Philharmonia Orchestra / Royal Festival Hall

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4 
Philharmonia Orchestra, Juraj Valčuha
Thursday 24 October, Royal Festival Hall, London

Classical Source

“In 2006 the Jury of the Leeds International Pianoforte Competition made the wise choice of giving First Prize to the then 19-year-old Sunwook Kim. Since then he has built a notable career. His playing here of Beethoven was intelligent and probing, crisp and considered, always respectful but displaying much character, the recesses of the music not overlooked and he balanced ideally strength with poeticism. His varying of dynamics was impressive as was the investing of emotional charge, and whatever he did came from an immersion in the score. It was a shame that a claque of clappers ruined the atmosphere built-up during the first movement (they would also intrude the Symphony), but Sunwook Kim went on to appease the curt strings of the slow movement and to sparkle in the finale. If the accompaniment, while always attentive, occasionally lacked focus, Sunwook Kim himself was a vibrant, subtle and personable soloist throughout Beethoven’s miraculous music.”