Ignaz Friedman & Yunchan Lim play Chopin - Etude Op. 25 No. 9 (Audio+Sheet)

Ignaz Friedman & Yunchan Lim, piano | 📍▼ *TIMESTAMPS* below ▼📍

00:00 - Ignaz Friedman
00:57 - Yuncham Lim

[pianoplaynight]

Yunchan Lim is definitely inspired by the golden age recordings, peculiar voicings, and creative phrasings and accents. Lovely!

[composer]

now, lim's fans and other listeners understand how much albums, interpretations, performances he listened to. this prove it he RLY loves music.
Some people seem to think he's just a borrower, or technical pianist who trends shortly, but I'm just so excited to see how much bigger he'll grow from now on.

[benharmonics]

In the liner notes of the Chopin Etudes album, Lim says that Friedman is one of his biggest inspirations with the Etudes. I can hear definite similarities between Friedman and Lim, but there are differences as well.

Lim imitates Friedman by adding notes in the bass at 0:09/1:06, which I think sounds great, and by slowing down and adding a dotted rhythm at the climax 0:32/1:31, which to me sounds a bit cheesy—although both, especially Friedman, do a great job at gradually returning to the normal tempo after.

A less unusual touch, which many pianists do, is strongly accenting the D-flat at 0:37/1:36. It is marked sforzando, after all. Friedman really slams the D-flat, while Lim is a bit more polite. There are details in Lim’s version that are not present in Friedman’s: while both add the bass notes at 0:09/1:06, Lim creates contrast by playing the next phrase in a much more singing way, which Friedman doesn’t do.

The ending is also different: Friedman adds a high rolled chord, which to me is definitely cheesy, while Lim just plays what’s written, but speeds up slightly at the end, rather than slowing down like most pianists.

Finally, I think the best thing overall about Lim’s version, which is not present in Friedman’s, is the strong “one-two, one-two” feel, which makes the whole piece more exciting.

[brooksiefan]

Friedman has a quality that cannot be approached or reproduced. In spite of the huge differences between these two masters and the historical background that influenced them differently, both recordings are amazing, detailed, precise and creative. Thank you for sharing!