Lim Yunchan to offer interpretation of Chopin's Etudes in Decca debut album coming in April

The cover of Lim Yunchan's "Chopin Etude" (Universal Music Group)

Lim Yunchan, the youngest winner ever to win the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, unveiled a single of Chopin’s Op.10 No.3 "Tristesse" earlier this week, offering a sneak peek at his first album on the Decca Classical label.

His upcoming album, titled “Chopin: Etudes,” will be released April 19, according to Universal Music Group, Decca’s parent company. The pianist signed an exclusive recording deal with Decca in October last year.

“Pianists like Alfred Cortot, Ignaz Friedman, Joseph Lhevinne, Mark Hambourg, and Sergio Fiorentino, who are like a vast universe to me, have performed Chopin's Etudes. Since childhood, I have wanted to become a musician with fundamentals like them,” Lim was quoted as saying in a statement released by Universal Music Group. “That's why I chose Chopin's Etudes, with a desire to follow their roots,” he added.

"Chopin's Etudes contain various emotions such as the groans of the earth, the regrets of old age, love letters, longing, melancholy and freedom. Even during the times when I didn't practice the Etudes, their melodies continued to deepen in my heart. Therefore, recording and releasing Chopin's Etudes with the Decca label is a great honor,” Lim explained.

Lim's debut album with Decca pays homage to the golden age of Decca pianists in the 1960s, according to Universal Music. It uses film-shot photographs and the logo that was commonly used on Decca vinyl at the time.

Lim Yun-chan (Universal Music Group)

Making his debut at Carnegie debut on Wednesday, he performed all of Chopin’s 27 etudes. In South Korea, he will embark on a nationwide recital tour in June to perform Chopin’s Etudes. His tour will kick off at Lotte Concert Hall in Seoul on June 7 and be followed by a performance in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, on June 9, Daegu on June 12, Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province on June 15, Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province on June 19, Gwangju on June 19. On June 22, he will return to the capital for the final performance of his recital tour at Seoul Arts Center.