Mr. Kim is the hottest headline maker in Korea's classical music scene, especially since he never studied abroad like his peers -- a triumph of the local arts education per se. He showed up looking like a typical teenager, like he just rolled out of bed. But his black garb and ironic speech screamed "artist" all over. I thought he was a kindred spirit -- an old person inside a young body.Pianist Kim Sun-wook, 19, shares his thoughts about his musical career in a Korea Times interview. Having won major piano competitions and currently sealing a contract with an international arts management company, Kim is expanding his horizons onto the world stage. / Courtesy of the Seoul Arts Center
This is the first in a series of interviews with the next generation of classical musicians. ― ED.
Having first struck the piano keys at the age of three, Kim Sun-wook had won most of the major domestic piano competitions by 10. He skipped high school to enter the Korea National University of Arts to study under the distinguished pianist/professor Kim Dae-jin. By 18 he had won major international piano competitions, making headlines by winning the 2004 Ettlingen (Germany), the 2005 Clara Haskil (Switzerland) and the 2006 Leeds (United Kingdom) events as Asia's first and the world's youngest winner in 40 years.
Now, before turning 20 in April, Kim is signing a contract with the prestigious international arts management company Askonas Holt. He will be joining distinguished artists such as conductors Simon Rattle and Chung Myung-whun, cellist Yo-Yo Ma and soprano Sumi Jo.
``But nothing's changed all that much,'' Kim told The Korea Times. ``My childhood dreams ― winning first place at competitions or signing contracts ― have all come true at a relatively early age. It's true that I've worked hard to achieve them, and I just want to keep it up. ``I like the word consistency. Make constant effort, without stopping or worrying about slumps or such. That's my dream, to be consistent,'' he said.
Many musicians dream of moving people's hearts but that is not what drives Kim.
``It might be selfish, but I play for myself. Of course the stage exists thanks to the public, and I am grateful. But there are so many pieces I want to play, so many orchestras I'd like to perform with and so many music halls I wish to be in,'' he said about expanding his horizons.But what Kim calls ``selfishness'' may be seen as an introspective focus that keeps him going. The recent media buzz doesn't seem to bother him much either.
The pianist met with The Korea Times over Seollal or Lunar New Year's break at a hotel in downtown Seoul. But it was no holiday for him.
``It's the best time to practice because I have lots of leisure time,'' he said. With windswept hair and sporting jeans, Kim seemed like a regular guy ― stripped of the glossy looks of the sleek tuxedo-clad pianist onstage. But his mind never seems to leave performing. ``I wouldn't feel comfortable staying away from the piano for the three-day break. The pressure of having to practice kills me but I always look forward to the stage.
``Being onstage is an addiction,'' he said. ``The darkened audience seats and the lit up stage… I simply love it. But when I actually play, I separate myself from the audience, and focus,'' he said. ``I joke about how I wish I could say my birthplace was the stage instead of Seoul,'' he laughed.
But the extensive stage exposure last year wasn't easy. Before winning the Leeds competition, Kim performed about six times a year but afterward was playing about 40 times a year, including a debut in Europe. He was constantly pressed to learn a string of concertos after another in a limited amount of time.
What is music to him then? ``It's just something I had to do naturally ever since I was young. I never consciously thought I'd like to become a pianist or a musician. But a life where I am not doing music seems very unnatural. It has naturally become something I cannot live without,'' he said.
``I think (my connection with music) exceeds a relationship with a friend or lover. It's like dressing or breathing, something you do without thinking,'' he said.How then did he come this far? It can be traced down to a voracious hobby and unquenchable curiosity.
Avid Collector
``I absolutely loved going to hakwon (private institutions),'' he said, referring to his taking up of extracurricular activities such as taekwondo, calligraphy, piano and swimming, as well as working on workbooks at home when he was little.
Kim was an avid collector of almost everything, and seeing all the colorful workbooks and bags for each activity greatly excited him. He pursued all these activities quite seriously, earning a black belt for Taekwondo, but he made the most rapid progress with the piano. ``I think I was driven by the desire to collect the next music score or booklet more so than the wish to master each piece,'' he said with a laugh. Naturally, he spent more time in front of the piano and cut off the other activities.
``I buy CDs endlessly,'' he said. Such avid consumerism to satisfy his singular passion to collect items has led to expanding his musical repertoire to the violin, and a growing thirst to learn. He took violin lessons for about four years, but gave it up for both practical reasons -- having to carry around the expensive instrument all the time -- and musical reasons of it being highly dependent on the piano for accompaniment.
``My mother would always tune into classical music, like concerts that air on TV of the KBS Symphony or a famous orchestra from overseas. I would then look up information about the orchestra and all the other orchestras of that country,'' he said. ``They call me the `king of online research.'"
``So when people ask how I got this far and why, of all things, the piano, I have nothing to say… I just liked listening to recordings and attending concerts, and here I am,'' he said.A classical musician to the core, his interests are bound to the genre. ``When I go to a noraebang (singing room), I have nothing to sing. It was only last month that I heard `Tell Me' for the first time'' he said, about the hit pop song by the Wonder Girls, which stirred up the entire country last year.
It's not a ``normal'' life, per se. But Kim disagrees. ``I guess I'd be taking the college entrance exams right now… But I consider myself the norm,'' he said. ``It sounds egocentric, but I just focus on myself. All my wishes have come true so far, but I'm still immature, I guess,'' said the artist, not with haughtiness, but with the ease and assurance of traveling at his own pace.
Even being labeled ``young artist'' seemed to bother him. It's true that there are musicians, but they are individuals and are of all ages. ``The age of the artist may be young but not necessarily his music… Of course no matter how hard I try, in terms of experience I could never rival that of someone a year older. I just think it's best for someone to play like his age,'' he said.
But while he directs his musical focus inward, his mind seems to stretch far outward. Kim is often hailed as a triumphant example of pure homegrown talent. He was never torn away at a young age to be trained in a foreign institution. Kim's teacher Kim Dae-jin also expressed deep pride in his student's achievement at a recent press meeting.
Last fall, Kim gave his first performance in Paris when he took part in the non-profit organization Corea Image Communications Institute's showcase of Korean arts and culture.``Rather than limit myself to Korea and being Korean, I'd like to think of myself as a global citizen,'' he said, saying how important it is to open oneself up to different cultures.
Kim reminds one of a peaceful walk in the forest ― a moment of deep introspection that still allows time to admire the surroundings. In fact he said trees and natural scenery inspire him.
Kim will present one of his new pieces that he practiced over Seollal, Rachmaninov's Second Piano Concerto in a concert on Friday (invitation only) and Saturday. Joining him at the Seoul Arts Center are soprano Shin Young-ok and the KBS Symphony Orchestra. Tickets for Saturday cost 10,000-100,000 won. Call (02) 580-1300.
The pianist will give what will be an increasingly rare domestic performance with the BBC Philharmonic in March before going on a four-week military training camp in April, after which he will leave for Europe in the summer.
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