It has been seven years since local piano phenom Lim Dong-hyek has released an album.

Dubbed one of today’s most acclaimed Chopin interpreters, the 31-year-old pianist has eagerly returned to his Chopin roots in unveiling his new album, which was released Monday, dedicated to the 19th-century virtuoso’s later, more somber works.

“With this music, I hope that people will listen and actually be saddened,” said Lim during a press conference at the Stradeum concert hall in Seoul on Tuesday. “If your eyes fill with tears and you feel your heart finding relief in this grief ... this is what I want.”  

“To tell you the truth, I don’t think there is such thing as happy music,” he continued. “As we get older, we come to realize that all music with depth is expressing something depressing. Even though in his early years Chopin had composed his ‘puppy waltz,’ in his later years, he had his ‘funeral waltz’ and other pieces that were not seen as joyous.”

A child prodigy, Lim’s first claim to fame was in 1996 when he, then 12 years old, took second prize in the Chopin Competition for Young Pianists in Moscow as the youngest participant in the competition. In 2005, he won third place at the 15th International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, sharing the prize with his older brother, Lim Dong-Min.

Having spent most of his young career in the limelight as a “Chopin specialist,” the pianist spent the past several years looking for something new.

Shying away from the romantics, Lim found himself raveling in the Baroque compositions of Bach, releasing his album “Bach -- Goldberg Variations” in 2008. 

“I realize now that Chopin is just the right fit for me, so I needed to return,” Lim says.

“Now when I play Chopin, I feel my heart weakening a lot more than it did in the past,” he added. “No matter which of life’s struggles I cannot seem to find any consolation over, Chopin can transport me into an even more depressing state -- bringing me to tears -- and that is actually something for me to be happy about.”

Lim’s new album features the repertories “Variations Brillantes in B-Flat Major, Op. 12,” “24 Preludes, Op. 28,” “Berceuse in D-Flat Major, Op. 57” and Barcarolle in F-Sharp Major, Op. 60.”

In honor of his new Chopin release, Lim will launch a nationwide piano recital tour on Dec. 12. The pianist will hold his Seoul performance on Jan. 23 at the Seoul Arts Center. Ticket prices range from 30,000 won to 100,000 won. For more information, call 1577-5266.

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)