London's Royal Albert Hall was sold out for the Proms return of Yunchan Lim on Friday night, with the young Korean pianist performing alongside the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra under Kazuki Yamada. Lim's huge social media following ensures global attention for his performances, but this Prom gained notoriety for an unusual disruption.
Soon after Lim began Rachmaninov's fourth piano concerto, a distant alarm started ringing in the hall, accompanied by flashing red lights. Yamada and Lim pressed on, but at the end of the movement, Yamada left the podium and disappeared off-stage, leaving the musicians and audience uncertain. After about five minutes, the red lights stopped, the alarm was silenced, and Yamada returned to applause and relief.
Lim remained unflustered by the incident, demonstrating his commanding range and touch that could conjure a willing audience into silence. His Korngold encore further showcased his wide command of sound. Rachmaninov's fourth concerto, which veers between weighty and whispering passages with hints of Ravel, was wonderfully played, though a bit more spaciousness would have improved it.
The concert opened with John Adams's propulsive foxtrot The Chairman Dances, highlighting the CBSO's wind and percussion sections. After the interval, Berio's Sinfonia, a swirling mix of styles and cultures from 1968, was performed. Yamada and the musicians captured its hauntingly chaotic sound world and troubled intensity, though the piece felt like a period piece from an era more open to disruption. A steady trickle of audience members towards the exits during the performance testified to changing tastes.
