The two piano concertos of Johannes Brahms are pinnacles of the repertoire, and South Korean pianist Sun-Wook Kim has seemingly rushed to record them, having logged only a few other concertos in his small but growing discography. This double-disc package of the Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor and the Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat major, performed by Kim and the Hallé Orchestra, conducted by Sir Mark Elder, offers impressive performances that emphasize lyricism over flashiness, and drama over showmanship. Kim is a highly ...
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The two piano concertos of Johannes Brahms are pinnacles of the repertoire, and South Korean pianist Sun-Wook Kim has seemingly rushed to record them, having logged only a few other concertos in his small but growing discography. This double-disc package of the Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor and the Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat major, performed by Kim and the Hallé Orchestra, conducted by Sir Mark Elder, offers impressive performances that emphasize lyricism over flashiness, and drama over showmanship. Kim is a highly expressive artist, and his measured use of rubato and shaded dynamics lend his performances a sustained feeling of reverie, fully in keeping with Brahms' poetic style of Romanticism. Because his playing is typically reflective in character, Kim takes some of the severity off the Piano Concerto No. 1 and lends it great sensitivity and delicacy. For the Piano Concerto No. 2, Kim shows a warmer side, giving his performance deep resonance and power, and the Hallé responds to his rich solo...
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