Reviews

“Kim shines with brilliance and impressive nuance as she navigates the difficulties... In the last work, Franz Liszt’s Grandes Études de Paganini, this pianist really shows her mettle. These six etudes, based on violin compositions by Paganini and dedicated to Clara Schumann, are extraordinarily difficult, among the most trying works in the entire piano literature. Kim navigates through these problems like a falcon gliding on air, displaying formidable technical acumen and rarified subtlety in those passages that demand reflection and repose. This is by all counts a fine album, bringing to light an artist that deserves to be heard again!”
[Audiophile Audition] 

 
“She represents the richness of talent that welcoming borders have brought to the arts in this country, and she deserves wider attention from pianophiles... The wonderful thing about Kim’s performances is how musical and thoughtful they are, blowing past technical hurdles to find charm, romance and elegance...”
 [Fanfare] 

 
“Kim’s control of the Rachmaninov Corelli Variations’ chordal leaps, vertiginous passagework and often gnarly textures cannot be faulted.” 
 [Gramophone] 

 
 “Kim offers exuberant and bold playing... Kim is at ease with this difficult material.” 
[American Record Guide] 

 
“Kim makes full use of the capabilities of a modern concert grand, and this is particularly effective in the Rachmaninoff variations, which Kim plays with considerable finesse and a fine sense of contrast from piece to piece... Kim is also strong in Liszt’s Grandes Études de Paganini. She handles the material well, and her light touch in the third étude, “La Campanella,” is particularly welcome, as is her handling of the arpeggios in the final étude... Kim shows herself here to be an impressive performer and an effective interpreter of the Romantics.”
 [InfoDad]

“...polished performances of music by Haydn, Rachmaninov, and Liszt... Kim plays the Haydn with solid, confident enthusiasm, and the luster of her tone. Kim delivers several sterling moments of liquid or hard-patina sound in the Rachmaninoff... Kim makes the Liszt resound with a potent authority...” 
 [Audiophile Audition] 

“Engaged playing. Great dexterity, clarity of finger work, and command of technical skill at the piano. Excellent articulation and well-planned voicing with clear musical intentions that speak Kim’s understanding of musical flow and ideas. Playful over the keyboard… clearly articulated voicings and gestures… operatic drama… well-enunciated in vocal announcement followed by orchestral-like responses, instrumental colors, and musical gestures.”
 [The American Prize] 

“What Kim has to offer is a level of poetry, of interpretive insight, of sheer beauty that goes well beyond technique… She found the music that is contained in the blizzard of notes that Liszt put down on paper, so that his pieces were much more than fireworks although the fireworks were present.”
 [Henry Fogel]