There is a common notion that Mozart's sonatas are tidy and clear music. Pianist Cho Jae-hyuk hears opera within them.
Cho Jae-hyuk, who serves as music director of the Hasla International Arts Festival, will hold an album release commemorative recital, "Mozart Essential," at the IBK Chamber Hall of the Seoul Arts Center on September 11. The performance is part of a complete piano sonata recording project being carried out to mark the 270th anniversary of Mozart's birth.
In this performance, Cho illuminates Mozart's piano sonatas as operatic works rather than the "clear and tidy Classical music" commonly associated with them. He notes that melody and accompaniment exchange dialogue with one another, short motifs repeatedly enter and exit like characters, and the music unfolds while changing scenes. Cho's interpretation is that Mozart's sonatas are not refined keyboard music but "opera on the keyboard," in which song and dialogue, conflict and reconciliation come alive.
This performance marks the midpoint of Cho's complete recording project of Mozart's piano sonatas. Cho is presenting the complete Mozart sonatas by releasing a total of six albums sequentially through June next year. This recital is an occasion to perform on stage, in person, the interpretation contained in the recordings.
The program consists of Piano Sonata No. 10 in K.330, No. 11 in K.331, No. 15 in K.533/K.494, and No. 18 in K.576. No. 10 is a work that highlights melodies flowing like song, while No. 11 is widely known for its final movement, the "Turkish March." No. 15 and No. 18 reveal the character of Mozart's late sonatas through more intricate structures and complex voice progressions.
Tickets are available through the Seoul Arts Center and NOL Ticket.
