Album insights
Seong-Jin Cho sheds new light on Georg Friedrich Händel's suites for keyboard instruments, often unfamiliar to most concert pianists. In his recent album for Deutsche Grammophon, Cho features his favorite three suites by Händel—HWV 427, 430, and 433. Having delved into music from later eras for years, the pianist refocused on Händel's keyboard works due to their rich musical ideas and melodic creativity. Cho emphasizes the heartfelt nature of Händel's music, making it easily accessible to listeners. While Cho mostly avoids using the right pedal in his interpretation, he adjusts some dynamic markings to maximize the modern grand piano's potential. Cho's curiosity about Händel's influence on later composers led him to include Brahms' creative response to Händel's music: Brahms completed his virtuosic Händel Variations in a few short weeks, which Cho considers "the best variations ever written." The album concludes with two separate movements by Händel: the Sarabande in B-flat major and the Menuet in G minor— the latter presented in a magical adaptation by Wilhelm Kempff.