ChangYong Shin BEETHOVEN - LISZT - CHOPIN

On July 5, 2019, the Steinway & Sons label releases a new album from ChangYong Shin, whose 2018 Steinway recording of Bach, Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven was named among the best releases of the year by WQXR. Shin is the winner of multiple competitions, including the 2018 Rencontre Internationale des Pianistes "Prix Zygmunt Zaleski,” the 2017 Seoul International Piano Competition, the 2016 Hilton Head International Piano Competition, and the 2018 Gina Bachauer International Artist Piano Competition.

The album, titled Beethoven, Liszt, Chopin, features works by all three composers performed with the brilliant technique that is a hallmark of ChangYong Shin. Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 30 in E major was written after the formidable Hammerklavier Sonata and provides a more intimate listening experience. The work is characterized by a decidedly original approach to the traditional sonata form, with a marked focus on different variations of the theme in the third movement. Franz Liszt’s Bénédiction de Dieu dans la solitude, which translates to “The Blessing of God in Solitude,” is a selection from his 1847 piano cycle, “Harmonies poétiques et religieuses,” or “Poetic and Religious Harmonies.” This piece acts as a meditation on the blessings that can be found when one is alone with God. Three Waltzes from Chopin follow, providing a light, joyous riot of sound to round out the record.