The Korea Herald

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Cho Seong-jin releases new Chopin album

By Im Eun-byel

Published : Aug. 27, 2021 - 14:28

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Album cover of pianist Cho Seong-jin’s latest release (Universal Music) Album cover of pianist Cho Seong-jin’s latest release (Universal Music)

Concert pianist Cho Seong-jin, the first Korean to win the International Chopin Piano Competition, released his second Frederic Chopin album Friday.

The new album, released under the Deutsche Grammophon label, features Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21.

On the album, Cho is accompanied by the London Symphony Orchestra led by the Italian maestro Gianandrea Noseda. Though Cho has performed the work on multiple occasions, including a performance at the BBC Proms in 2018, it is the first time the concert pianist has officially recorded the concerto.

“So it has been already six years since I won the Chopin competition. In the past six years, I would say my relationship with Chopin has matured and my relationship with his music is very progressive. It is not something I can define right now. I think it is going to be a lifelong journey,” Cho said in an interview clip shared through his social media in July.

Cho made his debut in 2016 releasing an album under Deutsche Grammophon featuring Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11, after winning the Chopin piano competition the previous year. The latest album completes Cho’s repertoire of Chopin’s two piano concerto works.

The album also features Chopin’s four scherzo, single-movement pieces for solo piano.

“Though the four scherzo works are very different from each other, they work well in harmony due to the distinctive contrasts. I used to perform them as a cycle at concerts,” Cho said through a press release Friday.

The digital album and a deluxe edition of the album being released exclusively in Korea include three bonus solo tracks, Chopin’s “Revolutionary” Etude No. 12, Op. 10; Impromptu No. 1, Op. 29 and Nocturne No.2, Op. 9.

Meanwhile, Cho is set to embark on a tour across Korea, celebrating the latest release. The tour will kick off in Busan on Tuesday, followed by a recital in Incheon on Thursday, Jeonju, North Jeolla Province on Sept. 4 and Daegu on Sept. 5. The tour will end at the Seoul Arts Center on Sept. 7.

The recital program will feature Janacek’s Piano Sonata “From The Street,” Ravel’s “Gaspard de la Nuit” and Chopin’s Four Scherzos.