Seong-Jin Cho’s recording of Chopin’s Second Piano Concerto complements the first Concerto with the same forces from 2016. In a similar formula, the Concerto is paired with the complete Scherzi. A miscellany of short pieces which act as encores are available on the digital version.
The drama, lyricism, rhythm and articulation which different pianists bring to the four Scherzi are as individual to the set as the four scherzi to each other. Cho dazzles with his technical prowess throughout, exhibiting much agility and dexterity but also gentle poetry. The individual character of each Scherzo is certainly celebrated and contrasted both within each piece and with each other.
The first Scherzo jumps out of the starting blocks with much vigor, but the pianist tempers the peaks with intrigue and interest. In the opening figures of the second Scherzo, Cho captures a sinister mocking, but this gives way to a more jest-like ambiance, with striking tonal contrast. To the central section of No. 3, Cho spells ethereal magic and the balance between the hands is delicately controlled, in what is quite a persuasive reading. In the poetic fourth Scherzo, Cho finds radiance and humor, with much light and shade. This Chopin piece, to me, is more subtly executed than the others.
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In the much-revered second Piano Concerto, the defined articulation is consistently executed, which makes for a rather distinctive performance. The orchestral playing in the opening is ethereal and somewhat ambiguous, a mood Gianandrea Noseda maintains throughout the movement. The conductor favors a gentler, sonorous string tone with less prominent woodwind. Cho’s approach is similarly aloof, the phrasing clear and palpable, but not deliberate or mechanical, allowing the music to breathe naturally. In terms of dynamics and phrasing, they are subtly executed indeed, but as a result not as commanding or bold as Argerich or Grosvenor, the latter I’ve praised for his release of the two Concertos last year.
Both Cho and Noseda bring something operatic to the second movement, treating it as a gentle nocturnal aria. Cho very much leads here, Noseda punctuating gently with subtlety in the rather simplistic orchestral accompaniment. It is in the final movement that Cho really stands out from other pianists. Unlike Argerich, he occasionally emphasizes the left hand, bringing out not only the bass, but also lines that are not always obvious in other performances.
The digital album includes the “Revolutionary” étude (op.10), the first Impromptu (Op. 29), and the second Nocturne (Op. 9 no.2). While Cho executes them with panache and further virtuosic pyrotechnics, these feel slightly disjointed and not the most musically convincing sequence of pieces. After such characterful performances of both the Scherzi and the Concerto, these sit uncomfortably.
A decent recording quality, recorded on the LSO’s St Luke in London (Concerto) and Friedrich-Ebert-Halle, Hamburg (solo works), though I yearned for some more distance from the piano in the Concerto. A recommended listen, mostly for the four Scherzi and the Concerto’s Finale.
Chopin – Piano Concerto No.2 (Op. 21), 4 Scherzi
Seong-Jin Cho – Piano
London Symphony Orchestra
Deutsche Grammophon, CD 4860435
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