SEOUL, Pianist Lim Yunchan, the youngest winner of the 2022 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, has signed a contract with the Decca Classics record label, Universal Music Group said Thursday.
At 18, Lim won the prestigious award last June, with his stellar performance of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3, which received a huge standing ovation at the Cliburn. The video clip of the performance has garnered more than 12 million hits on YouTube.
“Decca has been working with so many legendary musicians. As a musician, I can’t help but like the label,” Lim was quoted as saying.
“I will live for music, and I pledged to give up everything for music. I always wanted my music world to deepen more, and I am content if my wish can resonate with my audience,” he said.
Decca Classics, a British record label established in 1929 and under Universal Music, said the label put a lot of effort for a long time to make him sign the contract by following the South Korean pianist across the globe for multiple meetings.
Lim released a live recording album of Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto with the Gwangju Symphony Orchestra on Universal Music Korea and is set to perform at Carnegie Hall on Feb. 21. He is also slated to release an album with Decca next spring.
Source: Yonhap News Agency
