[On Stage] Simon Rattle "Collaboration with Seong-Jin Cho for Better Performance"

Choseongjin to Perform with Rattle at Lotte Concert Hall on 20-21
Scheduled to Play Brahms and Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 2

With a four-movement structure and a performance time of 50 minutes, Johannes Brahms's (1833?1897) Piano Concerto No. 2 boasts a scale comparable to any symphony. Beethoven's and Rachmaninoff's longest piano concertos each last about 40 minutes, making Brahms's concerto roughly 10 minutes longer. This makes it a challenging and demanding piece for pianists.

Pianist Cho Seong-jin will perform this piece on the 20th at Lotte Concert Hall. He will collaborate with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra (BRS), conducted by Sir Simon Rattle. The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra will embark on an Asia tour from that day until the 5th of next month. After performing in Korea on the 20th and 21st, they will give six concerts in Japan and four in Taiwan. Cho Seong-jin will join the tour as the sole soloist.

The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra held a press conference on the 19th at the rehearsal room of Lotte Concert Hall ahead of their concerts on the 20th and 21st at Lotte Concert Hall in Songpa-gu, Seoul, celebrating their 75th anniversary tour. Pianist Seong-Jin Cho is answering questions from reporters. Photo by Huh Young-han

At a press conference held on the 19th at Lotte Concert Hall, Cho Seong-jin described Brahms's Piano Concerto No. 2, which he will perform on the first day of the tour, as "a piece so exhausting that I can't do anything afterward."

However, he said that the recent performance of Brahms's Piano Concerto No. 2 in Munich, Germany, was comfortable. Cho Seong-jin and Sir Simon Rattle, conducting the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, performed the concerto together at a charity concert in Munich on the 16th (local time). Reflecting on the performance three days prior, Cho said, "It is a piece that is very demanding both physically and mentally, but the orchestra and conductor were so excellent and well-prepared that I forgot about my difficulties."

Sir Simon Rattle also expressed strong trust in Cho Seong-jin. "The reason I chose Cho Seong-jin is simple: to deliver a better performance."

Sir Simon Rattle took office as the chief conductor of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra starting with the 2023?2024 season. Previously, he served as the chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic from 2002 to 2018 and as the music director of the London Symphony Orchestra from 2017 to 2023. He led the Berlin Philharmonic in Korea in 2017 and the London Symphony Orchestra in 2022. On both occasions, Cho Seong-jin was the soloist.

Sir Simon Rattle said, "Brahms's Piano Concerto No. 2 is a symphonic work where the pianist and the orchestra must absolutely rely on each other and exchange musical ideas well. With Cho Seong-jin, there is no need to worry."

Brahms left two piano concertos. He composed the first at the young age of 25, and the second 23 years later at 48.

Cho Seong-jin said, "The first concerto feels more passionate and youthful Brahms, whereas the second has a warmer feeling. Since it is a symphonic piece, I think the orchestra's role is very important."

The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, celebrating its 75th anniversary, held a press conference on the 19th at the rehearsal room of Lotte Concert Hall in Songpa-gu, Seoul, ahead of its collaborative concerts with Seong-Jin Cho on the 20th and 21st at Lotte Concert Hall in Seoul. Sir Simon Rattle, the principal conductor, is smiling as he answers reporters' questions and praises Seong-Jin Cho's performance. Photo by Huh Young-han

On the 21st, Cho Seong-jin is scheduled to perform Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 2. Its performance time is about 30 minutes, making it one of the shorter among Beethoven's five piano concertos.

Besides the collaboration with Cho Seong-jin, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra will perform Brahms's Symphony No. 2 on the 20th, and on the 21st, they will play six pieces for orchestra by the modern composer Anton Webern and Bruckner's Symphony No. 9.

Regarding Bruckner's Symphony No. 9, which will be performed on the 21st, Sir Simon Rattle explained, "It is a piece the composer completed before ending his life. Compared to Bruckner's earlier works, it has a uniquely distinctive character that can be described as shocking." Bruckner completed the third movement of Symphony No. 9 but did not finish the fourth movement before passing away in 1896.

Sir Simon Rattle described Webern's six pieces for orchestra as "a very excellent masterpiece among works created in the 20th century."

He also compared the characteristics of the Berlin Philharmonic and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, which he has conducted. "When I took over the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, I thought it would be similar to the Berlin Philharmonic since both are German orchestras. But after experiencing it firsthand, if the Berlin Philharmonic is very intense, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra is much more flexible and gentle. Over the past 30 to 40 years, orchestras worldwide have made tremendous technical progress. So, there are many excellent orchestras. However, orchestras that can be called poets are very few. The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra is exactly that kind of poet."