Cho proves he’s hottest classical musician
Tickets for pianist’s next year concerts sell out in minute
November is traditionally a month of feasting for classical music lovers, and this time, violinist Itzhak Perlman, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (RCO) from the Netherlands and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra will join the celebration in Seoul.
On Nov. 12, world-class violinist Perlman will perform at the Seoul Arts Center. His previous recitals in Seoul in 2010, 2013 and 2015 were sold out. This time around, he will perform Strauss and Debussy’s violin sonatas. Other pieces will be decided on stage. Ticket prices are from 60,000 won to 180,000 won.
The RCO led by Italian conductor Daniele Gatti will perform at the Lotte Concert Hall in Songpa-gu, Seoul, Nov. 15 and 16. Gatti has taken over the helm of the orchestra following Mariss Jansons. It is the first time for Gatti to perform with RCO in Korea. They will be showcasing familiar repertoires including Haydn’s Cello Concerto No. 1 in C major and Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 in G major. Ticket prices range from 70,000 to 330,000 won.
Immediately following, the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra led by British conductor Sir Simon Rattle will perform Nov. 19 and 20 at the Seoul Arts Center. This is their sixth visit to Korea and Rattle’s last performance with the orchestra, as he has been appointed music director of the London Symphony Orchestra. Ticket prices are the highest among all classical tickets this year. They range from 70,000 won to 450,000 won.
Pianist Cho Seong-jin will be pinch-hitting on behalf of Chinese pianist Lang Lang who was scheduled to perform with Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic on Nov. 19 at the Seoul Arts Center. Lang canceled his concert due to an injury to his left arm.
Although tickets for the performance had already been sold out before Cho stepped in, now there are people waiting for cancellation tickets since Cho joined in the performance. Bookings of canceled tickets occurred rapidly according to Kumho Asiana Cultural Foundation which organized the event. Even the 20 tickets that Lang Lang’s agency had bought were said to be immedi- ately booked when they released them for sale.
Cho Seong-jin fervor
Pianist Cho Seong-jin is perhaps the hottest Korean classical musician these days, sought-after by global and local fans.
Last Friday (local time), Cho performed at the Fondation Louis Vuitton, the French fashion group’s art museum in Paris, for the first time. The museum has been introducing various performances by young performers as part of the “New Generation” piano recitals. The museum invited artists from a variety of genres such as Russian chamber orchestra Moscow Virtuosi, Albanian violinist Tedi Papavrami as well as rapper Kanye West and electro-music band Kraftwerk.
Cho played Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 8 in c minor, Op. 13 and No. 30 in E Major, Op. 109, his favorite pieces and he will be performing the same works at his own recitals next year at the Seoul Arts Center.
Tickets for Cho’s concerts scheduled for Jan. 10 and 11 which were open for sale on Oct. 18 to the public were sold out in a minute, while tickets open to paid members of Credia, Oct. 17, sold out within 3 minutes and 33 seconds. Tickets open to paid members of the Seoul Arts Center, where the concert will be held, were sold out also within a minute the previous day. The concert hall can accommodate up to 2,400 audience members.
Concerned about illegal ticket trading, Credia put up a notice on its website warning customers that they will not be responsible for any consequences occurring from the purchase of tickets through illicit means. Such trading had been an issue previously as tickets for Cho’s concert in August at the Lotte Concert Hall were being sold for 1.3 million won ($1,154).
Cho’s concerts had been continuously sold out ever since he began his solo recitals in Seoul earlier this year. Tickets for his Seoul concert in January at the Lotte Concert Hall sold out within minutes. He has been receiving explosive attention among classical fans after he won the 17th International Chopin Piano Competition in 2015. His performance at Carnegie Hall this February was also sold out, and some fans flew over to New York to see his performance.
Cho will also perform Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13 and No. 30 in E Major, Op. 109 at the concerts alongside Debussy’s Images II, and Chopin’s Piano Sonata No. 3 in b minor, Op. 58.