César Franck: Prélude, Choral Et Fugue Fwv 21 - Johannes Brahms: Piano Sonata No. 3 in F Minor, Op. 5 Sunwook Kim

• César Franck (1822-1890): Prélude, Choral Et Fugue Fwv 21:
• 1 Prélude 05:15
• 2 Choral 06:34
• 3 Fugue 06:54
• 4 Allegro Maestoso 11:04
• Johannes Brahms (1833-1897): Piano Sonata No. 3 in F Minor, Op. 5:
• 5 Andante Espressivo 12:17
• 6 Allegro Energico 04:51
• 7 Intermezzo: Andante Molto 03:31
• 8 Finale: Allegro Moderato Ma Rubato 08:03
• Total Runtime 58:29

Info for César Franck: Prélude, Choral Et Fugue Fwv 21 - Johannes Brahms: Piano Sonata No. 3 in F Minor, Op. 5

Korean pianist Sunwook Kim came to international recognition when he won the prestigious “Leeds International Piano Competition” in 2006 aged just 18, becoming the competition’s youngest winner for 40 years, as well as its first Asian winner. Since then, he has established a reputation as one of the finest pianists of his generation, appearing as a concerto soloist in the subscription series of many of the world’s foremost orchestras and giving recitals in leading concert halls.

In this second Accentus Music recording Sunwook Kim compares and contrasts César Franck’s Prélude, Choral et Fugue of 1884 and Johannes Brahms’s Third Piano Sonata in F minor op. 5 of 1853. In spite of the manifest differences in their musical language, there are certain points that the Belgian composer shares with his younger German colleague: both men were pianists, both venerated the musical forms of the past, especially Bachian polyphony, and both revered the spirit of Classicism. To these qualities may be added a love of proportion and a genius for organization and well‐ordered architectural structures, which are also reflected by the works presented on this CD.

“Sunwook Kim brings some splendid pianism and conceptual thinking to both works: a full-toned touch and resonant atmosphere connects the Prelude, Choral et Fugue strongly to Franck’s organ works. The Brahms Sonata is likewise rugged, full and somewhat chunky, its introverted, deeply serious aspect much to the fore” (BBC Music Magazine)

“Kim's deep feelings for Franck are obvious in the breadth and emotional resonance he brings to the Prelude, Chorale and Fugue. The fluttering figurations of the Prelude speak with a delicate poignancy and the Fugue blossoms into that ecstatic exaltaton so characteristic of Franck…this may not be the last word in the Brahms F minor but there can be little doubt that Kim will be back to share with us his evolving love of this fantastically challenging music” (Gramophone Magazine)

Sunwook Kim, piano

Sunwook Kim
London-based Sunwook Kim came to international recognition when he won the prestigious Leeds International Piano Competition in 2006, aged just 18, becoming the competition’s youngest winner for 40 years, as well as its first Asian winner. His performance of Brahms’s Concerto No.1 with the Hallé Orchestra and Sir Mark Elder in the competition’s finals attracted unanimous praise from the press.

Future highlights include recitals at the International Piano Series in London (Queen Elizabeth Hall), at the Roque d’Antheron International Piano Festival, at the Salle Pleyel’s prestigious “Piano 4 Etoiles” series in Paris, in Aix-en-Provence, and at the Seoul Arts Centre. As a concerto soloist, he returns to the Philharmonia Orchestra (Mozart K491 with Edward Gardner), the Hallé Orchestra (Chopin 2, Prokofiev 3 and Brahms 2 with Sir Mark Elder), the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (Beethoven Triple and Rachmaninov 3 with Kiril Karabits), the RTSI Orchestra in Lugano (Beethoven 3 with Vladimir Ashkenazy), the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio-France (Unsuk Chin piano concerto), as well as a debut project with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen on tour in Korea (Schumann with Paavo Järvi) and extensive touring in Europe and the United States with the Seoul Philharmonic and Myung-Whun Chung.

Sunwook Kim’s second recording for Deutsche Grammophon, featuring Unsuk Chin’s Piano Concerto with the Seoul Philharmonic and Myung-Whun Chung, was released in May 2014. In 13/14, Sunwook also gave the world premiere performance of the work at a festival dedicated to Unsuk Chin at the Konserthuset in Stockholm, and the German premiere with the NDR Sinfonieorchester Hamburg.

The past two years were packed with many other exciting developments for Sunwook, including an acclaimed debut at the BBC Proms (Beethoven 3 with Bournemouth Symphony / Kiril Karabits), return projects with the London Symphony Orchestra (Prokofiev 2 with Daniel Harding), Helsinki Radio Symphony (Beethoven 4 with Andrew Manze), Philharmonia Orchestra (Beethoven 4 with Juraj Valcuha) and the Seoul Philharmonic (Beethoven 5 with Myung-Whun Chung), as well as recitals at Salle Pleyel in Paris, to a sold-out house at Teatro Colon Buenos Aires, at the Beethoven-Haus in Bonn and on tour in Japan. He also completed a widely praised complete Beethoven sonata cycle at the LG Arts Centre in Seoul, and his debut recording, featuring Beethoven’s “Emperor” Concerto, was released on Deutsche Grammophon.

Booklet for César Franck: Prélude, Choral Et Fugue Fwv 21 - Johannes Brahms: Piano Sonata No. 3 in F Minor, Op. 5