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A Korean musical prodigy who received only domestic training has surprised the musical world. At just 18 years old, Kim Sun-wook, a student of Korean National University of Arts, has become the first Asian musician to win the Leeds International Pianoforte Competition, which closed in the U.K. on Sunday. Held every three years since 1963, the competition is considered one of the world¡¯s most prestigious, along with the Chopin Piano Competition and the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.
The competition has also produced some of the top performers of the day, including Murray Perahia, Radu Lupu and Boris Berezovsky. Other Koreans have placed in the finals, including, Chung Myung-whun (1975, fourth), Seo Joo-hee (1984, second), and Paik Hae-sun (1990, fifth), but this is the first time a Korean has won. Two-hundred-thirty-five pianists representing 39 countries tested their skills against one another, and competition was even stiffer than usual this time around due to the fact that the other top piano competitions including the Tchaikovsky International Competition are not being held this year.
When he was three years old, he saw his older brother play the piano, and after pestering his parents, both elementary schoolteachers, he was also allowed to begin studying. Immediately after graduating from Yewon School, he entered Korean National University of Arts. When Kim had finished middle school, he skipped right over high school and became a college student. In a phone call with the Chosun Ilbo, Kim said, ¡°The other performers who made it to the finals with me were up to 10 years older. There was a major age difference, but I didn¡¯t let it bother me.¡±
¡°Their music may have the ring of maturity, but I resolved to show the very best that is possible at my age,¡± he added. In contrast to the other Korean champs, who took influential competitions after honing their craft abroad, Kim is completely homegrown, and as such brings recognition to the domestic establishment as well. Since he was just a second-grader, his dream has been to one day lead the Berlin Philharmonic, and he was so driven in his art that he took the subway to the Seoul Arts Center every week when he was just 11.
¡°When I was in elementary school, I was obsessed with Chung Myung-whun and I collected all his albums,¡± Kim says. ¡°Like Daniel Barenboim or Chung Myung-whun, I want to be a pianist and a conductor.¡± Even at his young age, Kim is already a perfect fit for the boozing, chain-smoking genius stereotype: he puffs through a pack a day, and can tackle two bottles of Soju on his own. With the victory, Kim has won the opportunity to give a concert with the London Philharmonic and other top orchestras, and he has also been asked to perform in Hong Kong and seems to have caught the ear of the musical world. The prize-money is 14,000 pounds.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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