Seong-Jin Cho (Part II)

In the coming months, we will be featuring interviews with musicians of various backgrounds. If you are a musician and would like to be featured in our series, please contact us at thecounterpoints@gmail.com. A complete list of our interviews can be found here. Follow us on Twitter@elijahho.

Seong-Jin Cho is the winner of the 2015 International Fryderyk Chopin competition. Long before Warsaw, however, Cho was an outlier among prodigies, dazzling even the most experienced ears with his natural facility and distinct musical maturity. His longtime teacher, Shin Soojung, told us, “When I began working with him, I didn’t realize just how exceptional he was. How can a boy play like that ? But the more I know him, the more I’m sure of it. He is amazing. He was born for this.” Below is the transcript of our November 28, 2022 conversation with pianist Seong-Jin Cho.

(Our piece on Seong-Jin Cho for the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper - a conversation with the pianist and his teacher, Shin Soojung - can be found here).

EH: Dang Thai Son told me that he heard you at age 13, in Busan, and believed that you probably could have been a prize winner at the international Chopin competition, even then. At what age did the piano begin to make sense for you ?

Cho: I remember this meeting with Dang Thai Son. I remember playing for him in 2008 when I was 13. I was preparing for the Moscow Chopin for junior pianists, and I played Polonaise Op. 53. I had a lesson with him, and it was fantastic and inspiring. I still remember the lesson very well.

I think I just wanted to do it. It’s been my dream to be a pianist since the age of six, just after I started learning. I’ve done many other things: paintings, sports, etc., but music was the only thing that attracted me.

My teacher, Shin Soojung, is now very relaxed, but when I was 13-14, she was quite strict. My first piano teacher, whom I worked with until 2009, was also very strict. No one gave me compliments, so I didn’t know that I was talented. I did some competitions and won some prizes in local competitions in Korea. My parents thought I was a little bit talented and supported me, but I didn’t think I was that good. I was not fully confident (laughs). That kind of environment made me humble, probably.

EH: Yes, your teacher, Shin Soo-Jung, is very proud of you. Do you still play for her ?

Cho: She always comes to my concerts whenever play in Korea. Before the pandemic, she came to my Carnegie Hall recital, and at rehearsals, she’ll sometimes give me some advice.

My teacher was a pupil of Fleisher, and is basically a first-generation Korean classical musician. Studying classical music at that time was incredibly hard. But I respect the musicianship too. She’s a great teacher and musician, and her interpretation is very authentic and special, with a very interesting, unique way of phrasing.

Maybe my teacher is too proud of me (laughs). But I have so much respect and gratitude for Korean musicians of that generation. Korea was, economically, a totally different country then. We are only here today because of everything that generation did for us.

EH: She shared with me that even as a young student, you had no technical difficulties. Is there an etude or a certain type of technical passage that worries you ?

Cho: Of course I have some technical difficulties (laughs). Like Chopin Etude Op. 10 No. 2, which is very hard for me. Op 25 No. 6 is also very hard. I cannot explain why these are so difficult for me. But Op. 10 No. 1 is not very hard for some reason, and Op. 10 no. 10 and 12 are not so difficult.

EH: Speaking of difficult, it is very hard to stand out as a pianist today. In your opinion, what is the role of imagination for the interpreter ? My own teacher, Ronald Turini, told me that he believed it was Horowitz’ (his teacher) greatest gift.

Cho: I think being a musician, especially these days, is very hard. Being special or good, I don’t know what that means. There are so many great references, great recordings on Youtube. You can listen to the legendary performances so easily. There is some pressure that you have to be different, not better, in order to be yourself. This kind of idea gives pressure to young musicians. If I think too much about this kind of thing, I don’t think I’d be able to keep playing the piano.

For me, imagination is just being myself. Of course, you can try many different things: different colors, different uses of the pedal, left-hand voicings, etc., but I don’t think it means being eccentric. If I try to imitate Horowitz, technically, it will sound very unnatural. If I try to imitate Glenn Gould, it will sound…weird. I don’t try to form ‘Seong-Jin Cho’s interpretation’ or sound or phrase.

It’s like your own voice -- you can’t change it. Imagination, or being inspired by something, is always important. I try to understand the context of the music, I play, and just… let it go. I believe this kind of approach makes the music most unique and special, and I can also be myself.

EH: Of course, it goes without saying that you are the pride of South Korea. You once told me there is a lot of pressure for you when you play for audiences there. Has this changed ? Do you feel it’s a lot of pressure to carry, even now ?

Cho: I’ve been thinking about this a lot, because the last time we spoke was four or five years ago. And maybe I’ve been to Korea at least 6-7 times since. I attended many concerts there as a child. I’m very proud to be Korean, but I actually get very nervous every time I play at the Seoul Arts Center. I think that stage represents my dreams. I don’t want to disappoint anybody there. Of course, I feel pressure because there is so much expectation and support, and I don’t want to disappoint them. But I’ve concluded it’s not about the pressure, but probably about the childhood memories I have.

EH: What are your thoughts on Korea’s meteoric ascent in the music world ?  Is it something you think about when you are traveling ?

Cho: I’m a very objective person in terms of nationality. I think Korean people, if I say very objectively, are very creative, very open-minded, and they love music - not just classical music. If you look at K-pop and K-dramas, they are so popular, but they’ve always been there. It’s quitecool that people in the world have started recognizing the culture and dramas, but it’s always been there.

For classical music, there’ve always been great musicians in Korea. And whenever I go to Korea, it is so obvious that the audience there is much younger than elsewhere. Whenever I have meetings with journalists, they ask why, and I really don’t know. It’s weird. I don’t know why classical music is interesting for young musicians in Korea.

I’m very proud of being Korean because of these kinds of factors. I’ve repeated many times in interviews, I don’t think I’m a national hero or whatever (laughs), but I’m grateful that people come to my concerts. When I play in America or in European cities, the Korean communities really come out to support me. I’m really grateful for that.

EH: One South Korean musician who’s making a name for himself is Yunchan Lim, whom we interviewed earlier this fall. I’m sure you’ve listened to his performances. Have you met him ?

Cho: We haven’t met yet, but I am so proud of Yunchan. Of course, I am rooting for him! And I’m so pleased that Korean musicians are now recognized in the world - not only pianists, but so many others, like Inmo Yang, winner of the 2022 Sibelius violin competition, and Hayoung Choi, the cellist who won the 2022 Queen Elisabeth competition. It was, of course, a privilege and an honor to win the Chopin, but that is a third of your life. But yes, I’m really proud, and I’m really rooting for Yunchan!

EH: Since winning the Chopin competition, has your relationship with the composer changed ? I remember when we last spoke, you were quite happy that you would soon be playing the music of other composers.

Cho: My relationship with Chopin has changed twice, I think. After winning in Warsaw, I played Chopin so much I began counting the number of times I performed his E minor concerto. I stopped at 70. I thought maybe I shouldn’t play Chopin so much after this. Intentionally, I stopped playing Chopin from the 2018-19 season. I played some concertos, but less so in recitals.

Last year, I recorded the Scherzi of Chopin, and I believed it was a good time to come back. I felt very comfortable with his music again, and I felt no pressure. Next season, I don’t have any plans to play Chopin’s music, other than the concerto.

During the pandemic, I think I also changed quite a lot, personally. My thinking has changed the past year. There was so much depressing news, I had to stop reading. It helped. Maybe I was sort of depressed during the pandemic, but I’m a happier person now.

I love Chopin, and I love what I’m doing. I love traveling, I love to perform, to meet and collaborate with great musicians. I love classical music, and I always listen to classical music. I’m just happy.

EH: Your program on December 8, in Berkeley, has no Chopin on it. You’re playing two Handel works, the Brahms-Handel Variations, Klavierstucke, and the Schumann Symphonic Etudes. What can you tell us about these ?

Cho: Whenever I make a recital program, I try to play something unfamiliar. Last season, I had the Janáček sonata, ‘Gaspard de la nuit’, and the 4 Chopin Scherzi. In 2020, I included Szymanowski, the Berg sonata, pieces that are a bit less familiar for the normal public.

Handel is a composer not so often played, especially on the modern piano. Recently, I discovered Sviatoslav Richter’s recordings of Handel, and they were so beautiful, so different from Bach. Bach’s music is perhaps more complicated, but Handel’s is more from the heart. It sings more. I was thinking of the combination of the Brahms-Handel Variations - Brahms was inspired by Handel - and I was wondering about the second half, and wanted to play some variations. I thought having the Brahms-Handel variations paired with Schumann’s Symphonic Etudes (variations) is always pleasant. I love making recital programs. It’s like making a course meal, and there’s the main dish (laughs).

EH: Seong-Jin, it was wonderful speaking again. Best of luck at your Berkeley debut.

Cho: Thank you, Elijah!

Our 2017 conversation with pianist Seong-Jin Cho can be found here.