Seong-Jin Cho plays Beethoven, Brahms og Bartók

Soloist: Seong-Jin Cho, piano

Seong-Jin Cho’s meteoric rise to stardom began with his victory at the 2015 Chopin Competition, and his career has flourished ever since. Performing on the world’s most prestigious stages, he is a frequent collaborator with renowned orchestras such as the Vienna Philharmonic, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Concertgebouworkest, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. This season, he also serves as Artist in Residence with the Berlin Philharmonic. Lauded by esteemed conductors including Gustavo Dudamel, Andris Nelsons, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and Sir Simon Rattle—who described him as “a poet at the keys”—Cho has firmly established himself as one of the finest pianists of his generation. 

Now, Seong-Jin Cho makes his highly anticipated Danish debut at Tivoli with a spellbinding solo program inspired by nature. The recital opens with Franz Liszt’s Les jeux d’eaux à la Villa d’Este, a dazzling and virtuosic portrayal of shimmering water at an Italian villa—a fitting homage to Tivoli Gardens’ historic and picturesque setting. While Cho has garnered acclaim for his technical brilliance, it is his musical depth and heartfelt interpretations that make him truly exceptional. 

The program continues with Beethoven’s Sonata Op. 28, Pastorale, a poetic and evocative work imbued with the composer’s deep admiration for the natural world. Cho’s versatility is further showcased in Bartók’s suite Out of Doors, where he vividly evokes scenes of Hungarian folk dances, the hum of bagpipes, the chirping of cicadas, and an exhilarating forest hunt, all through Bartók’s vibrant and rhythmically inventive language. 

Following the intermission, Cho concludes the evening with Johannes Brahms’s towering Piano Sonata No. 3, one of the composer’s most ambitious and virtuosic works. Written when Brahms was just 19 years old, this symphonic masterpiece launched him to international fame—a journey that mirrors Cho’s own ascent to global recognition after his triumph at the Chopin Competition nearly a decade ago.

With his unparalleled technical prowess and profound artistry, Seong-Jin Cho’s debut at Tivoli promises to be an unforgettable celebration of musical brilliance.