Cliburn Gold 2017 — Yekwon Sunwoo, piano (Decca 4815527)
28-year-old pianist Yekwon Sunwoo has been hailed for ‘his total command over the instrument and its expressiveness’ (San Francisco Examiner)…Born in Anyang, South Korea, Mr. Sunwoo began learning piano at age 8. He gave both his recital and orchestra debuts in 2004 in Seoul before moving to the United States in 2005 to study with Seymour Lipkin at the Curtis Institute of Music. He earned his bachelor’s degree there, his master’s at The Juilliard School with Robert McDonald, and his artist diploma at the Mannes School of Music with Richard Goode. He currently studies under Bernd Goetzke in Hannover…The first Korean to win Cliburn gold, Mr. Sunwoo launches his debut season in 2017–2018 with invitations to the Aspen, Grand Teton, and Duszniki International Music Festivals. Cliburn Gold 2017…includes his award-winning performances of Ravel’s La valse and Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Sonata... A self-proclaimed foodie, Mr. Sunwoo enjoys finding pho in each city he visits and takes pride in his own homemade Korean soups.
--From the website of the Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Ravel: La Valse
Grainger: Ramble on Love (from Der Rosenkavalier)
Hamelin: Toccata on “L'homme armé”
Haydn: Piano Sonata No. 58 in C
Liszt: Litanei (after Schubert)
Rachmaninoff: Piano Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor Op 36