Diapason​
​
"an exceptional artist .... one who, for the space of a concert, transcends himself"
​
https://www.diapasonmag.fr/critiques/concours-long-thibaud-les-laureats-sont-55469.html#item=1
Le Monde​
​
"the pianistic abilities are superlative, his touch elegant and profound, the phrasing infinitely nuanced, and the sense of narrative undeniable"
​
"This dynamic omniscience, this coloristic precision of touch, this ardent interiority, Saehyun then turns the focus of these on two Bach chorales revisited by Ferrucio Busoni (BWV 645 and BWV 639) before a stunning Sonata in B minor by Liszt, that absolute Holy Grail for pianists. The competition can be tough, as many of the greatest have made it their hobbyhorse. However, the Korean beguiles from the first notes launched into the burning, vertiginous silence.
Everything seems essential in this thriller, constructed like a great battle around the Faustian myth. Saehyun Kim opens the abysses, implores for redemption, closes up wounds. Which must prevail: the song of lost love or the demonic pact? The response is in the last few notes: totally purified, holy, ecstatic."
​