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The most beautiful CHOpin at the Krakow Philharmonic

Master Piano Recital of Seong-Jin Cho - winner of the 17th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition ended the year 2015, on Sunday 20 December, at the Krakow Philharmonic.

Concert of Seong-Jin Cho was the first performance, for 35 years, of the Chopin Competition’s winner organized by the Krakow Philharmonic in the year of the contest. The exception in recent history of the Krakow Philharmonic was the concert of Rafał Blechacz (2005). But that performance was organized by the Capella Cracoviensis, who accompanied the artist in Frederic Chopin’s Concerto in E minor, Op. 11. Recital of Seong-Jin Cho, not scheduled earlier in the calendar of the artist after the Chopin Competition, was possible thanks to the efforts of Isabella Dargiel Artistic Agency, which represents Seong-Jin Cho in Poland. Director Bogdan Tosza thanking friend from Warsaw wished the audience Merry Christmas adding that the Krakow Philharmonic, as a Christmas gift prepared what is most beautiful - the music of Frederic Chopin in masterful interpretation of Seong-Jin Cho.

Seong-Jin Cho Photo by Marta Polanska

21 - year-old pianist from Korea played in Krakow already in 2013. During a recital at the „Manggha” Museum of Japanese Art and Technology, held on 14 July, as a part of the Festival of Polish Music, he performed the works of Frederic Chopin and Franz Liszt. Two years later, on December 20, 2015, Seong-Jin Cho appeared at the Krakow Philharmonic as the first ever winner of the International Frederic Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw from Korea. The pianist came to Krakow from Poznan, where, on December 18, he honored with his concert the Jubilee of Maestro Tadeusz Strugala.

The program of the recital consisted of works by Frederic Chopin, which the pianist performed during Competition Auditions. Almost all kept in a dramatic character. Nocturne in C minor, Op. 48, that opened the evening, Seong-Jin Cho played with deep emotional intensity, beautifully, in a very natural way, leading melo-recitations in the first part, gradually building tension in the middle, until the tumultuous climax in Doppio movimento.

Excellent creating of drama also characterized the interpretation of Frederic Chopin's Sonata in B minor, Op. 35, in which the artist strongly emphasized the contrasts between the dramatic and lyrical parts. Particularly beautifully sounded the middle lyrical part of the second movement of the sonata cycle - Scherzo, where Seong-Jin Cho marked, unexposed by other pianists, Chopin poli-melodica. The most characteristic part of the Sonata in B-flat minor - Funeral March resounded in the truly sepulchral silence of the hall. The final "talk after March" Seong-Jin Cho played in a lyrical way, which greatly appreciated the Krakow audience.

A truly masterful firework of the first part of the artist's recital turned out Scherzo in B minor, Op. 31. The Chopin "joke" in B-flat minor metamorphosed in the final in D-flat major with the lyrical middle part in F major is filled with unprecedented drama. Stormy narrative is interrupted by central arcadia, in which appears a part in a character of waltz. Such variable composition requires that the pianist has unprecedented wealth of imagination and technical skills to keep expressive individuality of each part, while consistently building up the drama of the whole work. Similarly, in the cycle of Preludes, that completed the second part of the evening, where 24 sometimes extremely varied miniatures, both in terms of textural and expressive must be one opus 28. And this was also the masterful interpretation of Seong-Jin Cho, who already during the Third Round of the Competition delighted the audience with his rendition of Preludes cycle. Consequently, building up the drama to the final 24th Prelude in D minor the pianist created individual pieces, giving them a unique character. Beautifully, like improvisation, sounded Preludes Nos 6 and 18. In Prelude No. 19, the pianist marked interesting poli-melodica. Daring interpretation of the Preludes Nos. 16 and 24 raised the temperature in the hall to its zenith.

Seong-Jin Cho Photo by Marta Polanska

Seong-Jin Cho impressed with his masterful playing extremely demanding Krakow audience, that awarded the artist a long standing ovation. Pianist returned the favor and played five encores! A brilliant La Campanella of the cycle 6 Grandes études de Paganini by Franz Liszt was the first encore, proving that the artist feels perfectly well also in brillant repertoire. Then Seong-Jin Cho returned to perform Chopin: Polonaise in A flat major, Op. 53 - for which he won a special prize of the Frederic Chopin Society, Chopin's Nocturne in C-sharp minor, Op. posth. known as Lento con gran espressione, with which he ended the 3rd Prizewinner Concert, on October 23, Waltz in F major, Op. 34 No. 3 from the program of 2nd Stage of the Competition and Ballade in G minor, Op. 23.

The winner of Chopin Competition is an outstanding pianist and artist, for whom currently waiting the most famous auditoriums around the world. We hope, that Krakow Philharmonic will be scheduled again in the near future on Seong-Jin Cho's concert tour.

Marta Polanska

 

We encourage you to read Marta Polanska's interview with Seong-Jin Cho.

 

Review in Korean language translated by Ellie Haeju Noh