Virtuoso Lim Yun-chan has won the piano category and Young Artist of the Year honors at this year's Gramophone Classical Music Awards. (Lim's official Instagram)

By Hong Angie

Pianist Lim Yunchan has won two honors at this year's Gramophone Classical Music Awards of the U.K.

Lim, who turned 20 this year, on Oct. 2 won the piano category at the awards ceremony in London for his debut album released in April, "Chopin's Études." He is the first Korean pianist to win a Gramophone Award, the world's top honor in classical music.

His album contains 24 of Chopin's 27 etudes.

Gramophone in an earlier review called Lim's album "as flexible and feather-light as it is fluent and fiery," adding, "The whole experience radiates joyful, youthful exuberance."

Lim was also named Young Artist of the Year.

Gramophone hailed Lim as "a pianist whose flair and probing musicianship are supported by a phenomenal technique."

The pianist did not give an acceptance speech at the ceremony, but his rendition of Liszt's Petrarch Sonnet No. 104 drew huge applause.

Launched in 1977, the awards given by the British magazine of classical music are called the Oscars of classical music. They honor the year's best albums in categories like chamber, choral, concerto, contemporary, early music, opera and orchestral.

shong9412@korea.kr