Charlotte Hawkins

This evening, Charlotte’s Young Classical Star is the 24-year-old Canadian pianist Jan Lisiecki. Following his orchestral debut at the age of nine, Lisiecki has performed alongside the world’s finest musicians and conductors, and has been praised internationally for his mature musicality and distinctive sound.

We hear highlights from his seventh album which celebrates the 250th anniversary of one of the greatest composers of all time: Ludwig van Beethoven. The album was released last month on Deutsche Grammophon and includes all five of the composer’s piano concertos performed and directed by Lisiecki alongside the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields.

This week, Charlotte’s Young Classical Star is the 25-year-old South Korean pianist Seong-Jin Cho.

Cho began playing piano at a young age and gave his first public recital when he was 12 years old. He moved from South Korea to France to study at the Paris Conservatoire and then rose to fame in both his home country and internationally in 2015 after winning the XVII International Chopin Piano Competition – the first South Korean pianist to do so.

This evening, Charlotte features the slow movement of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No.20, from Cho’s fifth album on the prestigious Deutsche Grammophon label.