A grandiose opening to the recital by MinJung Baek with the Bach Chaconne. A sumptuous tone palette with refined sounds that allowed her to shape Busoni’s reworking of one of the most original works of Bach, allowing it to expand with an anchor in the bass on which she was able to maintain a constant forward movement. An architectural shape from the simple opening to the grandiose final declamation of nobility and grandeur.A sense of building up from the bass that gave a sumptuous richness to her playing that was always of a crystalline clarity of impeccable style and technical mastery.
Five preludes from Rachmaninov’s op 23 showed the intensity and beauty of her playing as the first demonstrated her sense of balance with the melodic line passing from the treble to the bass in a passionate question and answer of sensitivity and flexibility, leading almost imperceptibly to a climax of passionate commitment. She brought an aristocratic beauty to the fourth in D major with its melodic line embroidered with wisps of golden strands whilst building in burning intensity. The sixth was a romantic outpouring of luminosity and beauty with an ending thrown off with refined elegance. The ninth was a little slow but she imbued it with such beauty that the quite considerable technical difficulties just disappeared as she allowed the music to speak with unusual eloquence. The Prelude in B flat usually played in a barn storming way, was played with sumptuous rich sounds of controlled elegance. The tenor melodic line allowed to emerge surrounded by sounds of refined mastery. Playing with great intensity but always with an architectural sense of line and sounds that were never hard but of sumptuous Philadelphian richness.
To Franck she brought flowing fantasy and architectural shape where she manage to incorporate three movements into one whole. A palette of sounds that could shape the fantasy of Franck which in lesser hands can sound rather segmented. A fluidity to her playing not only of the mellifluous opening but also of the chords that follow that were played with horizontal beauty, imbuing them with a sense of shape and colour as she moved toward the chorale. Playing of ravishing beauty with a wonderful fluidity as wafts of sounds illuminated the piano as the Chorale grew in intensity. Moments of brilliance were balanced with masterly control as Franck incorporates the three main themes into a sumptuous climax that MinJung played with exhilaration and passionate intensity. The final glorious bars were played with glowing radiance and control as she brought this remarkable work to a brilliant conclusion.
Persuaded by Dr Mather to play just one more piece before St Mary’s closes for the summer break and a refurbishment for the next season of over 100 concerts. An affectionate thank you from MinJung who I noticed has now returned to St Mary’s as a mother – I had noticed two small children at the back of the hall. She was happy to play Schumann’s love song for his wife Clara that MinJung told us she had learnt when she was expecting her first child. Playing of refined beauty and of passionate involvement but always with aristocratic nobility and beauty of sound.
Award-winning pianist MinJung Baek is one of the leading pianists of her generation. A winner of more than fifty national competitions in Korea, she has also won numerous international competitions, including the Beethoven Piano Society of Europe, Rachmaninoff (Italy), Pietro Argento, Giuliano Pecar, Liszt (Italy), Lyon (France) and Skokie Valley (USA) competitions. She gained international recognition when she debuted with the Busan Philharmonic Orchestra at the age of ten, and by the age of thirteen she was performing on international stages in the USA, Russia and Switzerland. Since then, she has performed in prestigious concert halls such as Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, the Barbican, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Seoul Arts Centre, Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford and King’s Place in London. She has also performed as a soloist with leading international orchestras such as the Martinu Philharmonic Orchestra, the Kiev Symphony Orchestra in Ukraine, the Bellini Symphony Orchestra in Italy, the New World Symphony Orchestra in the USA and the Zhengzhou Philharmonic Orchestra in China, among others. She has also received numerous awards, including the ‘Gold Medal’ from the Worshipful Company of Musicians, the ‘Artist Proclamation Award’ from the Senator of Illinois in the USA, the Mannes Presidential Award and the Earl Wild Teaching Fellowship from Ivory Classics. The award led to the rare honour of performing for the legendary Mr Wild in Palm Springs, California. Her solo and teaching engagements have taken her to major international festivals including at such as the Dino Ciani Music Festival in Stresa, Imola in Musica, the Haus Marteau International Masterclass series, the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival in Germany and the International Keyboard Institute & Festival in the USA. MinJung completed all her studies on full scholarships at Mannes College of Music in NYC under Jerome Rose and at the Accademia Pianistica Internazionale “Incontri col Maestro” di Imola under Leonid Margarius. She also completed a Master of Performance and an Artist Diploma both with distinction at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama under the guidance of Ronan O’Hora. Her critically acclaimed recordings have been featured om major media such as KBS, SBS, ITV, and Rai3 radio, Radio Classica and Kyiv national TV. They are played every year on major music streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music in over 134 countries. She is also passionate about chamber music and actively collaborates with renowned quartets and musicians on the scene. In 2014, as the youngest candidate she won a teaching position on the piano faculty at the Kyunghee University in Seoul, South Korea. Many of her university and pre-college students have been awarded first prize in numerous national and international competitions. Graduates of her studio have been accepted to master’s and doctoral programmes at major universities and conservatoires in the UK, Germany, and the USA. She has also served as a visiting professor at the Conservatorio Nazionale di Musica L. Canepa in Italy and at the University of Oxford. She is active as a performer, a recording artist, a jury member in international competitions, an educator, and the director of the international piano festival. Following her recent recital at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, she was invited to return to the city immediately for the next season. Her engagements for the 2026/27 season include the release of her new albums, Beethoven Sonata Vol. 2 and Liszt, as well as a debut concert in Croatia. She will also be touring the US and China, giving concerts and masterclasses, and performing at important venues such as the Carnegie Hall, Palau de la Música in Barcelona and the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg.
ChristopherAxworthy-MusicCommentary 