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FEBRUARY 2023

Seong-Jin Cho for the Conservatory Concert Society

It is the third time that the South Korean pianist Seong-Jin Cho returns to Sala Verdi, in the Milan Conservatory, this time, as the first, in a concert organized by the La Società dei Concerti Foundation . Also yesterday evening a large group of South Korean (or other Oriental) enthusiasts came to listen to their favorite, celebrity in their country, but also very well known internationally after winning the prestigious International Chopin Competition in Warsaw in 2015.

We had already written about his excellent interpretative qualities in recent years (2017-2019) and after listening last night we can say that the qualitative improvements of this twenty-eight-year-old pianist place him among the greatest interpreters of his generation and beyond.

The very interesting and varied program was centered above all on the Variations genre and included works by Händel, Gubaidulina, Brahms and Schumann. Starting with the rare Suite n.5 in E major by GF Händel (1685-1759), Seong-Jin Cho immediately expressed his high interpretative figure with a very refined execution, with harpsichord timbres, culminating in theAria with variations "The harmonious blacksmith" rendered with exemplary skill in varying the Aria with bold, luminous and flowing mastery.

The contrasting piece by Sofia Gubajdulina (1931), a living Russian composer, with the Chaconne for piano (1962) revealed the pianist's astonishing qualities in the contemporary repertoire. A high-level performance for a virtuosic piece of rare expressive power, rich in contrasts clearly rendered in the timbres with elegant gestures.

The next piece, which concluded the first part of the long evening, was by Johannes Brahms with high notes Variations and fugue in B flat major op.24 on a theme by Handel. There are 25 variations plus the concluding fugue of a short eighteenth-century aria by the English composer. An admirable execution that of the South Korean, played on dynamic contrasts of very clear timbral rendering, perfect rhythmic scansion and effective way of melodiating in the different sound planes.

The second part of the evening opened with a selection from the Klavierstücke op.76 (n.1-2-4-5), again by Brahms, to which were added, without interruption , the famous Symphonic Studies op.13 by Robert Schumann. The four pieces by the Hamburg composer are valid, three Capricci and an Intermezzo of pregnant harmonization. Even more interesting are the extraordinary Schumannian Symphonic Studies : a Theme, an initial Andante followed by 12 Variations (Etudes) rendered with increasing quality by the perfect hands of Seong-Jin Cho, with some numbers of profound reflection in an overall meditated execution full of colors rendered with safe externalization. Very warm applause at the end of the official program and splendid Handel's delicate encore in the arrangement by W. Kempff in the sublime aria of the Minuet in G minor. Great performer.