This is, unquestionably, a great piano recording. In this young pianist’s hands you will hear one of the finest-ever performances of the 12 Transcendental Studies, and I include all those made in the studio (and thus assembled from several takes) or captured, as here, live in front of an audience without a safety net – and as far as I can tell without any subsequent patching. To play this ferociously demanding music with such technical perfection and poetic insight in any concert performance is something, but to do so while taking part in the semi-finals of a major international piano competition is nothing short of miraculous. Yunchan Lim’s audacious account is a standout in the annals of the Van Cliburn. Seasoned pianophiles will not hesitate to have this in their collection, but I would also urge the Liszt naysayers who can’t stand a note of music the man wrote not to miss this simply stunning display of piano-playing.

Applause at the beginning and end has thankfully been retained. That aside, there are few aural indications an audience is present at all, helped by the fact that most people in the half-full hall were holding their breath with their mouths open. The long gap between the end of ‘Wilde Jagd’ and the beginning of ‘Ricordanza’ when the pianist paused to mop his brow and wipe the keyboard has been edited out, sensibly, but otherwise, this is exactly how the Études were heard in June 2022 in Fort Worth.

Yunchan Lim launches into the opening ‘Preludio’ before the applause has died down, a statement of intent if ever there was one. For once, the brief three pages really do sound like the introduction they were intended to be. Here is a pianist who is going to throw caution to the wind and offer, as every recital should, an experience the audience will never forget. Without going through all 12 études, some things maintain throughout. Lim’s full-blooded realisation of Liszt’s extreme dynamic and expression markings and directions underlines the fact that, while there are many lyrical and restful pages in the set, it is electrifying energy and passion that dominate: frequent triple fortes, con strepito, martellato, presto furioso, molto appassionato, disperato (Étude No 11) and, not least, trionfante which ends ‘Mazeppa’ (the final bar under which Liszt appends a line from Victor Hugo: ‘Il tombe enfin! … et se relève Roi!’, superbly dramatised by Lim). ‘Feux follets’ (No 5), always described as the most treacherous of the 12, is tossed off like child’s play, strongly projected but with wit and delicacy.

I could go on, but perhaps this is enough to indicate what an exceptional release this is from a musician who has already embarked on what will be a major career. This is certainly one of the finest and most compelling performances of the Transcendental Études I have ever heard. Gold Medal, yes, and other awards to follow, I suspect and hope.