Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 2 Scherzi
Deutsche Grammophon, 2021
8/10
Listen to Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 2 Scherzi
The piano wizard Seong-Jin Cho returns with his 6th album, where he interprets the work of Chopin with a poetic and agile delivery that welcomes the London Symphony Orchestra for the final, exciting piece on Piano Concerto No. 2 Scherzi.
“Scherzo No. 1 in B minor op. 20” starts the listen with swift, gliding keys that emit much beauty and awe as the complicated playing is nothing short of fascinating, and “Scherzo No. 2 in B flat minor op. 31” follows with a more eclectic delivery as Cho finds calm moments of intimacy as well as louder swells of warmth to reside in.
Moving down the line, “Scherzo No. 3 in C sharp minor op. 39” rumbles with a lower tone that also flutters with a charming approach, while “Scherzo No. 4 in E major op. 54” dances with a playful, adventurous spirit for 10 minutes amid no shortage of melody.
“Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 2 in F minor op. 21” exits the listen, and brings symphonic strings into the meticulous piano playing as energetic textures unfold over 30 minutes and Cho injects plenty of fluid solos.
Cho’s versatile and colorful piano playing sounds better than ever, and even if you’ve never spent any time with Chopin’s work, you’ll find plenty of reasons to be enamored here.
Travels well with: Chelsea Guo- Chopin; Lucas Meachem- Shall We Gather