The star attraction of Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra’s concert at Suntory Hall on Friday was undoubtedly Yunchan Lim, the latest piano sensation and the undisputed winner of last year’s Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. This was his concerto debut in Japan, although he had given a solo recital last December. The full audience included a big contingent of Koreans, not only expats but visitors – finally, tourism is slowly returning to Tokyo. Obviously, he is a big name in his home country.
In this concert, which was conducted by Mikhail Pletnev no less (he has a long-standing relationship with the Tokyo Philharmonic and holds the title of Special Guest Conductor), Lim played Beethoven’s “Emperor” Concerto. His playing, or to be more precise his handling of the keyboard, is quite remarkable. The music flows under his fingers, his passagework is astonishingly smooth and even-toned, and above all, he produces the most gorgeous tone out of the shiny modern grand – it’s as if he knows how to consistently hit the sweet spot of the keyboard. From the opening solo bars, he captivated the audience with his elegance and assuredness of a veteran pianist; the leggiermente passages were crisp and light, but he could also produce weightiness, for example in the development section. There were some breathtakingly lyrical moments in the slow movement, followed by pretty speedy and nimble playing in the finale.
I would say his approach is more Romantic than the sharp and edgy, historically-influenced playing of some pianists. He was matched by Pletnev’s approach with the orchestra, which was a standard size (12 first violins). Conducting without a score, he made sure that the energy level of the Tokyo Philharmonic matched Lim’s playing throughout, especially in the orchestral interludes where the tension can often sag. Lim, on the other hand, would watch the players when he wasn’t playing, and whenever he was in the accompanying role, he would respond sensitively and merge into the orchestral sound. Possibly a little too suave, but hugely impressive playing nonetheless.
Responding to a huge ovation, he played two contemplative Bach encores including the Myra Hess arrangement of Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring. If he is this mature at the age of 18, where will he be in 20 years, let alone 40? (which is roughly where Pletnev, another extremely gifted pianist, is now.)
After a lyrical and refined first half, we had a weighty and emotional second half in the form of Tchaikovsky’s Manfred Symphony. It’s not a work that comes around that often in Tokyo, although funnily enough, Kazuki Yamada conducted the work about a month ago with another orchestra. Again, Pletnev was without a score, and he gave a dramatic but tightly controlled portrayal of this tortuous and turbulent score.
Although the size of the string section remained the same as the first half, there was now a wonderful darkness and depth to the orchestral sound, which may have been the result of the unusual positioning of some of the instruments: antiphonal violins, cellos and double basses stage right, horns and harps stage left behind the violas, and the brass and percussion at the back. The horns and the clarinets shone in particular throughout (including the bass clarinet which sets the lugubrious tone of the Manfred motif), and the brass and percussion brought out the sense of fate. After the high drama of the first movement, the orchestra conjured up the supernatural elements in the Scherzo with panache, followed by a pastoral Andante. The hellish finale was suitably wild and bombastic, but all was redeemed in the concluding bars by the divine sounds of Suntory Hall’s great organ.
