Hee-Young Lim - 4th Full-length Album [As Time Goes By]

“A time when the sweet and bittersweet melodies of the cello arrive like a gift for you, who have lost your daily routine to COVID-19” “An exotic encounter between romantic jazz and mellow cello” Cellist Lim Hee-young Fourth Full-length Album As Time Goes By Washington Post “A noteworthy artist with outstanding musicality and fluid technique” BBC Music Magazine “While her exceptional technique puts her on par with the finest cellists of her generation, her warm and expressive tone easily surpasses them—a quality that is truly rare to find.” GRAMOPHONE “She delivers a brilliantly sophisticated performance and a silky, beautiful sound.” A new crossover challenge undertaken with her characteristic sensual sophistication and witty interpretation. This is her first attempt at a crossover album. Featuring standard jazz and film music that remain timelessly loved, this album combines the deep, heart-stirring tone of the cello with the brilliant ad-libs of jazz, allowing listeners to fully enjoy these gem-like masterpieces in fantastic harmony. Moving away from classical interpretations, one can glimpse her efforts to reach the public more closely through this attempt to become freer and cross various musical boundaries. The album consists of arrangements for cello and jazz trio, reflecting her memories of jazz and film music she enjoyed since childhood. It includes jazz masterpieces such as ‘Misty,’ ‘Moonlight Serenade,’ ‘Over the Rainbow,’ and ‘The Girl from Ipanema,’ as well as famous film scores like ‘Moon River’ from Breakfast at Tiffany's, ‘As Time Goes By’ from Casablanca, ‘The Last Tango in Paris,’ and ‘Gymnopédie’ from the city. “While contemplating music that could provide comfort during this difficult time of life's hardships and COVID-19, I decided to try performing my favorite jazz songs and film music on the cello. Throughout the recording process, I felt deeply sad and exhausted myself, as the pandemic made it impossible to see even a step ahead. It became a precious opportunity to soothe my sorrow through music and realize once again how valuable the power of music is. Through this album, I want to convey the happiness of being able to forget the weariness of daily life and the exhausted heart, even if only for a short moment of healing,” she shared. This crossover album will allow listeners to fully experience the charm of the cello through popular pieces. Leading international media have praised her musicality as rich and natural. This is because her playing goes beyond simple instrumental performance; she creates music with the cello as if she were singing, handling it like a language with a performance full of cantabile. Her debut album with the London Symphony Orchestra, released by Sony Classical in 2018, received acclaim from the prestigious British publications Gramophone, BBC Music Magazine, and The Strad, and she has been building international recognition through introductions on radio stations worldwide, including BBC Radio 3 and Classic FM in the UK, WFMT in Chicago, WKCR and WQXR in New York, WCRB in Boston, KUSC in Los Angeles, and CKUW in Canada. The following year, in 2019, she released digital music through Sony Classical, and her second album, ‘Russian Cello Sonatas,’ once again proved her skill, receiving praise from leading international media such as BBC Music Magazine, Gramophone, and The Guardian. Furthermore, she drew attention again in 2020 with the release of her third album, ‘Duo,’ performed in Beijing with her mentor from the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris, the master of the French cello world, Philippe Muller. Cellist Lim Hee-young was recognized early on as a talented prospect in Korea. She entered the preparatory school of the Korea National University of Arts in 1998 and won a prize at the Ewha-Kyunghyang Competition that same year. Subsequently selected as a Kumho Gifted Artist, she performed solo recitals in the Kumho Gifted Concert, Kumho Young Artist, and Kumho Rising Star series. She received the "Award for Honoring Yewon" at Yewon School, and after graduating from Yewon School, she entered and graduated from the Korea National University of Arts as an artistic prodigy at the age of 15. She later earned her Master's degree under Lawrence Lesser at the New England Conservatory and entered the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris with a unanimous top ranking, becoming a student of Philippe Muller. After graduating at the top of her class from the conservatory, she completed the highest performer's course at the Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt Weimar in Germany under the tutelage of Wolfgang Emmanuel Schmidt. Having established herself as a cellist of solid skill by winning major competitions in the United States and Europe—including 1st place in the string category of the 2008 Solentinella International Competition, 1st place at the Chicago Barnett Cello Competition, victory at the 49th Washington International String Competition, a prize at the Lutosławski International Cello Competition in Poland, the Grand Prix at the Forum Normandie Chamber Music Competition, the Carl Flesch Academy Award, 1st place at the Cipra Foundation Competition, and the Grand Prix at the IBLA Competition in Italy—she served as the principal cellist of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra in the Netherlands, a position that had remained vacant for four years during the tenure of music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin. She currently serves as a professor at the Central Conservatory of Music, China's most prestigious music academy. She has been invited to hold masterclasses at DePaul University in Chicago, USA, and the Conservatoire Malraux in Paris, France, and is actively and passionately engaged in nurturing future generations, including the publication of the "Lim Hee-young's Earthly Lesson Series." In January 2020, she was invited to the Zhuhai International Festival in China, where she set a meaningful record by performing the complete Bach Cello Suites in a single day, continuing to build a diligent and scholarly career as a young performer. In 2018, she received a commendation from the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism and is enhancing the prestige of the Republic of Korea as a young Korean musician.