[On Stage] Cho Seong-jin "I will perform all of Ravel's piano pieces for 3 hours"

Release of Complete Ravel Piano Works Album
"I Will Perform the Entire Program at This Summer's Recitals"
"Ravel Is a Familiar Composer... I Feel He Was a Genius"

For music lovers who adore pianist Seong-Jin Cho and the works of French composer Maurice Ravel (1875?1937), Seong-Jin Cho's nationwide tour this summer promises to be an unforgettable gift. This is because audiences will be able to enjoy nearly three hours of his performance.

At a press conference held online via Zoom on the 20th to commemorate the release of Ravel's new album, Seong-Jin Cho announced that he plans to perform all the pieces included in the new album during his nationwide tour this summer. He mentioned that he recently performed all the pieces from the album in Liechtenstein, which took nearly three hours including two intermissions. Considering that classical concerts usually last about two hours at most, this means audiences can enjoy about an hour more of Seong-Jin Cho's playing.

"By the time I played the last piece, I was mentally exhausted, but afterwards I felt very fulfilled. I was deeply immersed in Ravel's musical world and shared that with the audience, so the sense of fulfillment outweighed the fatigue. It is rare to perform Ravel's complete piano works in a single concert, and I hope this will be an opportunity to glimpse into Ravel's musical universe."

[Photo by Ben Wolf, courtesy of Universal Music]

Seong-Jin Cho's new album was released on the 17th. It contains all of Ravel's solo piano works. Ravel also left two piano concertos, and the album featuring these two concertos is scheduled for release on February 21. Seong-Jin Cho recorded these with the Boston Symphony Orchestra conducted by Andris Nelsons. In April, a deluxe album combining the concerto and solo piano works will be released.

This is the first time Seong-Jin Cho has recorded the complete works of a single composer. "Although Ravel did not leave as many pieces as Beethoven or Mozart, I think every piece is a gem. This was my first time recording the complete works of one composer, and it helped me understand the composer better. While studying Ravel, I once again realized how much of a genius he was."

It has been eight years since he released an album of a French composer's works, the last being Debussy in 2017. Seong-Jin Cho said he wanted to show how Debussy and Ravel differ through this album.

"I think people who are new to classical and impressionist music might confuse Debussy's and Ravel's music. Debussy is much freer and more romantic compared to Ravel. Ravel is more intellectual and perfectionistic. He seemed to know exactly what he wanted. Therefore, from a performer's perspective, there is not much room for interpretation. In fact, Ravel disliked others interpreting his works and reportedly instructed his students to play exactly as written in the score. All his music is well-structured, and he seemed to write piano pieces with an orchestral approach. I kept these points in mind during the recording process. Ravel was a perfectionist but composing came very naturally to him. Comparing his early and late works shows how much he developed musically. I thought it was remarkable."

This year marks the 150th anniversary of Ravel's birth. Three years ago, Seong-Jin Cho thought that recording Ravel's complete piano works would be a fitting way to commemorate this anniversary, and Deutsche Grammophon accepted the proposal. Thus, Seong-Jin Cho's seventh regular album under Deutsche Grammophon was made with Ravel's works.

Ravel is also a composer familiar to Seong-Jin Cho since childhood. He first encountered Ravel's music in 2005 when he was eleven years old.

"Before Ravel, I learned works by Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, and Liszt, but when I first encountered Ravel, it felt like a completely different world. The technique felt much more difficult. When I was young, I tended to like more technically demanding pieces, so playing Ravel was even more exciting. Because I have been exposed to his music from a young age, I have had a long time to think about his music."

[Photo by Universal Music (c) Ben Wolf]

This year also marks the 10th anniversary of Seong-Jin Cho's victory at the Chopin Competition. "Over the past 10 years, I have met various people, learned a lot, and gained much inspiration. I have tried to work steadily and diligently. Since I love music, I want to keep that passion and continue learning many works and meeting diverse people to grow further as a musician."

Seong-Jin Cho is currently touring in Europe. The press conference was held at Universal Music Studio in Berlin. Starting in February, he plans to tour in the United States. He will hold solo Ravel recitals and collaborative performances at venues including Carnegie Hall in New York and Boston. After touring Europe again in April and May, he will return to Korea in June for a nationwide tour. Performances are scheduled from June 12 to July 6 in Seoul, Seongnam, Daejeon, Incheon, Daegu, Busan, Cheonan, and Gimhae.

Seong-Jin Cho said he is looking forward to starting a chamber music tour with a like-minded musician from next year. However, he could not yet reveal who his touring partner will be.

"I met a musician in January 2024. Of course, I had known this musician before. While looking at scores together and doing some reading rehearsals, our personalities matched very well. This is a performer I really like. From next year, I plan to have a deeper musical partnership and tour together. I am very excited about this tour and expect to learn a lot. We will probably start touring together from next summer."