The current trend is to give a generic title to classic albums. Here, “Der Wanderer” is obviously the title of Schubert’s Fantasy, but it is above all the very symbol of German Romanticism in its tireless and almost metaphysical quest for inner peace through poetry and nature. One may well wonder whether the Berg and Liszt sonatas really fit such a description.
The young Korean pianist Seong-Jin Cho’s program goes further than this simple title by his desire to unite the Wanderer Fantasy with Lizst, who composed an arrangement for piano and orchestra, and with Berg, whose expressive language resides in the wake of Schubert. For his fourth Deutsche Grammophon recording, Seong-Jin Cho confirms his stature and the maturity for his age is astonishing, allowing him to express the quintessence of works which have never been immediately accessible. He knows how to combine grandeur and construction through a flawless technique that never replaces expression. © François Hudry/Qobuz