Pianist Cho Seong-jin prepares for 'Ravelathon' after releasing recordings of French composer's works
Published: 21 Jan. 2025, 15:00
Updated: 21 Jan. 2025, 15:20
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- YIM SEUNG-HYE
- [email protected]
![Pianist Cho Seong-jin [BEN WOLF]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/01/21/fd8d44b6-8a25-4045-9cbe-6fa3b92bdc28.jpg)
Pianist Cho Seong-jin [BEN WOLF]
To star Korean pianist Cho Seong-jin, French Impressionist composer Maurice Ravel (1875–1937) is best described as a "genius and perfectionist with a clear artistic vision, who preferred precision over performers' interpretive liberties." He’s always been aware of this, but the Cho expressed that he got to “admire him more” as he worked on recording Ravel’s complete solo piano works for his latest album with label Deutsche Grammophon.
Cho’s new album “Ravel: The Complete Solo Piano Works” was released on Jan. 17, and his recordings of Ravel’s two piano concertos are set to follow next month. The two piano concertos will be released on Feb. 21, with a deluxe edition containing all tracks scheduled for April 11.
The album is out just in time to mark the 150th anniversary of Ravel’s birth this year. It’s the first time Cho has recorded the complete works of a single composer.
“Three years ago, I first proposed recording Ravel’s complete solo piano pieces,” Cho said during an online interview with local reporters on Monday. “Though he is not as universally familiar as Bach, Mozart or Beethoven, his works occupy a unique place in classical music, blending precision and complexity.”
![French pianist Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) [JOONGANG ILBO]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/01/21/cbc0b683-a315-4e9a-9c0d-da3a800d567c.jpg)
French pianist Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) [JOONGANG ILBO]
Cho's "admiration for Ravel” goes way back to his childhood.
“When I was in fifth grade, students, especially boys, used to show off their techniques on the piano during recess by playing some of the most notoriously difficult and technically challenging pieces in the piano repertoire,” Cho said. “While my classmates were tackling Balakirev’s ‘Islamey,’ I picked Ravel’s ‘Scarbo.’”
Cho said recording an album for him is always “stressful” compared to performing recitals and concerts.
Recording Ravel was especially difficult, Cho said, as it took him two hours to play the whole program, which is double the usual recording length. The recitals he has prepared for the new album are also dubbed "A Ravel-athon,” as they go on for three hours with two intermissions.
"I get physically drained when I reach the final piece, but at the same time, I feel immense pride with immersing myself in Ravel’s world and sharing it with the audience,” he said, adding that he also hopes listeners to his lengthy new album and grueling three-hour recitals get to truly learn a lot about the French composer.
“For listeners new to classical music, Ravel and Debussy can be conflated,” Cho said. “But they are so different. Debussy is freer, more romantic, while Ravel is a meticulous perfectionist. His music is meticulously structured, and his piano compositions evoke the grandeur of an orchestra.”
This month, Cho embarked on a European tour featuring Ravel’s music, heading to Erlangen, Germany, followed by Vienna, Austria. He will continue to New York’s Carnegie Hall next month. In June, he will bring the same program to Korea.
![Pianist Cho Seong-jin [BEN WOLF]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/01/21/5d2b2aa2-b531-44a6-9bd9-f8da5d53458e.jpg)
Pianist Cho Seong-jin [BEN WOLF]
![The cover of pianist Cho Seong-jin's latest album ″Ravel: The Complete Solo Piano Works″ [UNIVERSAL MUSIC]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/01/21/8110eb03-8579-49f5-bd60-991db77509b1.jpg)
The cover of pianist Cho Seong-jin's latest album ″Ravel: The Complete Solo Piano Works″ [UNIVERSAL MUSIC]
This year also marks the 10th anniversary of Cho winning the Chopin International Piano Competition in 2015. To mark the milestone that allowed him to gain global fame, Cho said he hopes to work more with Korean orchestras this year.
Last year, Cho's itinerary was filled with collaborations with world-renowned orchestras. But this year, many of the planned performances are his solo recitals. In Korea, he is set to accompany the Gangneung Philharmonic Orchestra in July, under the baton of Jeong Min, and the Gyeonggi Philharmonic Orchestra in December, under the baton of Cho’s good friend Kim Sun-wook, a pianist and conductor.
“Performing in renowned concert halls with esteemed orchestras is always an honor, but there’s something uniquely fulfilling about making music with people you really feel close to, and for me this year, it's working with Kim Sun-wook.”
"Over the past decade, I’ve met so many inspiring people along the way, and I’ve learned so much. My passion for music has never wavered, and I’m constantly exploring new repertoire in order to grow as an artist,” he added.
BY YIM SEUNG-HYE [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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