▲ Pianist Sunwoo Yekwon speaks during a press conference in Seoul on May 7, 2026, to mark the release of his new album "Liszt." (Yonhap)
▲ Pianist Sunwoo Yekwon speaks during a press conference in Seoul on May 7, 2026, to mark the release of his new album "Liszt." (Yonhap)
▲ Pianist Sunwoo Yekwon performs during a press conference in Seoul on May 7, 2026, to mark the release of his new album "Liszt." (Yonhap)

pianist-press conference

Pianist Sunwoo Yekwon explores lyricism behind Liszt's virtuosity in new album

By Shim Sun-ah

SEOUL, May 7 (Yonhap) -- For pianist Sunwoo Yekwon, Franz Liszt was once a composer of empty virtuosity -- all flash and little substance. But with his new album released Thursday, Sunwoo is peeling back the Hungarian composer's dazzling facade to reveal a profound human voice and dramatic lyricism.

"Liszt is a composer full of splendor, but I wanted to create an album that remembers him for the human voice and lyricism within it," Sunwoo said during a press conference held in Seoul to promote the album, titled "Liszt."

It marks the first studio album in three years from the 37-year-old pianist who has firmly established his career since making history in 2017 as the first Korean to win the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. He previously released his debut studio album, "Mozart," in 2020, followed by "Rachmaninoff, A Reflection" in 2023.

During the press conference, Sunwoo revealed that while he frequently practiced Liszt during his middle school years, drawn to the immediate and flashy appeal of the music, he completely stopped playing the composer's works in his 20s.

"I didn't feel much charm in it. I thought it was perhaps too showy and lacked inner depth," he recalled.

Now in his 30s, his perspective has shifted. While preparing for his latest release, Sunwoo realized that Liszt perfectly matches his current musical colors and touch.

Describing his piano tone as floating and transparent, he likened it to "a water drop" or "a very fine wine glass that looks like it might break if slightly touched."

He found that this pursuit of a delicate, crystal-clear sound perfectly aligns with the nuances he now sees in Liszt.

The 11-track album features a wide-ranging selection of Liszt's works, including well-known pieces such as "Consolations," "Liebestraume," and "Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2." It also highlights Liszt's identity as a master arranger, with several transcriptions based on other composers' works, including Schubert's "Gretchen am Spinnrade" and Schumann's "Widmung."

To highlight the album's emotional core, Sunwoo structured the album under the central theme of "singing with the piano."

"The first three tracks evoke reminiscence and meditation and the next three are intimate, whispering songs," he said. They are followed by two works exploring temptation and love, and two operatic, demonic fantasies. The record culminates with "Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2," which Sunwoo described as a grand finale that embraces all the preceding elements in a single breath.

The album was recorded at the Jesus-Christus-Kirche in Dahlem, Berlin -- a historic venue known for its use by Herbert von Karajan.

While some might worry that a church would have too much echo for a piano recording, Sunwoo found the environment ideal.

"As soon as I played the piano, I found the reverberation to be perfectly appropriate, and the unique acoustics and sense of space came alive," he said, adding that the recording process was exceptionally smooth. He added the atmosphere of the space itself provided a sense of immersion that helped him focus entirely on the moment.

Following the album's release, the pianist will begin a tour of seven cities around the country on May 15, performing tracks from the new album, as well as Schubert's "Piano Sonata No. 20."

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