved more.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC
Classical Music
David Geffen Hall
Approximately 2 hours (including an intermission)
Closed