Lim captured the world’s attention through the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition video, but he was a standout even before that. After winning the Yewon Music Competition, the Music Chunchu Competition and the Mozart Korea Competition, he won second place and the Chopin Special Prize at the 2018 Cleveland Youth Piano International Competition and third place and the Audience Award as the youngest competitor at the Cooper International Competition. In 2019, at the age of 15, he won the international ISANGYUN Competition as the youngest winner, as well as the UNESCO Creative City of Music Special Prize (Audience Award) and the Seong-Yawng Park Special Prize. While the video of his performance in the finals of the Van Cliburn Competition has been widely viewed, anyone who has seen Lim perform on stages large and small, such as the Kumho Art Hall and the house concerts, can’t help but notice that his piano skills are unique. What makes his performances so captivating for the audience?

First of all, Lim has a remarkable command of the keyboard. While this may seem like an obvious requirement for a pianist, it is far more common for a performer to be unable to emotionally and technically capture the characteristics of music created by different composers. However, Lim can naturally digest songs that speak to different composers or work in different ways, each with a different sound and expression. While he presents the universal standards and interpretations of famous works, he also offers his own perspective―sometimes boldly, but convincingly―to renew listeners’ existing experiences and standards.

The range of repertoire that Lim approaches in this way is remarkable. With fresh interpretations and touches on frequently heard works, he pleasantly reminds us that it is possible to appreciate them in this way; meanwhile, he adds fewer common works to his programs and manipulates the flow of the concert in his own unique way. Most importantly, every performance is of high quality, whether it is a famous piece or not. His music is wonderful to hear―especially given the pure bravado of a young man with a long list of works to perform. His music loosens the minds of his listeners, creating anticipation and excitement for what is about to happen on stage.

Every time he plays, the sounds Lim makes on the piano resemble the expressiveness of a famous actor with good tone, pronunciation and breathing. His presence in every line, breath, pause, movement and nuance is as clear, deep and articulate as that of a famous actor. He has a good tone, but he doesn’t waste any notes on the score; he builds them up like a solid pillar, and even when he performs some of the more spectacular passages, he doesn’t crush the notes or lose the scale. It’s rare to hear him use the pedals to exaggerate dynamics. In the same way that an actor can deliver a line of dialogue with clear consonant and vowel articulation, Lim’s piano doesn’t muffle or drown out the melodies of his music. This makes the music of Bach and Mozart clearer, crisper, more suggestive and evocative; and in the case of note-heavy works like Liszt and Rachmaninoff, it reveals more clearly how three-dimensional their music is. The sheer number of notes stacked on top of each other creates a terrifying sense of volume that is quite different from the dynamics that are too easily created by pedals. It’s what gives his music such depth and grandeur.

With recent debuts at Tokyo’s Suntory Hall and London’s Wigmore Hall, as well as appearances with the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Lucerne Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Munich Philharmonic and Radio France Philharmonic, Lim is on a fast track to becoming a top performer. In 2024, he will expand his reach even further with his Carnegie Hall debut in February. His fans are also eagerly anticipating his upcoming album on Decca. They are particularly curious about the repertoire he has hidden in the album, where his own ideas stand out. Lim is already an outstanding performer, but his imaginative and witty “musical ideas” make him even more fascinating.

In any field, when someone is suddenly thrust into the spotlight, their career can be short-lived, and their life can be in jeopardy if they get caught up in the moment. “Just because I won the Van Cliburn Competition does not mean I’ll be able to play well tomorrow,” Lim said after winning the competition. Every time he takes the stage, he brings something new to his audience, and he has high expectations for what’s to come. The global music market is also taking notice. Fortunately, he has a good teacher, and although he is quite stubborn in his approach to his vast repertoire, he also shows flexibility, as if he is having fun: it is clear that he enjoys exploring the music he makes. I, for one, wish him a long and happy life with music. Thanks to him, I have discovered a wonderful world that I hope will allow me to grow and mature musically along with him.