The Deeper 'Reincarnation of Chopin' Rafal Blechacz Returns to Korea After 7 Years

Second Korea Concert on February 27 Next Year at Seoul Arts Center
Performances of Chopin, Szymanowski, Debussy, and Mozart

Pianist Rafal Blechacz (38), renowned for his interpretation of Chopin, will meet Korean audiences again after seven years.

Raphał Blechacz, the winner of the 2005 Chopin Competition, will hold his second recital in Korea at the Seoul Arts Center on February 27 next year. ⓒMarco Borggreve [Photo by Mast Media]

On the 8th, the concert planning company Mast Media announced that Blechacz will hold a concert at the Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall on February 27 next year. This will be Blechacz's second recital visit to Korea since 2017.

Blechacz gained recognition by winning the 2005 International Chopin Piano Competition, sweeping all four special prizes. Piotr Paleczny, a pianist and judge at the time, stated, "Blechacz was on a completely different level compared to the other finalists, so outstanding that no one else could be awarded second place," and indeed, the 2005 Chopin Competition awarded no second prize.

Polish national Blechacz began music at the age of five and studied piano at the Arthur Rubinstein National Music School. After winning the Chopin Competition, he studied under Katarzyna Popowa-Zydro? at the Bydgoszcz Academy of Music in 2007. In 2016, he paused his performance activities to focus on his dissertation at Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toru?, earning a PhD in Music Philosophy.

At this upcoming recital in Korea, Blechacz is expected to showcase his outstanding Chopin interpretations. He will perform a variety of pieces including Chopin’s Nocturnes, as well as Polish dances such as Mazurkas and Polonaises. In the second half, he will reveal his musical depth through works by Debussy’s Bergamasque Suite, Mozart’s Sonata, and pieces by Szymanowski.

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