RISING STAR CONCERT
SAEHYUN KIM piano
Saturday, November 21, 7:30 pm
New England Conservatory's JORDAN HALL
290 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA
SAEHYUN KIM
‘Saehyun Kim ouvre des abîmes, implore la rédemption, referme des plaies.’
Saehyun Kim opens the abysses, implores for redemption, closes up wounds.’
-
Le Monde
‘Un formidable artiste … celui qui, l’espace d’un concert, va au-delà de lui-même’
‘A formidable artist …. who, for the space of a concert, transcends himself’
Hailed as “a formidable artist .... who, for the space of a concert, transcends himself” (Diapason), 19-year-old pianist Saehyun Kim (b. 2007) is praised for his “stunning profusion of colors” that combines “a touch of unbelievable delicacy” and a sense of “dramaturgical construction” (Le Figaro). Kim won the first prize and three special prizes (Audience Prize, Prize of the Press Jury, and Prize of the City of Paris Conservatories) at the 2025 Long-Thibaud International Piano Competition, as well as the first prize and two special prizes (Audience Prize and Junior Jury Prize) at the 2023 Cleveland International Piano Competition for Young Artists.
His recent and forthcoming performances include orchestral collaborations with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Tokyo Philharmonic, Deutsche Radio Philharmonice Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern, Latvian National Symphony, Orchestre Philharmonique de Marseille, KBS Symphony, Korean National Symphony, One Korea Orchestra, Sendai Philharmonic, Canton Symphony, North Mississippi Symphony, Arkansas Philharmonic, among others, under the direction of Myung-Whun Chung, Andris Poga, Joseph Pons, Han-Na Chang, Steven Byess, and David Molard Soriano, to name a few, as well as recitals at the La Roque d’Anthéron Festival, Flagey Brussels, Fondation Louis Vuitton, Duszniki International Chopin Piano Festival, Jordan Hall, Festival Radio France Occitanie Montpellier, Nieuwe Kerk - The Hague (World Master Pianists), Festival de La Chaise-Dieu, Salle Molière (Piano à Lyon), Nohant Chopin Festival, Ehrbar Saal, La Folle Journée Tokyo, International Keyboard Odyssiad & Festival, Seoul Arts Center, Lotte Concert Hall, Busan Concert Hall, and more.
Kim’s debut recital at the Parc du Château de Florans as a part of the La Roque d’Anthéron International Piano Festival was met with critical acclaim, Le Monde praising that his “pianistic abilities are superlative, his touch elegant and profound, the phrasing infinitely nuanced, and the sense of narrative undeniable.” He gave televised performances in front of both the Arc de Triomphe (Le concert de la paix) and the Eiffel Tower (Concert de Paris); both performances were viewed by an audience of millions.
Born and raised in Seoul, South Korea, Kim studied with Soojung Shin and Youngmi Choi until he moved to the U.S. to continue his musical training with HaeSun Paik at Walnut Hill School for the Arts and the New England Conservatory Preparatory School. In the fall of 2024, he enrolled in the prestigious Harvard College/New England Conservatory dual degree program, which combines studies in English at the former institution with piano performance at the latter. Based in Boston, Kim is currently studying with esteemed pianists Dang Thai Son and HaeSun Paik. He is a scholar of the Theo and Petra LIEVEN International Piano Foundation.
Kim is an exclusive recording artist of the Warner Classics label, and his debut solo album, Chopin & Fauré, was released worldwide in September 2026.
PROGRAM NOTES
G. Fauré Barcarolle No. 1 in A minor, Op. 26 (published 1881)
Barcarolle, derived from the Italian word “barcarola,” refers to the traditional songs performed by Venetian gondoliers as they rowed through the city’s canals. These folk songs, with their steady rhythms that emulated oar strokes and the rocking of gondolas, became the stylistic inspiration for several solo piano and operatic arias composed during the 18th and 19th centuries. Perhaps the most well-known of these is the duet “Belle nuit, ô nuit d'amour” from Jacques Offenbach’s Les contes d’Hoffmann, which premiered in 1881. Coinciding with this premiere was the publication of Gabriel Fauré’s Barcarolle No. 1 in A minor, Op. 26 (performed by Camille Saint-Saëns in 1882). Fauré composed a total of thirteen barcarolles, and interestingly, he returns to the key of A minor twice more (in Nos. 9 and 10)—the only key to be repeated in the series of thirteen.
As is often the case with this genre, Barcarolle No. 1 in A minor is in a lilting 6/8 (the other common time signature being 12/8). The bittersweet melody rests unusually in the middle register, requiring fluid exchanges between the left and right hands as it moves back and forth. After two statements of the initial melody, a new theme begins in the higher register, characterized by longer, “cantando” phrases. These two themes are repeated as the texture becomes denser and broodier, with moments of chromatic dissonance. After a brief pause, the B section begins with the melody now in C Major, sweeter than the first section and remaining in the upper register. A flourish of sixteenth-notes in the right hand leads back to the A section—this time an octave higher than it was in the beginning of the piece. The theme slowly descends back to the middle register, ending on a repetition of Es—a calm, slightly melancholy ending to the barcarolle.
F. Schubert Piano Sonata No. 18 in G Major, D. 894 (published 1827)
Though less well-known than Beethoven’s piano sonatas, Schubert composed a total of twelve piano sonatas, of which only three were published during his lifetime. Piano Sonata No. 18 in G Major was the final of these three to be published, under the title “Fantasie, Andante, Menuetto und Allegretto”—a choice made by publisher Tobias Haslinger.
Despite the first movement being titled “Fantasie,” it is undeniably composed in true sonata form. Molto moderato e cantabile begins with a series of pianissimo chords in 12/8 which some have likened to the opening of Beethoven’s earlier Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major (1808). Indeed, this serene series of chords is almost hymn-like, and it not only defines the character of the primary theme, but the movement as a whole. The secondary theme moves forward with staccato eighths and left-hand dotted rhythms, eventually leading to its ornamentation with sixteenth-note sextuplets. After several measures of dramatic forte chords, the primary theme returns, and the development section begins with large G minor chords. Both themes modulate through various minor keys in this decidedly darker mood, though this is interspersed with a few moments of calm and lightheartedness. After a recapitulation of the themes, the first movement concludes in a ppp G major chord, reminiscent of the opening chords.
Andante begins in a slow 3/8 that is contrasted by moments of tempestuous B minor. This foreshadows pianist Imogen Cooper’s description of the last two movements, which contain “moments of great poignancy, as if a cloud suddenly covered the sun, and then the sun comes out again” (Cooper, 2009). Jane Vial Jaffe identifies Menuetto: Allegro moderato as a “Ländler (Austrian precursor of the waltz),” which is a folk dance that featured hopping and foot stamping (Jaffe, 2020). In contrast to the rhythmic, stately minuet, the trio section features a beautifully shimmering, gentle melody. Finally, Allegretto is a rondo—energetic and playful, beginning with a rhythmic eighth-note A theme and a lyrical B theme. The sonata ends with a final iteration of the A theme, though this time pianissimo and slower—a seeming return to the peaceful opening character of the sonata.
F. Chopin Barcarolle in F-Sharp Major, Op. 60 (published 1846)
Composed between 1845 and 1846, just three years before his death, Chopin’s Barcarolle in F-Sharp Major, Op. 60 was a precursor to several works in the genre, including Offenbach’s and Fauré’s. The 12/8 time signature allows for longer measures, with an expansive, lyrical melody played in thirds in the right hand and accompanied by lilting arpeggios in the left hand. This melody briefly moves to D-sharp minor, opening up to sixths as it modulates through several keys. The initial melody in F-sharp major returns briefly before a transition to A major, signaling a new section. This middle section begins more intimately than the sweeping gestures of the opening, and this is indicated by a “sotto voce” marking in the score. The music then grows in dynamic and grandeur, alternating between elegant moments in major keys and stormier ones in minor keys. A shimmery “dolce sfogato” section brings the piece back to the initial theme, though this time with a broadness created by large chords in both hands. The coda, which contains even more chromaticism and textural density, concludes with a virtuosic, cascading run to close out the piece.
F. Chopin 12 Études, Op. 25 (published 1837)
Chopin composed the 12 Études, Op. 25 over the span of four years, dedicating them to Comtesse Marie d’Agoult—French author and historian who published under the pen name Daniel Stern. Each étude possesses a subtitle that captures its respective character: Aeolian Harp, The Bees, The Horseman, Paganini, Wrong Note, Thirds, Cello, Sixths, Butterfly, Octave, Winter Wind, and Ocean. These subtitles also refer to the particular technique targeted, such as rhythmic precision in “No. 3, F major: The Horseman,” left-hand lyricism in “No. 7, C-sharp minor: Cello,” light and fast jumps in “No. 9, G-flat major: Butterfly,” endurance in “No. 10, B minor: Octave,” and dexterous chromatic runs in “Winter Wind.” Given the notorious difficulty of each étude, it is surely an impressive delight to hear all twelve performed in one program.
- Annie Kim, Ph.D. candidate in the Musicology & Ethnomusicology program, Brown University