Soaked with national pride, the hottest classical music event of the season concluded with a much-deserved standing ovation as pianist Cho Seong-jin performed at home for the first time since becoming the first Korean to win at the prestigious International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition last year.

Cho, along with his fellow competitors who ranked through sixth place in the competition, gathered together at the Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall to perform at the winners’ gala concert.  

Originally intended to be a one-night-only show, the high demand prompted the organizer to add a matinee concert on the same day. Despite the earlier show being held at 2 p.m. on a weekday, tickets for both shows sold out almost immediately.

The night saw hordes of people lining up to snap pictures next to a poster of the young piano phenom, along with dozens of people watching the performances on TV screens in the lobby.

From the front row all the way to the third floor, the concert hall was jam-packed with eager classical enthusiasts who had waited months for this very moment. And although the performances by Cho’s competitors were some of the finest Chopin interpretations , there was no escaping the fact that the local audience was there to see one man and one man only. 

One could sense the crowds eager anticipation to see Cho onstage every time the other competitors finished their performance.

At a press conference prior to the concert, the young pianist admitted he was wrecked with nerves having to perform in front of his local fans -- whose unwavering support has made him the world’s newest classical music superstar.

However, as soon as Cho came onstage and took his rightful place at the piano bench, there was no questioning why he will forever be cemented as one of the nation’s greatest musicians of all time.  

Watching the young 21-year-old perform his historic winning repertoire of Chopin’s 42-minute-long Piano Concerto in E minor, Op. 11, was enough to make people feel as though they were witnessing history in the making.

Cho’s so-called nerves seemed nonexistent in a concert that exceeded expectations and even included an unexpected encore performance from the winner, leading to the show lasting nearly three hours.

Aside from Cho’s epic performance, second-place winner Charles Richard-Hamelin also received much-earned roaring applause for his interpretation of Chopin’s Piano Sonata No. 3 in B Minor, Op. 58.

Richard-Hamelin’s set was so elegantly executed that one couldn’t help but be baffled that his performance was ranked second.By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)