Franz Liszt - Piano Works (Yekwon Sunwoo)

Information

Composer: Franz Liszt

1. Die Gräberinsel (After Lied by Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha), S. 485b
2. Consolations, S. 172: No. 3 in D-Flat Major. Lento, placido
3. Liebesträume, S. 541: No. 3, O lieb, so lang du lieben kannst!
4. Gretchen am Spinnrade, S. 558 No. 8 (After Schubert, D. 118)
5. Müllerlieder von Franz Schubert, S. 565 (1879 2nd Version): II. Der Müller und der Bach (After D. 795/19)
6. Auf Flügeln des Gesanges, S. 547 No. 1 (After Mendelssohn)
7. Liebeslied "Widmung", S. 566 (After Schumann, Op. 25/1)
8. Dessauers Lieder, S. 485: I. Lockung
9. Rigoletto de Verdi, Concert Paraphrase, S. 434
10. Mephisto Waltz No. 1, S. 514
11. Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 in C-Sharp Minor, S. 244 No. 2

Yekwon Sunwoo, piano

Date: 2026

Label: Universal Music

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Sunwoo Yekwon, winner of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2017, has recently centered his third Decca Records album on the works of Franz Liszt, despite having largely set the composer aside during much of his earlier training. After studies at institutions including the Juilliard School and the Mannes School of Music, Sunwoo re-engaged with Liszt’s repertoire through a renewed interpretive perspective focused on lyrical “singing” tone and lighter sonic textures. His album, recorded in Berlin, explores Liszt’s transcriptions of Franz Schubert alongside operatic paraphrases and virtuosic works such as Mephisto Waltz No. 1 and Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2. The project reflects a conceptual dialogue between Schubert’s introspective lyricism and Liszt’s dramatic transformation of melodic material.

Sunwoo Yekwon, born in Anyang in 1989, is an internationally recognized pianist trained in South Korea and at leading U.S. institutions including the Curtis Institute of Music and the Juilliard School. He has earned top prizes in major international competitions, including the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, which he won in 2018, as well as the William Kapell International Piano Competition and the International German Piano Award. Sunwoo performs widely at major festivals and venues worldwide, including Carnegie Hall, and has built a reputation for technical precision and refined musicality. His discography includes recordings of works by Schubert, Liszt, Ravel, and Rachmaninov, reflecting a broad and stylistically diverse repertoire.