Although Maurice Ravel did not leave as many works as Mozart or Beethoven, he left some exquisite pieces. While studying Ravel, I realized how much of a genius this composer is.
Pianist Seong-Jin Cho, who recently released a Ravel album, noted during an online press conference held on the 20th that he has these thoughts about the listening points of this album.
This year marks the 150th anniversary of Ravel's birth, and Seong-Jin Cho released an album containing all of Ravel's piano solo works this month. An album featuring the Ravel piano concertos in collaboration with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Andris Nelsons, is also set to be released next month. This project was proposed by Seong-Jin Cho to the record label Deutsche Grammophon.
He said, "I thought that recording all of Ravel's piano works would be a great way to commemorate (the anniversary of Ravel's birth)." He added, "I also thought that those who are encountering impressionistic music for the first time might confuse Debussy and Ravel's music, so I wanted to show what distinguishes Debussy from Ravel." He continued, "Ravel seems to be more intellectual and a perfectionist than Debussy, and he certainly knew what he wanted. I think all of his music is well-structured, and he seemed to have tried to write piano music orchestrally, so I kept that in mind while recording."
This year also marks the 10th anniversary of Seong-Jin Cho's victory at the Chopin Competition, making him the first Korean to win that award. When asked about his self-assessment over the past decade, he said, "It's really the hardest thing to evaluate oneself," adding, "Over the past 10 years, I have met and learned from many different people and gained inspiration, and I have tried to work hard steadily."
Seong-Jin Cho currently resides in Berlin, Germany, and is active as a resident musician with the Berlin Philharmonic. He has completed five of the nine scheduled performances in Berlin and recently collaborated with the Karajan Academy of the Berlin Philharmonic.
He mentioned, "I performed chamber music with younger students from the Karajan Academy, and perhaps because they were all younger than me, I led the rehearsal from start to finish." He added, "Performing in Berlin is really comfortable, and I have many close friends in the orchestra, so I feel happy while performing."
Seong-Jin Cho also introduced plans to tour with a chamber musician in the summer of next year. He did not disclose the musician's name or the instruments that would be featured in the collaboration.
In addition to the album release, Seong-Jin Cho is also scheduled to hold a concert in celebration of Ravel's 150th anniversary. Starting on the 25th with a solo concert at the Konzerthaus in Vienna, Austria, he will embark on a U.S. tour that includes performances in Carnegie Hall and Walt Disney Concert Hall in February and March. He will hold solo concerts in prominent concert halls in Europe and Germany, including the Barbican Centre in London and Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, in April and May. He will then return to Korea in June to start a nationwide tour.