Pianist Cho Seong-jin teams up with Berlin Philharmonic musicians in Seoul

The unique appeal of chamber music is something recordings rarely capture in full.

It is only in the concert hall that audiences can witness musicians shaping a performance together in real time, relying solely on their shared breath and musical instincts.

At the "Seong-Jin Cho Chamber Concert" held Monday at Lotte Concert Hall, that creative process unfolded vividly before the audience.

Marking the 10th anniversary of Lotte Concert Hall, Cho — the venue's artist-in-residence this year — opened the concert alongside an internationally renowned lineup: Daishin Kashimoto, first concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic; principal clarinetist Wenzel Fuchs; principal horn Stefan Dohr; violist Kyungmin Park, the first Korean to earn a tenured position with the orchestra; and Austrian cellist Kian Soltani.

Personally invited by Cho, who curated the program as artist-in-residence, the ensemble devoted the evening entirely to Brahms' chamber works, where communication and balance among performers take precedence over individual virtuosity.

The first half began with Brahms' Clarinet Trio, in ...