This week’s selection – Seong-Jin Cho’s Ravel concertos

SEONG-JIN CHO l RAVEL PIANO CONCERTOS l BOSTON SYMPHONY l ANDRIS NELSONS: DIRECTOR
Released on February 21 (Deutsche Grammophon). To listen, click here.

Marking the 150th anniversary of Ravel’s birth, the talented Korean pianist Seong-Jin Cho has embarked on an ambitious project: recording the composer’s complete works for piano.
Earlier this year, Deutsche Grammophon released the first installment , featuring Cho’s interpretations of Ravel’s solo piano music. Now, the second release focuses on the two piano concertos, with Cho joined by the Boston Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Andris Nelsons.
Though composed around the same time, these two works are strikingly different. The Piano Concerto for the Left Hand (1930), written for Austrian pianist Paul Wittgenstein—who lost his right arm in World War I—is dark, dramatic, and symphonic in scope. Ravel masterfully creates the illusion of a two-handed performance, using rich harmonies and the full range of the keyboard.
In contrast, the Piano Concerto in G major (1931) is vibrant and playful, infused with jazz elements that Ravel absorbed during his visit to the United States in the late 1920s. Its influences range from Gershwin to Stravinsky, with touches of Basque folk music.
“For me, the highlight of the Concerto in G is the second movement (Adagio assai)—the long piano solo at the beginning. It’s one of the most touching movements in the piano literature,” says Cho.
Cho has admired Ravel’s music since childhood, but it was only after moving to Paris at 18 to further his studies that he began to understand it more deeply. His latest recording captures this profound connection, making it a must-listen for Ravel enthusiasts.

OVERVIEW
Seong-Jin Cho is a South Korean pianist who gained international prominence after winning First Prize at the 2015 International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw. Born in Seoul on May 28, 1994, he began playing the piano at the age of six and made his first public recital debut at eleven. His formative years included studying under Michel Béroff at the “Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris” from 2012 to 2015. During the 2024/25 season, Cho serves as the Artist-in-Residence with the Berliner Philharmoniker, a testament to his growing stature in the classical music world.
Cho has performed with world-renowned orchestras. His critically acclaimed recordings with Deutsche Grammophon include “The Handel Project” and Chopin’s “Piano Concerto No. 2.”