Ravel: The Piano Concertos Seong-Jin Cho, Boston Symphony Orchestra & Andris Nelsons

• Maurice Ravel (1875 - 1937): Piano Concerto in G Major, M. 83:
• 1 Ravel: Piano Concerto in G Major, M. 83: I. Allegramente 08:37
• 2 Ravel: Piano Concerto in G Major, M. 83: II. Adagio assai 09:42
• 3 Ravel: Piano Concerto in G Major, M. 83: III. Presto 04:00
• Piano Concerto for the Left Hand in D Major, M. 82:
• 4 Ravel: Piano Concerto for the Left Hand in D Major, M. 82: I. Lento 08:48
• 5 Ravel: Piano Concerto for the Left Hand in D Major, M. 82: II. Allegro 04:48
• 6 Ravel: Piano Concerto for the Left Hand in D Major, M. 82: III. Tempo I 05:04
• Total Runtime 40:59

Info for Ravel: The Piano Concertos

Seong-Jin Cho opens the Ravel Year 2025 with his most ambitious project to date for Deutsche Grammophon: to mark the French composer's 150th birthday, the Korean star pianist is releasing three Ravel albums between January and May. In this second release, Seong-Jin Cho presents Ravel's piano concertos together with the Boston Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Andris Nelsons. The Piano Concerto for the Left Hand, M. 82 and the Piano Concerto in G major, M. 83

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.

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.

Seong-Jin Cho, piano
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Andris Nelsons, conductor

Seong-Jin Cho/strong>
has established himself worldwide as one of the leading pianists of his generation and most distinctive artists on the current music scene. With an innate musicality and consummate artistry, his thoughtful and poetic, virtuosic, and colourful playing can combine panache with purity and is driven by an impressive natural sense of balance. He is celebrated unanimously across the globe for his expressive magic and illuminative insights.

Seong-Jin Cho was brought to the world’s attention in 2015 when he won First Prize at the Chopin International Competition in Warsaw, and his career has rapidly ascended since. In early 2016, he signed an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon and, in 2023, Cho was awarded the prestigious Samsung Ho-Am Prize in the Arts in recognition of his exceptional contributions to the world of classical music. An artist high in demand, Cho works with the world’s most prestigious orchestras including Berliner Philharmoniker, Wiener Philharmoniker, London Symphony Orchestra, Concertgebouworkest, and Boston Symphony Orchestra. Conductors he regularly collaborates with include Myung-Whun Chung, Gustavo Dudamel, Andris Nelsons, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Gianandrea Noseda, Sir Antonio Pappano, Sir Simon Rattle, Santtu-Matias Rouvali, Esa-Pekka Salonen, and Lahav Shani.

In the 2024/25 season Seong-Jin Cho takes up the mantle of Artist in Residence with the Berliner Philharmoniker, a position which sees Cho work with the orchestra on multiple projects across the season including concerto performances, chamber music collaborations, on tour to the Osterfestspiele Baden-Baden, and in recital. Elsewhere, he notably returns to London’s BBC Proms, to the Philadelphia Orchestra to open their season with Yannick Nézet-Séguin, to New York Philharmonic and Chicago Symphony Orchestra with Santtu-Matias Rouvali, and to The Cleveland Orchestra under Franz Welser-Möst. Cho embarks on several international tours, including his notable return to Wiener Philharmoniker with Andris Nelsons in Korea and to Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks with Sir Simon Rattle in Korea, Japan, and Taiwan, following a performance of Brahms Piano Concerto. No. 2 in Munich.