Andris Nelsons, the BSO, and Seong-Jin Cho Release Ravel’s Piano Concertos in G major and for the Left Hand with Deutsche Grammophon, February 21

The music world is currently celebrating the 150th anniversary of the birth of the great French composer Maurice Ravel (1875-1937). Seong-Jin Cho is marking the occasion with his most ambitious project since he was signed by Deutsche Grammophon after winning the 2015 Chopin Competition. Renowned for his insightful readings of Ravel, he has recorded the composer’s complete solo piano music and two piano concertos. Ravel: The Complete Solo Piano Works was released on January 17 to great critical acclaim and, in Cho’s home country of South Korea, instant gold status.  

Its companion release, Ravel: The Piano Concertos, in which the pianist is joined by the Boston Symphony Orchestra and its Music Director Andris Nelsons, comes out digitally and on CD on February 21. A deluxe edition presenting the complete recordings will be issued digitally and as a 3-CD box set on May 2. Vinyl versions of the two individual albums will be released later this year. The Piano Concerto in G’s central Adagio assai is available to stream/download beginning  February 7, while the Menuet sur le nom d’Haydn will be released in advance of the deluxe edition, on March 7, the exact anniversary of Ravel’s birth. 

While the Concerto for the Left Hand is a recent addition to his repertoire, Seong-Jin Cho is very familiar with Ravel’s other work in the genre, having made his debuts with the Seoul Philharmonic (aged just 15) and the Berliner Philharmoniker (at 23) in the Concerto in G major. Both works date from the latter years of Ravel’s career and are influenced by jazz and blues music.  

Notoriously difficult to play, the Concerto for the Left Hand is notable for its dark sonorities, while the more lighthearted Concerto in G major achieves an exquisite combination of jazz and the Classicism of Mozart and Saint-Saëns. “For me,” says Cho, “the highlight of the Concerto in G is the second movement [Adagio assai] – the long piano solo at the beginning. It’s one of the most touching movements in the piano literature.” 

The recordings were made live at Boston’s Symphony Hall with Andris Nelsons and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The Boston Globe hailed the way “Cho’s hand glided and bounced across the keyboard with confident grace and dynamic nuance" in the Concerto for the Left Hand. 

Referencing the BSO’s expertise in the French repertoire, rooted in the work of Nelsons’ predecessors Pierre Monteux, Charles Munch, and Sergei Koussevitzky, Cho notes, “You feel like the French spirit is in the BSO’s blood—it was so inspiring to play and record with them, and of course working with Andris is always a real joy.” 

For his part, when discussing the process of performing and recording with Cho, Nelsons has nothing but high praise for the pianist: “Exploring the vivid colors and textures of Ravel’s piano concertos together with Seong-Jin Cho and the BSO has been an extraordinary experience. Seong-Jin's artistry and profound understanding of Ravel’s intricate sound world bring a rare elegance and emotional depth to these works,” he said.  

Cho’s anniversary focus on Ravel continues with a major tour of the US during February and March. In April and May he makes recital appearances at London’s Barbican Centre and venues throughout Germany, notably Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie and the Berlin Philharmonie, as part of his season as Artist in Residence with the Berliner Philharmoniker.  

Cho will perform both Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G and the Concerto for Left Hand with Nelsons and the BSO on July 12 at Tanglewood’s Koussevitzky Music Shed. On July 16 he will perform the complete solo piano works in recital in Tanglewood’s Ozawa Hall. Tickets to the Tanglewood concerts go on public sale on March 6 at bso.org. 

Further dates follow in Asia and the US through the summer.