The piece repeatedly sets a whispered opening idea against sweeping, explosive passages. Cho keeps the melodic direction and inner voices unusually clear even at speed, making the architecture of those contrasts as striking as the virtuosity.
Listen for
Listen to how the opening idea changes in weight each time it returns, and how the main line stays distinct from the inner voices through the fast octaves and chords.
What else to know
Cho performs Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam on September 24. This is not the work on tonight’s program, but it is an official recording that captures the Chopin playing central to his rise before hearing where his artistry is now.
Behind the song
The second of Frédéric Chopin’s four Scherzi, written in the 1830s. Cho recorded it for his 2021 Deutsche Grammophon album Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 2 · Scherzi, and DG released an official performance video the same year.
WHY KOREA LOVES THEM
Cho is admired for shaping colour, rhythm and structure with unusual precision rather than relying on oversized gestures, making familiar repertoire feel newly considered. In a 2021 Deutsche Grammophon interview, he said of Chopin, “Every time I come back to Chopin, I make new discoveries.” His repeated returns to Chopin since winning the 2015 competition are a useful key to understanding his playing.
