Texas Classical Review: Cliburn Finals Round 3

Texas Classical Review

Cliburn Finals Round 3
By Wayne Lee Gay

South Korean competitor Yekwon Sunwoo tackled Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto. Sunwoo clearly moved into the final laps of his competition run with a fresh shot of adrenalin for this monstrously difficult work, displaying a mature, calm presence, with nearly perfect control of this pianistic earthquake. He took no easy paths here, consistently choosing maximum reasonable tempos and opting for the more difficult of the cadenza options in the first and third movements.

Equally impressive, Sunwoo clearly understood how to make the most of the series of thrilling moments Rachmaninoff provides; and, best of all, he knows how to pace them so that, from beginning to end of this 45-minute-long concerto, each high point is a little more breathtaking than the previous.

Source: http://texasclassicalreview.com/2017/06/09/cliburn-finals-round-3/