Renowned for his gracefully fleeting fingers, Paris-based Korean pianist Paik Kun-woo made his much-welcomed return to the local stage last week in a concert program that was all about paying tribute to his loyal fans.

While the pianist breathed new life into Bach’s French Suite No. 5 in G major, BWV 816 and Brahms’ “Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel, Op. 24” in the first half of his concert, last week’s performance was really all about the second half. 

In the special concert event, which was held at the Seoul Arts Center’s Concert Hall last Thursday, Paik sought the help of his fans to determine a portion of the program’s after-intermission program, having previously solicited fans to submit song requests online. Of the requests, the pianist announced the four selections: Maurice Ravel’s “Jeux d’eau;” Francis Poulenc’s Improvisation No. 15 in C Minor “Hommage a Edith Piaf”; Claude Debussy’s “Clair de Lune”; and Robert Schumann’s “Widmung.”

As promised, Paik delighted the audience with his fans’ top picks. The lucky faces behind the winning selections were not only given the opportunity to see one of the country’s musical greats perform their favorite classical scores, but were also recipients of a once-in-a-lifetime invitation to dinner with Paik. 

Following his gift performances, Paik concluded the evening’s program with his finessed rendition of Franz Liszt’s “Fantasy and Fugue on the Theme B-A-C-H S529/R22.” However, the night did not end there.

As part of his night to “give thanks to fans,” the musician went on to hold an autograph session following the conclusion of his performance, where hundreds of fans lined up for a chance to meet and greet the musical artist.

“He’s a musical genius,” said one fan eagerly waiting in line for Paik to sign her concert program. “Any discussion where you are talking about Korean classical pianists, Paik Kun-woo is of course going to be one of the first names that come to mind.”

After his first public performance at the tender age of 10 with the Korean National Orchestra, 70-year-old Paik earned himself a reputation as one of the country’s most admired pianists, having performed on some of the world’s most respected stages, including the Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall when he was only 15, as well as performing in culturally underserved regions in Korea, including remote islands, in more recent years.

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)