South Korean pianist Paik Kun-woo will release a new album devoted to Franz Schubert, marking both his 80th birthday and the 70th anniversary of his debut.
The album, titled “Schubert,” will be released worldwide on March 26, 2026, through Universal Music. The first single -- the first movement of Schubert’s Piano Sonata No. 13 in A major, D.664 -- was released on March 5.
The two-disc recording brings together four of Schubert’s piano sonatas — Nos. 13, 14, 18 and 20 — works that Paik says reflect both the composer’s artistic journey and his own life in music.
“This selection embraces the beginning and the end of my life as a pianist,” Paik said. “Sonata No. 13 was one of the earliest piano sonatas I learned and have always loved. Sonata No. 20, on the other hand, was a piece I left aside for a long time because I could not find the answer to it.”
“From the place I have reached today, I wanted to look at these works again and come closer to their truth,” he added.
“The second movement (of Sonata No. 20) felt like a fantasy that went beyond order, and the theme of the fourth movement seemed to repeat endlessly,” he noted. “For years I tried to find the answer, but perhaps because I wanted it too much, the answer did not appear.”
Only recently did he reach a different understanding of the music.
“I realized that rather than trying to do something, I had to try not to do anything,” he said. “To let the music sing by itself -- and to have the confidence to endure the silence.”
The album marks Paik’s first return to Schubert in 13 years, following his 2013 recording of the composer’s Impromptus, Klavierstucke and Moments Musicaux.
Born in Seoul in 1946, Paik made his debut at the age of 10, performing Grieg’s Piano Concerto with the Korean Naval Symphony Orchestra, now the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. This year marks 70 years since that debut.
At 15, he moved to the United States to study at the Juilliard School, later building an international career across Europe and North America.
Over the course of his career, he has recorded more than 30 albums, signing with Decca Classics in 2000 and releasing recordings with Deutsche Grammophon since 2010.
His recent discography includes a Schumann album in 2020, Granados’ “Goyescas” in 2022, and his first Mozart recordings, released as a three-part series between 2024 and 2025.
Now based in Paris, Paik is preparing a nationwide recital tour in Korea to accompany the album release. Beginning on April 3 in Busan, he will perform in 12 cities across the country, including Chuncheon, Yangsan, Suwon, Gwangju, Dangjin, Andong, Tongyeong and Daegu.
The tour will conclude on May 10, his birthday, with a recital at the Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall. The program will include Schubert’s Piano Sonatas Nos. 13 and 20, alongside Brahms’ Four Ballades.
gypark@heraldcorp.com
