Seong-Jin Cho

Presented by the Vancouver Chopin Society

South Korean pianist Seong-Jin Cho captured the world’s attention in 2015 when he was awarded the Gold Medal at the Chopin International Piano Competition in Warsaw. He had previously been awarded the Gold Medal at the Hamamatsu Competition (youngest winner in its history), as well as the Bronze medals at the 2011 Tchaikovsky Competition and the 2014 Artur Rubinstein Competition. With his overwhelming talent and sensitive musicality, Cho is rapidly emerging as one of the most distinctive artists of his generation. Seong-Jin lives in Paris. In January 2016, he signed an exclusive recording contract with Deutsche Grammophon. When Deutsche Grammophon released Cho’s live performances at the Chopin Competition, the album rapidly climbed to the No.1 spot on the Korean pop chart on the strength of pre-release orders alone, and secured triple platinum sales within a week of its release.

BEETHOVEN

Piano Sonata No. 8, Op. 13 ( Pathétique)

Piano Sonata No. 30, Op. 109

DEBUSSY

La plus que lente

L’lsle joyeuse

CHOPIN

4 Ballades

It is not so much his effortless clarity and articulation or lightly pedalled fioritura that capture the attention as much as his ability to let the music breathe. Every time the first movements ineffably lovely second subject returns, it becomes more poignant in Cho's hands.

Gramophone, Jan 2017

This event is presented in partnership with the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts through the support of the Chan Endowment Fund at the University of British Columbia.