Yunchan Lim celebrates historic win at BBC Music Magazine Awards and announces new album on Decca Classics
Yunchan Lim has made history at the BBC Music Magazine Awards, as his debut studio album won three Awards, including the coveted Recording of the Year.
Lim's historic 2022 Cliburn-winning performance of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto no. 3 will be released by Decca Classics on 16 May 2025.
Yunchan Lim has made history this evening [Wednesday 23 April] at the BBC Music Magazine Awards with his debut studio album - Chopin Études on Decca Classics - winning three of the major awards - Recording of the Year, Newcomer of the Year and the Instrumental Award. This marks the first time a single album has received three awards in one year since the ceremony’s inauguration in 2006, and the first time a Newcomer award winner has also received Recording of the Year.
Released in April 2024, Lim’s Chopin Études received wide-spread international recognition – the album went quadruple Platinum in Korea and won the Diapason d’or de l’année in France. Bertrand Boissard praised Lim’s "mastery and commitment, his singing and his fantasy", calling the album "an enthralling Chopin, singularly alive".
Today, Decca Classics announces the forthcoming release of one of the most talked-about performances in recent classical music history: Lim’s electrifying interpretation of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3, recorded live at the 2022 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, when he was just 18 years old.
Dominic Fyfe, Label Director, Decca Classics, says: “The creation of a recorded legacy on Decca Classics was at the heart of our conversations with Yunchan from the very beginning. These two albums are already milestones in his career and each affords us the opportunity to own a piece of history. They document his artistry in both live and studio settings, capturing the hypnotic music-making which has become Yunchan's signature.”
Lim, now 21, first gained international recognition with this very performance, which conductor Marin Alsop described as showing “an old soul, rather than a young performer.” Since then, it has become the most-watched version of the concerto on YouTube, with over 17 million views. Mixed and available in Dolby Atmos, the recording will be released on 16 May 2025.
The performance quickly went viral, trending worldwide and surpassing all other recordings of the piece online. It was broadcast on national television in South Korea and featured on global news outlets, making Lim a household name almost overnight. British pianist and jury member Sir Stephen Hough called him “a preposterously gifted pianist... he understood the rhetoric, the scope, the personality of Liszt. It isn’t speed but a kind of inner charisma.” Fellow juror Jean-Efflam Bavouzet said, “We didn’t talk, but our eyes said it all,” while Anne-Marie McDermott shared, “About halfway through the first movement… we just knew: we’re experiencing something magical here.”
Newly-announced Head of Decca Classics, Jenny Murphy, says: “From his debut album alone and aged just 21, Yunchan Lim is one of the fastest streaming classical artists in history, and has one of the most diverse audiences in the genre. The fact he has achieved this with music that’s been recorded hundreds of times before and written nearly 200 years ago is testament to his talent and the way audiences are drawn to his enigmatic performances. We couldn’t be more excited to have had such a successful start to Decca Classics’ collaboration with Yunchan.”
The global press has continued to celebrate his artistry. The Times described him as "a pianist in complete command of his instrument", while the Daily Mail called his recordings "astonishing", comparing him to legends such as Ashkenazy and Pollini.
His 2024 BBC Proms debut at London’s Royal Albert Hall was the fastest-selling concert of the season. The Guardian described it as "the most thrilling pianistic debut of the last decade” and called his encore performance of Bach’s Siciliano "an undeniably magical moment of the season".
In November 2024, Lim performed a Tiny Desk Concert for NPR, featuring works by Liszt and Tchaikovsky. Despite feeling slightly under the weather, his performance was widely praised for its depth and sensitivity. NPR noted his "powerful command of every note", adding that he made their upright piano sound like a concert grand.
Lim’s 2025 schedule has seen further acclaim. He was appointed Artist-in-Residence at the Tongyeong International Music Festival, South Korea’s leading classical event. His performances of Bach’s Goldberg Variations at The Conrad in California were widely praised. The San Francisco Chronicle called it "a fearless, uncompromising display of breathtaking musicianship".
He also received outstanding reviews for appearances with the New York Philharmonic and the London Symphony Orchestra. Bachtrack described his Chopin with the New York Philharmonic as "an object lesson in tastefully conveying the wide-ranging lyricism of Chopin’s music". Seen and Heard International reported "thunderous and relentless" ovations during his performance with the LSO. Lim received rave reviews for his performance of the Goldberg Variations at Wigmore Hall. The Financial Times said, “Heard Live, in the excitement of the moment, this Goldberg Variations was a breathtaking ride on the big dipper.” Yunchan Lim returns to Carnegie Hall on 25 April to perform the Goldberg Variations. He returns to London on 20 May to appear at the Royal Albert Hall.