Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - The Complete Piano Sonatas, Vol. 1 (Jae-Hyuck Cho)

Information

Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

• Piano Sonata No. 16 in C Major, K. 545
• Piano Sonata No. 13 in B-Flat Major, K. 333
• Piano Sonata No. 14 in C Minor, K. 457

Jae-Hyuck Cho, piano

Date: 2026

Label: Orchid Classics

_____________________

This first volume of Jae-Hyuck Cho’s complete Mozart piano sonata cycle reflects his view that Mozart’s keyboard music is deeply connected to the vocal expressiveness of the composer’s operas. Cho interprets these works as lively dialogues rich in drama, wit, and character, aiming for expressive truth rather than technical perfection. The program opens with the Sonata in C major, K.545, whose apparent simplicity highlights Mozart’s elegance and clarity. The Fantasia in C minor, K.475, and the Sonata in C minor, K.457, form an intense expressive pairing, moving from improvisatory introspection to dramatic momentum. The album concludes with the Sonata in B-flat major, K.333, offering lyrical warmth and classical balance. Recorded with Grammy-winning producer Michael Fine, the release presents Mozart’s piano music as vivid, vocal, and songlike.

Jae-Hyuck Cho is a distinguished South Korean pianist and organist and one of the country’s most active concert performers. He gained international recognition after his 1993 debut at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, following his victory in the Pro Piano New York Recital Series Auditions. Cho has since performed with leading orchestras including the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, Russian National Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo. He studied at the Manhattan School of Music and The Juilliard School. His recordings include works by Beethoven, Liszt, Bach, Rachmaninov, and Chopin on labels such as Sony Classical, Evidence, and Orchid Classics. Cho is also widely known in Korea through his broadcasts on KBS Classic FM and his lectures at the Seoul Arts Center.