Yunchan Lim 임윤찬 Writes A Love Letter To Liszt (Ricordanza, Appassionata) 

You said it before I could comment! An old soul. He is amazing. You listen to these performances and you forget it's a competition- then you see the empty hall. Honestly, he was like the seasoned, star pianist coming out to relieve the crowd in between the competitors. He channels every composer he plays. He makes me excited about the future of classical music.

I almost forgot to breathe watching this. And you ended this like a k-drama. Can’t wait for the finale!! 😂

Yunchan is a young genius - I think he isn't a student of his contemporaries but rather a student of the "Golden Age" of piano. Pianists who were born in the 19th century played with this kind of freedom and care for details - it's incredibly rare nowadays. It's almost like he's a long-lost student of Ignaz Friedman.

I can't wait to see how Yunchan's sound changes over the course of life. It was so special because Yunchan was only a teenager when he played these pieces. Imagine what it would be like to hear a seasoned Yunchan,it's a boner

Yunchan was enchanting, no comparisons are needed. It was a glorious performance. No disrespect to the greats but that kid rivals some of them. Your videos are awesome for piano geeks. Thanks!

Just heard him in Paris at the Philharmonie played the Rach 2, it blew everyone away! ♥

One of the main benefits of discovering YUNCHAN LIM was that it led me to your wonderful video essays on piano music 😊

He was extremely well prepared by his teacher, a really fine pianist, Minsoo Sohn.

YCL is YCL. He will become a pianist legend in his own universe. Thanks Ben~🎉❤

Beautiful soul.

Going to see Yunchan play Rach 2 in Baltimore! Could not be more excited!

I just heard him perform the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto #2 live 3 days ago. I thought his phrasing and use of rubato was incredible. Everything breathed. I love the analysis that Ben provides and just ordered the Liszt CD!

I can't wait for the finale of the series, especially your analysis on Yunchan's playing of one of my all-time favorite Liszt pieces, River Flows in You!

one of the many reasons i appreciate Yunchan and your videos is because I have been introduced to a whole new world of classical music. it was once staid and pleasant but a genre that was better appreciated from afar. now, it is exciting, controversial, and for the first time, digestible. for all the critics out there of YCL, he has the ability to draw people who had no interest in classical music and who now not only appreciate him but all other artists, including possibly your favorite. one of the things that I have learned is that unlike sports, artists do not compete with each other. we, as their listeners, should do the same.

Ben, you are way better than my college professor.

Absolutly The Best!! Lovely Young man!❤

Always something to learn in your videos. Love the comparisons because it wasn’t “who played it better” but “how they played it differently.” Thank you!

MORE YUNCHAN!!!

Oh my..Ben thank you so much giving me your insight on Yunchan's play as I am not a pianists nor have the depth to understand what makes Yunchan so special. All I can say is thank you for sharing your knowledge and understanding

Tonebase lost a great when they lost you, but for you personally I cant wait to see more content and video essays from you. It'll will do so much good. You're so smart and talented!

I know little about this music, but you talk about it in such a way that I can really appreciate what’s happening. Thanks from the blue collar community

I hope this video will also leave a long way in history. Thank you for letting me know the good influence of music!

Your depth of knowledge of all things Yunchan, including all the archival Korean broadcast clips is just amazing!

Though this may not have been the main focus, I think it stands as a testament to the quality of your essays that I can enjoy them as a beginner without feeling like I need a music theory dictionary on my nightstand.

I love his Ricordanza! Reminds me of memories as a child for me!

Two more, Harmonies and Snow Whirls. We're waiting Ben, ready to uncover the rest of the beautiful set of the transcendental etudes,

I absolutely love these essays. Keep up the great work!

The quality of Yunchan Lim 임윤찬’s performance that always strikes me is how _internal_ it seems to be-it’s like there’s no audience, no concert hall, almost no piano, just the music and his own response to it. It’s almost like he’s in an ecstatic trance. 11:20

Yet another peak performance by Yunchan in a great video by you, one more to go!

18:51 woooo... I made it! 🤣 Love this content, another masterpiece level that only you can come up with. BTW, it was so wonderful meeting you at the NYU workshop last Feb! 😆 I must say although you remind me of a goofy but very clever college student, in person you look like a very fine, scholarly professor. 😆 I enjoyed the workshop. I tremendously enjoyed the whole NYC trip with meeting you, then the next day experiencing the Carnegie debut of Yunchan Lim. Incredible night. Incredible February in NYC.👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👍🏻🐾

Hearing Pogorelich's recording juxtaposed with Kissin and Lim's beautiful tone, Pogorelich's tone really slaps your face like a sledgehammer.

11:38 I completely agree with Yunchan’s attacca choice here - not just because of the contrast, but because they’re in relative keys - F minor is the relative minor of A flat major. In other words, the key signature hasn’t changed.

Loved this. Fun and such a great artist.

Love these long form essays. I’m also a recovering Gould fan and will listen to the one on Gould again. There’s so much music I haven’t really listened to, including Liszt. I’ll give this young man a listen.

Another terrific video that I will find myself watching several times to pick up all the nuances.

Love this Ben. Thank you for all the insights.👍

One of the marvels of Yunchan's performance was that he could switch between all the vastly different moods and embody them so well. I agree that Pogorelich's Ricordanza is out of this world, no holds barred. Can't wait for your analysis of the final 2...to me, truly the climax and such a wondrous closure to the entire experience. My favourites among favourites.

Ben, thank you for this. Another wonderful job. Appreciate the work that went into it. Can’t wait til the finale. (Didn’t know you left Tonebase but thank goodness we can still find you here).

I cant fully understand in english since im korean but your video is very enjoyable! thank you

마지막 편집 너무 좋았습니다😢 윤찬의 땀을 흘리는 모습과 river flows in yoy 조합이 너무 좋습니다

클래식음악이 재미있어 졌습니다. 이 영상덕분에. 아는 만큼 보이고 아는 만큼 들린다. 임윤찬의 다른 연주도 소개해 주세요.

Ben, I love your content! Please keep doing the stuff you do!

Love your videos

As a South Korean, I have to say this. Ben, You pronounceYunchan's name perfectly.

Dude, I know nothing about piano music or classical music in general. While I like classical music, I can't decipher any of it. Your storytelling is so compelling.

amazing timing as i just finished rewatching your others on the transcendentals !

Great video as always ! :)

Omg i loove this video so much i learnt a lot from your video ❤❤ thank you for making helpful video!!!!🎉🎉

I was doubting about practicing today, not any more. Thanks.

I love this series; keep it up!

The outro was epic.... lol please let it be the most insane piano nerd troll ever!

the ending caught me off guard 💀

so good video ~ .... Yunchan's sound everydays make me cry, and crazy. have a good day guys~

I'm a simple guy: I see a Ben video, i click.

Its always great to watch your videos

Gracias! ❤❤

Yunchan knows how to show us a musical fairy tales ! Each note hasa great meaning ! Nothing is loose ! Everything is important to him ! Absolutely awesome ! 🙏

Okay the last 15 seconds of this video had me laughing out loud like a maniac. I am really blown away by Yunchan Lim as a performer, though I admit sometimes his interpretations leave me a little cold. It may be sacrilege to say it, but he strikes me very much the way Richter does: His technique is so transcendent, he's able to create such long, perfect lines, that sometimes the performances feel like looking at polished marble. Like the monolith in 2001.

Ben, I love your essay, and will wait the next one. At the same time, I am curious that you are going to make new essay projects about Yunchan’s Chopin Etudes. You were at the Carnegie Hall for his Chopin Etude performance.

Your video makes me appreciate yunchan's plays even better and deeper. Thank you.

So gratifying and sensitive.

也謝謝你傳遞的愛❤️祝您心想事成，未來一切順利

Now I am actually waiting for his River Flows in You

Ouch... this river flows in you after Yunchans Liszt hurts

another great video!! this channel is the one i most look forward to seeing new videos from, by far.

omg that ending got me so hard ahahahaha

Love your videos ❤

Thank you so much!!! love it (before watching full video)

Fantastic, Ben Laude: informative, insightful, funny - great to watch. I'm so pleased Pogorelich is getting proper analysis, too.

Congrats on launching your own YT channel! Your lessons and videos on Tonebase were always my fav (great mix of humor and info...Chopin's Op. 64 #2 comes to mind), so I'm excited to see what you do next. To new horizons!

ok that river flows in you outro was genius

Excellent vid, your work is great! Would love to see a vid on one of the réminiscences (lucrezia borgia!) or liszt-beethoven arrangements too 😉

Thank you for good video

Love the title. So right. And yes, open relationships, celebrate and relish the diversity on style and approach, with partiality to a few.

Great work on the essay! Nice pillow btw lol

I knew it you are into YC’s Recordanza🎉

Ah Lisztomania ! It was seeing that film that took me to Liszt. I went home and found the bits of Liszt sheet music I had and that began 45 years with FL

감사합니다.

amazing

I love the conceit of quasi-polyamorous love for a variety of performers and their interpretations of select works. In the same way, we (humans) can be as promiscuous as we wish with our adoration of scores of composers; no reason for Beethoven to feel jealous just because I also worship Bach, and vice versa, and then add Brahms, Satie, Prokofiev, Stravinsky, Wagner, and hey -- why not? -- Franck and H. I. Biber (no relation to Justin) into this love fest! Anyway, lovely video, as always, and fun fact: I caught many performances of Ivo Pogorelich at Carnegie Hall in the 80s and 90s -- whew! those were some incredible concerts, but boy, did he HATE audience noise (coughing, rustling, etc) almost as much as I do. He once just stopped a movement of a work (I think it was Beethoven) dead in its tracks, slowly turned to the audience, made a few polite gestures with his hand over his mouth, as if to say, Cover your mouths, or maybe just stop coughing. His recording of Bach's English Suites (just two of them, but still) remains one of my all-time favorite recordings of those works, of Bach, and of anything!

Please review Yun-chan's Chopin Etude album. I look forward to Ben's excellent interpretation Please~~~~♡ from south korea

Hey Ben, I was wondering if you are planning to do a video on Ivo Pogorelich in the future! Such a cool pianist with a unique sound.

Context matters - Jed said that Pogo is only playing 3 selections from the full set? Comparing relative intensity/risk-taking from the 10th of 12 to (presumably) the 3rd of 3 doesn't feel right.

Abby’s request for river flows in you is the most legendary and hilarious moment of classical music comment

❤❤❤❤

Thank you so so so much ♡

19:30 that was really funny video editing. 😂 22:23 I don't really have anything against River Flows in You...but nonetheless...this part was really quite disturbing. Glad to hear you'll make another RU-vid video for ToneBase! You built up an audience there and they sorely miss you. I hope ToneBase makes it worth your while!

❤❤❤❤❤

The joke at the end was nice.

❤❤❤😊😊😊😊

What piece is in the very first small clip in the video

Hope you make it man. Leaving tonebase. Ballsy

Evil Pogorelich plays like a demon!

Come for the piano. Stay for the juggling! Ha ha

9:09 Many people don't know this pianist, but I'm pretty sure he invented a TANK for World War II!

Your t-shirt 🤣🤣

😊

11:40 How do you spell 'ataka'?

This is why I have the same recording by different pianists- notes are the same, but the music is entirely different. Yunchan Lim is a revelation

Speaking of favorite sets of the Transcendental Etudes, are you familiar with Nelson Goerner’s live recording? One of my favorites - there’s a video on RU-vid and I own a recording with better audio.