Stationers’ Hall in London on a warm June day was the venue for our interview with the BSO’s new Artist-in-Residence, the young South Korean pianist, Sunwook Kim. He was there to a give a solo recital at the prestigious City of London Festival. We spoke to him while he was taking a well-earned break during the afternoon rehearsal
Tell me about your appointment as our new Artist-in-Residence?
It’s such a great honour and privilege to be given this opportunity of being part of the new BSO season. Working with Kirill always makes me happy. We first met in Seoul in 2007 and although we couldn’t speak each other’s language there was a special moment during the first rehearsal when we immediately felt that this was the start of something really great. We seemed to understand each other so well and since that first concert we have formed a good collaboration, plus we’ve become great friends.
You’ll be performing two concerts of music by Beethoven, his Triple Concerto and Third Piano Concerto.
Yes, I’ve listened to the Triple Concerto maybe more than a hundred times through the radio, recordings and live concerts. I’m thrilled to be playing it with the BSO’s leader, Amyn and Jesper, Principal Cellist and of course Kirill. Although he’s not physically producing a sound he is actually creating it with his hands. It really is such intimate chamber music and so it will be interesting to see how the different colours of our instruments blend together. The Third Piano Concerto holds very special memories for me as last year I performed it with the BSO and Kirill at my Proms debut in front of thousands of people in the Royal Albert Hall and many more listening on the radio.
The final concert you’ll be giving this season will feature Rachmaninov’s Third Piano Concerto, have you performed it before?
I’ve played his Second Concerto and Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, but never the Third. The reason for not doing so is that I wanted to explore other composers such as Beethoven, Schubert and Brahms, consequently I didn’t really have time to learn more Russian repertoire, but now I think it’s time to do the Rachmaninov Third before I reach thirty, because after that age I think it would be a really hard piece to learn.
How long will it take you to learn this concerto?
At least six months, so as the concerts are in April and May I’ll to need to start learning it in September, so I’m glad we’re going to be performing it three times. The BSO is such an amazing orchestra; such nice people and I really appreciate their support and kindness towards me.
When did you start to learn the piano?
I started at the age of three and then at six I took up the violin. I studied both of them until I was twelve and then decided to drop the violin in favour of the piano. There are many reasons for this; it was hard carrying the violin around every day, also I had to think about the strings and the bow, plus there’s the price of that instrument. There are many advantages of playing the piano, one being that it is always on stage and the technician is around to make sure it is perfectly tuned. I think I made the right decision in choosing the piano.
Is there one pianist that has had the most influence on your career?
András Schiff or I should say Sir András Schiff as he is now. He has been my mentor for many years. We met for the first time in Seoul at one his masterclasses and then he invited me to play at his masterclass in Lucerne in Switzerland. I’ve learnt so much from András; mentally, physically and musically.
Apart from being a pianist you’ve also studied conducting, is this something you would like to pursue?
Yes, I’ve always wanted to become a conductor. I studied conducting at the Royal Academy of Music here in London for three years. Although it didn’t take me long to realise how difficult it was to study both the piano and conducting. I graduated last year, but decided that I’m not ready to take up conducting just yet. Another great mentor in my life is the conductor, Myung-Whun Chung with whom I made a recording of three piano concertos. You know I even bought a baton of his at an auction when I was ten!
How do you relax?
It’s difficult and I never really take a holiday, in fact the longest I’ve been away from a piano is three days as I always need to practice. I used to get very nervous and tense before concerts, but with the birth of my son only six weeks ago I’ve calmed down a lot. Also, I’ve discovered that drinking tea instead of coffee has helped!
Nigel Gayler
BSO Correspondent
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