Pianist Cho Seong-jin to tour Asia with BRSO and maestro Simon Rattle

The world-renowned Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra is returning to South Korea after six years, this time with Simon Rattle as chief conductor, for concerts featuring celebrated pianist Cho Seong-jin as soloist.

Cho, who joined Rattle on his last three world tours with different orchestras, will be the sole featured artist for the German orchestra's two-week-long Asia tour, with performances in Korea, Japan and Taiwan.

The Asia tour will begin Wednesday at the Lotte Concert Hall in Jamsil, eastern Seoul.

Cho said that working with the BRSO enabled him to forget how challenging it was to play Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2.

“During a long tour, physical strength seems crucial. In Munich, we performed Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2, a physically and mentally demanding piece, but the orchestra and the maestro were so outstanding that it felt like I forgot about the difficulty. Preparing for this tour feels like it's all about the music,” Cho told reporters during a press conference Tuesday.

Wednesday's concert will be dedicated to Brahms, featuring his Piano Concerto No. 2 and Symphony No. 2.

Cho, 30, said that Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 2 feels warmer than his Piano Concerto No. 1, which he feels is a more youthful Brahms.

Rattle remarked that the soloist and the orchestra are entirely dependent on each other in performing Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 2, a piece where the "pianist has the power to make everyone in the orchestra utterly miserable."

He likened it to a Wimbledon tennis match, where two players exchange fierce serves and volleys, seemingly in perfect sync.

“So what Seong-jin does, without thinking, is to pass the phrases to us so that we can pass them back. And because it's done so simply and musically, no one realizes how well this is being done. And this is an experience I've had with very few pianists,” the conductor said.

Regarding the second day’s program also at Lotte Concert Hall, which will present Webern's “Six Pieces for Orchestra,” Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 2 and Bruckner's Symphony No. 9, the conductor said that “they link together almost by accident” as he highlighted the similarities in their development.

Bruckner's Symphony No. 9, described as "harmonically going further than ever before and almost shocking," and Webern's “Six Pieces for Orchestra,” a concise yet deeply expressive masterpiece reflecting profound emotion in each tightly crafted phrase, were composed during "a time when music was developing at a meaningful speed," Rattle explained.

He also noted that while the Piano Concerto No. 2 was written in Beethoven's youth, its cadenza was added 14 or 15 years later, bridging different musical eras.

After the two performances in Seoul, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra will continue to Japan, where it will give six concerts from Friday to Nov. 29, before proceeding to Taiwan for four performances from Dec. 1 to Dec. 5.

The latest tour adds to a list of significant collaborations between Cho and the orchestra, including a benefit concert for underprivileged children on Saturday in Munich as well as a New Year's concert with conductor Mariss Jansons in 2018. It was one of the maestro's last appearances before his death in December 2019.

Rattle, a charismatic and passionate conductor known for his innovative approach and artistic integrity, assumed the role of chief conductor for the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in September 2023.

Previously, Rattle led some of the world’s most prestigious orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic and the London Symphony Orchestra.

Though both the Berlin Philharmonic and the BRSO are German ensembles, Rattle highlighted their distinct identities, describing the Berlin-based orchestra as fierce and intense, while portraying the BRSO as more tender and collaborative, a "poet among technically brilliant orchestras."

Cho, the first prize winner of the 2015 Warsaw Chopin International Piano Competition and the Berlin Philharmonic's artist-in-residence, is one of the most sought-after Korean pianists.

Reflecting on this year, the pianist said 2024 was special partly because he turned 30.

"In my 20s, I had a certain fear of entering my 30s, but now I feel it’s just an extension of my 20s,” Cho said. “Next year will probably feel similar, with all the performances, but I’m especially excited to premiere a contemporary work and plan to work even harder.”