OUT NOW | Violinist Jinjoo Cho’s New Album: “Saint-Saëns”

Released on Naïve records, Cho performs with the French chamber ensemble Appassionato and conductor Matheiu Herzog

Among the repertoire are some of Saint-Saëns’ most celebrated works which are also Jinjoo Cho’s signature pieces. She recently performed the French composer’s third Violin Concerto in B minor with South Korea’s Gangneung Philharmonic.

The pieces on the album include Saint-Saëns’ Introduction and Rondo capriccioso, Op. 28; Havanaise, Op. 83; Violin Concerto No.3 in B minor; Violin Concerto No. 1 in A major; Romance, Op. 48; and "Mon coeur s’ouvre à ta voix" from Samson et Dalila — arranged for violin, viola, and orchestra by Mathieu Herzog and Appassionato violist Caroline Donin. 

Cho was the first prize winner of the 2014 Indianapolis International Violin Competition, 2006 Concours Musical International de Montréal, and 2005 Stulberg International String Competition.

This album marks the first recording collaboration between Cho and Herzog, who came to know of the violinist at a festival in Cleveland. “When I heard her technique and immense capacity for musical expression, I could tell that she was an artist of superior caliber,” recalled Herzog. “I immediately knew I wanted to work with her.” 

Cho proposed to record an all-Saint-Saëns album, noting that 2021 was the composer’s jubilee year. “In a way, there is a sense of personal nostalgia that I associate with his music,” said Cho. 

“It feels to me like meeting an old friend when I play Saint-Saëns,” she continued. “Recording this album with Mathieu and Ensemble Appassionato was an incredibly uplifting and illuminating experience in the midst of a pandemic.”

For the digital release of “Saint-Saëns,” click here.

The CD will become available on November 19, 2021.

A mini-documentary on the making of the album can be watched below.