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Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Seong-Jin Cho Plays Beethoven
Feb 8-10, 2024
Overview
Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto is a landmark of his dark and restless middle period, here featuring Seong-Jin Cho, whose 2018 Chicago debut offered “about as thrilling a display of sheer powerhouse keyboard bravura as one is ever likely to encounter” (Chicago Classical Review). Gemma New conducts the program, which closes with Mendelssohn’s Scottish Symphony, evoking highland mists, warring clans and long-lost folk dances.
Program
Kernis
Musica Celestis
Beethoven
Piano Concerto No. 3
Beethoven
II. Adagio cantabile from Piano Sonata No. 8 in C Minor “Pathetique", Op. 13 [Feb. 8 Encore]
Seong-Jin Cho piano
Haydn
III. Vivace molto, innocentemente from Piano Sonata in E Minor, H. XVI No. 34 [Feb. 10 Encore]
Seong-Jin Cho piano
Mendelssohn
Symphony No. 3 (Scottish)
Performers
Extras
Enhance your concert experience.
Preconcert Dining
Enhance your concert experience by dining at Forte featuring contemporary Mediterranean cuisine or the Thomas Club featuring traditional American fare. Learn more »
Classic Encounter
Thursday, February 8: Pre-concert multimedia discussion hosted by Chicago’s favorite radio DJ, WXRT’s Terri Hemmert, with co-host John Bruce Yeh, CSO Assistant Principal Clarinet and E-flat Clarinet.
You will have the opportunity to add Classic Encounter to your order after selecting your seats for the concert.
Learn more about Classic Encounter »
Preconcert Conversation
Explore the music in a free preconcert conversation featuring Daniel Schlosberg in Orchestra Hall 75 minutes before the performance. The talk will last approximately 30 minutes. No additional tickets are needed.
Postconcert CD Signing
Please join us for a postconcert CD signing with Seong-Jin Cho on Thursday, February 8. This signing will take place in Grainger Ballroom and is open to all ticket holders. Merchandise will be available at the Symphony Store preconcert and Grainger Ballroom at intermission and postconcert.
Lunar New Year Celebration
Celebrate the Lunar New Year with the Korean Cultural Center of Chicago at 6:00 in Grainger Ballroom on Saturday, February 10. Learn about the Charye and Sebea Lunar New Year traditions, hear traditional Korean instruments and more! Event is free and open to all concert ticket holders. No additional tickets needed for entry.
Listen Now
Sponsors and Event Partners
Official Airline of the CSO
This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency
These performances are generously sponsored by the Zell Family Foundation.
The appearance of Seong-Jin Cho is made possible by the Grainger Fund for Excellence.
Discover more on Experience CSO
The rising New Zealand-born conductor Gemma New will make no less than 11 subscription debuts this season with leading ensembles such as the London Philharmonic, Vancouver Symphony and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
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Pianist Seong-Jin Cho's latest disc for Deutsche Grammophon. is "The Handel Project," released in March. "Handel’s music is from the heart for me and more melodic," he says. "So it was easier to understand and follow than Bach's music."
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What began as an essay by Belgian conductor-scholar Jan Caeyers morphed into a full-fledged look at Beethoven’s life and music. The English translation, "Beethoven, A Life," was released last year, logging in at 680 pages.
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