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Winner of 2015 Chopin competition Cho Seong-jin back with Chopin's pieces
- September 07, 2021 | Music
Winner of 2015 Chopin competition
Cho Seong-jin back with Chopin's pieces
Updated: 2021-09-04 12:46:10 KST
The master of Chopin, who the Wall Street Journal says displays an "impressive variety of tonal colors and a remarkable technique", is back.
That's South Korean pianist Cho Seong-jin the winner of the 2015 International Chopin Piano Competition who has released his new album the second featuring Chopin's music.
After Cho won the competition, he released his first studio album in 2016 with top classical music record label Deutsche Grammophon, featuring Chopin Piano Concerto No. 1 and the Four Ballades.
Five years later, after he intentionally did not record any more of Chopin's music as so not to be seen as just a "Chopin specialist", he is back again featuring the composer’s Second Piano Concerto along with the Four Scherzi.
The four Scherzi together as a cycle is the highlight of the album, all very meaningful pieces for him personally.
"The four Scherzi all have different characteristics. I believe memories related to the piece are important, and in that regard, Scherzo number two is very significant to me full of memories. I played it when I was in sixth grade of elementary school and got to know the renowned conductor and pianist Chung Myung-whun. It was my last piece at the semi-final of the Chopin competition as well."
Celebrating his release of the latest album, Cho is holding a recital tour across Korea. The recitals will be in seven cities including Jeonju, Daegu, Seoul and Incheon, and an encore concert in Seoul on the 18th will be live-streamed through Naver TV. The pandemic brought Cho difficult times, yet he says he realized the importance of having the chance to just play music and that he is still learning.
"I am still learning. I think I will still be learning even when I'm in my 40s or 50s. I believe there won't be any progress after I start considering my playing as complete. It has been more than five years since I started playing abroad as pianist, but though I might be used to playing at concerts, it will be still new to me due to the pandemic."
Open to variety of sources of inspiration, Cho hopes he can make audiences feel relaxed and enjoy themselves through his music. Kim Bo-kyoung, Arirang news.
That's South Korean pianist Cho Seong-jin the winner of the 2015 International Chopin Piano Competition who has released his new album the second featuring Chopin's music.
After Cho won the competition, he released his first studio album in 2016 with top classical music record label Deutsche Grammophon, featuring Chopin Piano Concerto No. 1 and the Four Ballades.
Five years later, after he intentionally did not record any more of Chopin's music as so not to be seen as just a "Chopin specialist", he is back again featuring the composer’s Second Piano Concerto along with the Four Scherzi.
The four Scherzi together as a cycle is the highlight of the album, all very meaningful pieces for him personally.
"The four Scherzi all have different characteristics. I believe memories related to the piece are important, and in that regard, Scherzo number two is very significant to me full of memories. I played it when I was in sixth grade of elementary school and got to know the renowned conductor and pianist Chung Myung-whun. It was my last piece at the semi-final of the Chopin competition as well."
Celebrating his release of the latest album, Cho is holding a recital tour across Korea. The recitals will be in seven cities including Jeonju, Daegu, Seoul and Incheon, and an encore concert in Seoul on the 18th will be live-streamed through Naver TV. The pandemic brought Cho difficult times, yet he says he realized the importance of having the chance to just play music and that he is still learning.
"I am still learning. I think I will still be learning even when I'm in my 40s or 50s. I believe there won't be any progress after I start considering my playing as complete. It has been more than five years since I started playing abroad as pianist, but though I might be used to playing at concerts, it will be still new to me due to the pandemic."
Open to variety of sources of inspiration, Cho hopes he can make audiences feel relaxed and enjoy themselves through his music. Kim Bo-kyoung, Arirang news.
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