The 21-year-old pianist Yunchan Lim performed Bach’s Goldberg Variations to a sold out crowd on April 25, 2025 at Carnegie Hall, and the evening is documented here across two slabs of vinyl and a hardback book with exclusive photos.

Side A starts with the melodic and light key acrobatics of “Aria,” which is full of grace and wonder, before “Variatones I-VII,” which are often swift segments that dance playfully, but can also retreat to intimate moments of beauty.

“Variationes XVI-XV” lands on Side B. This portion highlights Lim’s strong attention to tonality, where he shifts in and out of calm gestures and really complicated progressions with seemingly effortless dexterity and control.

Side C brings us “Variationes XVI-XXIV,” which starts with a particularly distinct emotion, but it isn’t long until the dancing keys are fleshed out with incredible detail and much depth.

The last portion is among the best. “Variationes XXV-XXX” illustrates tremendous playing techniques that are lightning fast and can also be harmonic and thoughtful. “Aria da Capo” exits, and it’s a poetic and stirring conclusion to an exceptional performance.

In 1955, the 22-year-old Canadian pianist Glenn Gould offered his interpretation of Bach’s Goldberg Variations and this similar undertaking 70 years later will likely also reach legendary status. Bach's 300-year-old solo keyboard masterpiece is a feat for anyone to take on, and Lim handles the task with a youthful energy and emotional maturity that surpasses his age. He had been thinking of his particular work since he was eight years old, and considers it “a journey of life in music.” Now four albums deep on the Decca label, the world is clearly Lim’s oyster and we’re waiting to see what happens next.

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