Internationally praised for his refined artistry and classical reinterpretations, pianist Dasol Kim has finally released his debut studio album, “Dasol Kim Plays Schumann,” paying personal homage to one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era.

Following an increasing demand in the European market for a studio album from the piano prodigy, the 26-year-old unveiled his first album in May, featuring Schumann’s “Arabeske Op. 18,” “Humoreske Op. 20” and “Kreisleriana Op. 16.”

However, despite finally taking the plunge with his first album, Kim revealed that no matter his countless international accomplishments as a prestigious soloist over the past decade, he really never felt there would be the perfect moment to commit to an album.

“I thought I wasn’t ready for it and actually I still think I’m not ready for it,” said Kim during an interview with The Korea Herald in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. “But then I kept asking myself, ‘When am I ever going to be ready?’”

Regardless of his reticence to release an album, the pianist said he decided to ease his doubts by selecting scores of a personal nature ― ones that leave the artist so emotionally raw and exposed, to the point he rarely ever chooses to play the repertoires in front of a live audience. 

“Schumann is very personal to me and I wanted to pick these pieces because they are a part of me,” he said. “These pieces are so personal to me that I rarely have ever performed them on stage ... it’s so hard to describe what I want to say through words, but with Schumann, I can always open up myself.”

“This is something that I discovered in the last few years. When I play these pieces, I go through all my memories ― good ones, bad ones ― but I always open up, and it is almost like I could cry even if I’m on stage, and that is just a no-go for me,” he said with a smile. “So I have always tried to avoid putting these pieces on stage, but the music was something that I was always working on personally because I was just hopelessly in love. When I decided to record an album, I realized that this would be the moment where I could perform the pieces for people to hear.”

Since the album’s release, Kim says he has slowly started to find his comfort zone with Schumann and has begun adding the pieces to a number of his stage repertoires.

Having played with some of the world’s most renowned orchestras, such as the New York Philharmonic and the Berlin Chamber Orchestra, Kim has performed on some of the classical world’s most respected platforms. Following his debut album release, the artist is slated to perform a number of concerts in Korea at the upcoming Great Mountains Music Festival in Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province starting next month.

“When I perform in Korea, I really put a lot more added pressure on myself because the Korean audience has watched me grow up, so I always have to make sure that my next concert is always better than the last,” he said.

“There are so many wonderful up-and-coming young musicians out there that I have so much respect for, but it’s not my goal to become them, I don’t even want to revert and become like my old self,” he added. “I am always looking to learn and discover new things about myself. ... My goal is and always has been, ‘Be a better pianist than yesterday.’”

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)