Ian Milnes, March 29th, 2006

Throughout this CD, Jae-Hyuck Cho shows himself to be a fine pianist capable of giving outstanding interpretations in several different styles of music. He is in such good command of technique that he can communicate the essence of each composer’s thoughts to the full.
The recording and the piano sound are excellent, giving the feeling of being present at the recital. Very highly recommended, especially to all interested in outstanding young pianists!

This is another in Dunelm Records’ excellent and enterprising series of CDs recorded during the Fifth Chetham’s International Summer School and Festival for Pianists in 2005. The young, South Korean-born, pianist Jae-Hyuck Cho gave this recital on Friday, August 26^th, 2005, in the Whiteley Hall, Chetham’s School of Music, Manchester, and recorded by kind permission of the Director of Music. Peter Lyons prepared the piano which has a wonderful sound on this CD. Mr. Cho has spent much of his time in America, including studies with Herbert Stassin and Jerome Lowenthal at the outstanding Juilliard School from which one would expect Mr. Cho to be a pianist of very high standards. These expectations are well fulfilled in the performances on this CD. He has given many performances in North America, Europe and Asia, including gaining a Diploma in the International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow. I sincerely hope that, certainly from the impact of this CD, he will give many performances in the UK in the future.

Jae Cho makes an arresting start to his recital by playing Beethoven’s ‘Waldstein’ Piano Sonata with splendid energy, clarity and effective pedalling, maintaining the forward momentum of the powerful first movement, while also giving almost a sense of mystery in the calmer sections especially at one point in the recapitulation. That sense of mystery is also in evidence in parts of the Adagio molto with its feeling of repose well caught, though perhaps there is room for him to develop a little more spiritual depth in future performances. The ensuing Rondo is outstanding, with his pedalling helping to produce ethereal, transparent textures with brilliant, light finger work well contrasted with the vigorous stamping dance-like sections. He even brings a sense of mystery to the quieter parts of this movement, and there is a feeling of expansiveness and well being, culminating in a truly thrilling and uplifting fast conclusion.

After Beethoven’s great sonata structure, I was interested to hear how he coped with music of a vastly different style in Ravel’s magical Jeux d’eau. Here his fine musicianship conveyed the sound world most vividly, in a performance of wonderful fluidity and delicacy, producing a marvellous image of “water at play”!

Another marked change of style was evident in Schumann’s splendid Piano Sonata No.2, and Mr. Cho again embarked on this music almost as if he had discussed it with Schumann himself! My feeling is that he projects Schumann’s spirit throughout, in the beautiful slow second movement as well as in the turbulent and emotional power of the three fast movements in which, as well as much dramatic playing, there are numerous touches of detail and contrasts, including a lightness of touch in the sprightly rhythms of the Scherzo. As in the concluding section of the Beethoven, he makes Schumann’s very fast ending unforgettable in its intensity.

Liszt’s Mephisto Waltz No.1 is tone poem-like, subtitled “The Dance at the Village Inn”, which requires the pianist to turn storyteller. In this role, Mr Cho succeeds with full brilliance of technique and interpretation. Much thought is given to the slower, quieter sections, contrasting so well with his light-fingered runs in the higher registers which are breathtaking! Some applause is included after this on the CD, showing the audience’s enthusiastic reception!

There follows a truly lovely performance of Chopin’s famous ‘Fantasie-Impromptu in C sharp minor, Op.66’ and finally comes Jae Cho’s own solo piano transcription of Albert Hay Malotte’s setting of The Lord’s Prayer, which sounds most effective as after its climax it moves to a lovely calm ending.
Throughout this CD, Jae-Hyuck Cho shows himself to be a fine pianist capable of giving outstanding interpretations in several different styles of music. He is in such good command of technique that he can communicate the essence of each composer’s thoughts to the full.
The recording and the piano sound are excellent, giving the feeling of being present at the recital. There is virtually no audience sound.

The booklet is excellent, with concise, informative notes on each work written by Spencer Myer from the USA. The American spellings – and usage – have been retained both in these notes and in the comprehensive career profile of Mr. Cho. The booklet is well illustrated with photographs. Dunelm Records is to be congratulated on another splendid CD production.

Very highly recommended, especially to all interested in outstanding young pianists!

Jae-Hyuck Cho is American, of Korean birth. …on the evidence of this CD (his name) is one I will be eagerly looking out for in the future. His technique is superb, virtuosic when needed, admirably clear in delivery generally, and underpinned by thoughtful musicianship. These qualities serve him well in this programme, which is ideally balanced between classical and Romantic repertoire. The recording is indeed excellent in tone and very natural sounding. … Strongly recommended as a calling card for a pianist of whom many piano fanciers may have been ignorant as I was myself.

This is another recording of a live recital in the Fifth Chetham’s International Summer School and Festival for Pianists (2005). Dunelm does a notable service, not just to Chetham’s, but to piano fanciers generally in capturing these first-rate events for posterity. Recording live events does of course always create problems (a) in microphone placements, (b) because of possible audience noise, and (c) there is no realistic chance of correcting slips in performance. I can only say that these problems scarcely, if at all, come into play for listeners to this CD. Performance slips are very few and the only evidence of the audience (who as always at Chetham’s seem to be impeccably behaved) is the sputter of enthusiastic applause after the Mephisto Waltz, which I take to be the end of the advertised programme, the two last tracks being encores. The recording is indeed excellent in tone and very natural sounding.

Jae-Hyuck Cho is American, of Korean birth. Although he has built up a noteworthy reputation over the past dozen years, his is not a name I had previously come across, but on the evidence of this CD it is one I will be eagerly looking out for in the future. His technique is superb, virtuosic when needed, admirably clear in delivery generally and underpinned by thoughtful musicianship. These qualities serve him well in this programme, which is ideally balanced between classical and Romantic repertoire. The Waldstein is well thought out and beautifully executed, almost willing us to reckon this as Beethoven’s finest sonata (it isn’t, of course, quite, but the advocacy here is strong). The fluid images of the Ravel are entrancing and the Mephisto Waltz No.1 is brilliantly done. The Schumann, probably the recital’s least heard (and maybe for that reason the most prized) looks back to classical models as it is in the standard four movements and uses classical structures like sonata form and sonata rondo but the idiom is strongly Romantic, typical Schumann, mostly the agitated Florestan side of him, though the songlike slow movement furnishes some relief. The encores allow us to sample Mr. Cho’s skills in Chopin and, perhaps rather curiously even as an encore, his own transcription of Malotte’s The Lord’s Prayer, beloved of singers, solo and choral, for many years and enjoyable enough in its solo piano guise.

Strongly recommended as a calling card for a pianist of whom many piano fanciers may have been ignorant as I was myself.
Philip L. Scowcroft, April, 2006

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