Written by Hugh Robertson

Acclaimed South Korean pianist Yeol Eum Son makes her long-awaited Sydney debut in September, performing Mozart’s Piano Concerto No.20 with our former Chief Conductor Edo de Waart, as well as a solo recital at City Recital Hall.

Son first came to international attention in 2004, when she performed Liszt’s Piano Concerto No.1 with conductor Lorin Maazel and the New York Philharmonic on their tour of Asia, when she was just 18. Now 36, Son has won a slew of awards at major piano competitions, has an extensive and critically-acclaimed discography, and is greatly in demand in concert halls around the world.

Son began playing the piano at 3-and-a-half, and her talent was obvious almost immediately. By 12 she was making her recital debut, by 16 she enrolled in Korea National University of Arts, and by 18 she had recorded her first album of Chopin’s Op.10 and Op. 25 Études for Universal Music.

But her meteoric rise wasn’t a surprise to anyone, least of all Son herself, who had realised very early on that she wanted to be a professional pianist.

“I really liked it from the beginning,” says Son from her home in South Korea, in a rare break from her hectic touring schedule. “The best part was being on stage – I loved to be on stage! I was a very shy kid, but on stage I felt much more comfortable – and I think that was the part that I loved the most.”

“Also I loved learning new pieces, and learning new repertoire. Both good things for a concert pianist to enjoy!”

Despite all her years of performing, Son can’t quite describe what it is like to be on stage, performing with an orchestra – there remains something ineffable about the experience, something wonderous she can’t put into words.

“On one hand you are completely carried away, and you don’t necessarily think. But it’s a unique experience because you are an actor, but also a director. You have to combine those two sides, which is not normal,” she says with a laugh. “And the balance between the two is sometimes very tricky – you have to be outside of yourself, and above yourself, but also totally in the moment with the music.”

“You have to feel everything, but you also have to think very hard about what you are doing. It’s very hard to explain what’s going on! But I think it is magical – it’s not just about one thing, it is about many things at the same time. There are a lot of things going on!”

One composer who has been central to Son’s career is Mozart. Son has performed Mozart all around the world, from keyboard pieces in her recital to his concertos in concert halls all around the world, as well as recording a disc of the composer’s works with the great Sir Neville Marriner and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields. What is it about Mozart that speaks to her?

“I feel very comfortable when playing Mozart,” Son says. “I cannot quite say why – it has always been like this. Whenever I play Mozart I feel like I am speaking my own language, my mother language.”

“I love the drama, and the theatrical side of his music. It always speaks about something, always expresses something. Even when it is instrumental music, it is like theatre. There are scenes, and singing, and speaking, all these things – it is very operatic. Especially the D minor concerto [which Son is playing with the Sydney Symphony], I think it is one of the most operatic piano concertos that he wrote. I love it very much, and so many people love it so much. There are so many beautiful moments, and scenes, and colours – it is a masterpiece.”

After all these years playing Mozart, and working on his pieces with different conductors, has anything changed in her approach to Mozart?

Son pauses a moment before answering. “If anything has changed it could be the simplicity. I always treated his music as I just spoke about it – acknowledging the drama, the theatre, and all the things going on. But at the same time, the simplicity in his music is always something that has to be carried through. The balance between the complexity and the simplicity is something new – for me at least – that I want to balance well. After all, in the end, the music has to be really simple. That is what makes his music unique.”

“I want the audience to feel the beauty and the greatness of the piece itself. If I can introduce the piece well to the audience, that is everything I hope for. Because it is a great piece of music, and amazingly well-written, and after hearing this piece from beginning to end, you go through some very interesting things. And I hope it will be a unique experience for everyone.”

Sydney audiences will also be treated to Son performing solo, as part of our International Pianists in Recital series at City Recital Hall. Son has crafted a fascinating program based on the form of variations, whereby a composer sets out their central material, or theme, and then offers multiple repeats of that theme, each time altering something about it –melody, rhythm, harmonies, and more.

Son’s program features variations by a diverse range of composers, beginning with Haydn and going all the way through to Rachmaninov, Nikolai Kapustin and Arvo Pärt.

“Variations, for me, is a fascinating form,” says Son. “And in the case of the piano, variations can represent a lot of different sides to the piano – the effects, the sound, and everything that a piano can bring. So I hope that will be fun for audiences to experience how variations have varied over 250 years!”

Remarkably, despite growing up in the same hemisphere, Son’s performances with the Sydney Symphony in September are part of her first tour to Australia – and she is planning on making the most of her time here.

“I have heard so many good things about Australia – the people, the weather, the food, everything. And I was supposed to be there two years ago, but everything was cancelled, and I was worried it would never happen. But thankfully everything came back, and I am really very grateful that it did.”

The Sydney Symphony Orchestra presents Yeol Eum Son in Recital on 5 September. She also performs in Yeol Eum Son Performs Mozart from 9-10 September.