'First Mozart Album' Baek Geon-woo: "You Will Be Able to Feel a Different Side"

"You will probably realize that there is this side to Mozart's musical world as well."

Pianist Baek Geon-woo said at a press conference held on the 16th at Geoam Art Hall in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, to commemorate the release of his new album 'Mozart: Piano Works 1' that he wanted to showcase the diverse piano music of Mozart.

Pianist Baek Geon-woo is answering reporters' questions at a press conference commemorating the release of his new album 'Mozart: Piano Works 1' held on the 16th at Geoam Art Hall in Gangnam-gu, Seoul.
[Photo by Universal Music]

When it comes to Mozart's piano works, people usually think of piano sonatas. However, Baek Geon-woo's new album includes only two piano sonatas: No. 12 and No. 16, which is called the 'Easy Sonata.' Instead, it contains piano pieces such as 'Fantasia,' 'Rondo,' 'Adagio,' and 'Siciliana.'

Baek Geon-woo said, "Mozart's musical world is very extensive. In fact, his life was complicated, and so was the era he lived in. When people think of Mozart's piano pieces, they tend to first think of piano sonatas and stop there, but I wanted to present a variety of pieces."

He especially wanted the last piece to be 'Prelude and Fugue,' one of Mozart's lesser-performed piano pieces.

Baek Geon-woo said, "Actually, it's a very difficult piece. In some ways, it's a piece that doesn't seem typical of Mozart. It makes you wonder if such a sound existed in Mozart's music. I was surprised while recording this piece. It's a piece that you can't really imagine from Mozart's piano works. I was amazed by its advanced and bold expression." He added, "There aren't many fugues by Mozart, and it's hard to find a fugue as excellent as this one."

For the first piece, he chose Fantasia (K. 397). He explained, "It starts in D minor and moves to D major, which is wonderful. It paints so much in just a few short minutes, making it a suitable intro piece."

Having started playing the piano at age 10, this year marks his 68th year as a pianist, but this is his first Mozart album release. Mozart, along with Beethoven, is usually one of the first composers that performers study.

Therefore, regarding the release of his first Mozart album, Baek Geon-woo said, "They say people return to their hometown as they get older, and music seems similar."

However, he added, "Even with the same sheet music, what you see in your 40s and what you see in your 60s is definitely different. The Mozart I see now is completely new and a new challenge." He also said, "In the past, the challenge was to play Mozart well according to style, but now I want to convey what Mozart's music really is, the music itself."

To commemorate the release of the Mozart album, Baek Geon-woo plans to start a nationwide tour from June 18 at Bucheon Art Center and continue until June 21.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.