[On Stage] Jae-Hong Park's New Album "Wanting to Share the Hidden Masterpieces of Rachmaninoff and Scriabin"

Scriabin's '24 Preludes' and Rachmaninoff's 'Piano Sonata No. 1' Featured
Studying German Music in Berlin from October... Mentored by Andr?s Schiff

"Scriabin's 24 Preludes and Rachmaninoff's Piano Sonata No. 1 are unfamiliar pieces to the public. However, personally, I love them very much and have always held them close to my heart. I believe they are masterpieces comparable to any other works by the two composers. I think it is a great responsibility of a performer to play lesser-known pieces well so that they can be loved by many people."

Pianist Park Jae-hong explained the reason for including Alexander Scriabin's (1872?1915) "24 Preludes" and Sergei Rachmaninoff's (1873?1943) "Piano Sonata No. 1" in his newly released album "Scriabin-Rachmaninoff" on the 13th. He said that because these pieces are not famous, he felt the pressure that a poor performance might lead to worse evaluations from the public, which made him practice even harder.

Pianist Park Jae-hong [Photo by Universal Music]

The piece Park Jae-hong first considered recording was Rachmaninoff's Piano Sonata No. 1. He said, "Since I was young, I vaguely wished to be able to perform Rachmaninoff's Piano Sonata No. 1. I kept postponing it because I felt unprepared, but eventually, I couldn't wait any longer and decided to record it." He described Rachmaninoff's Sonata No. 1 as "a very large and long piece with a very thick narrative."

Rachmaninoff composed Sonata No. 1 inspired by Goethe's Faust. Park Jae-hong explained, "Originally, Rachmaninoff planned for the three movements to represent major characters: the first movement Faust, the second Gretchen, and the third the devil Mephistopheles. However, I understand that he abandoned this idea when publishing the piece." After deciding to record the long and narratively dense Sonata No. 1, he chose Scriabin's preludes, which are 1 to 2 minutes long each, as a fitting companion piece.

Both Rachmaninoff and Scriabin were Russian composers. They were classmates just one year apart who studied under the same teacher in the same school and classroom. Park Jae-hong said, "I think it is very interesting that these two developed in very different directions."

Park Jae-hong rose to international prominence by winning the 2021 Busoni International Piano Competition. Although he actively performs worldwide as a professional pianist, he still considers himself in the process of learning. He plans to move to Berlin this October to study German music intensively. In Berlin, he will study under Andr?s Schiff, a world-renowned Hungarian pianist and conductor. Schiff invited Park Jae-hong to Berlin two years ago.

"I first met Mr. Schiff two years ago in Korea. At that time, he gave a solo recital at Lotte Concert Hall, and I served as an interpreter. I spent a lot of time with Mr. Schiff, and he was curious about my piano playing. So, I performed Schumann's Sonata No. 1 and other pieces, and fortunately, he listened very favorably and immediately told me to come to Berlin. So, I took the exam this year and was admitted to the Barenboim-Said Academy."

Park Jae-hong said he is very excited about moving to Berlin, but at the same time, this album and recital are precious to him.

"I want to study German music diligently under Mr. Schiff. So, I think this will be a time to say a brief farewell to the Russian music I love, which makes me cherish and practice even more."

Jae-hong Park 'Scriabin-Rachmaninoff' Album Cover
[Photo by Universal Music]

Park Jae-hong said he feels increasing happiness on stage and wants to play the piano for a long time because he loves music so much.

"After the Busoni Competition, I struggled for about a year. Suddenly, my performances increased a lot, which was physically exhausting, and I was not mentally prepared. Now, I feel happier the longer I spend on stage. Although I still feel pressure, I think that pressure works positively, so I view it encouragingly. Because I want to perform happily for a long time, I am working hard not to lose my initial passion."

To commemorate the album release, Park Jae-hong plans a nationwide tour starting at the end of this month. He will perform at Tongyeong International Music Hall on August 25, Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall on September 1, Ulju Culture Center on September 6, Daegu Suseong Artpia on September 21, and Gyeongnam Culture and Arts Center on September 26.

He plans to perform three pieces: the two from the new album and Scriabin's Fantaisie. "If I only perform the Preludes, the first half of the concert feels too short, so I thought of adding one more piece. I think Rachmaninoff's Piano Sonata No. 1 strongly evokes a fantasy-like atmosphere. Therefore, I believe Scriabin's Fantaisie will serve as a good bridge between the Preludes and the Sonata."