“Remember the name Tomoki Park. He’s one of those rare musicians who uses his astonishingly versatile intellect to give listeners deeper insight into the inner workings of music, all without making the performance sound dry or academic. Who else could not only memorize the six-part Ricercar from Musikalisches Opfer but also deliver it with such sparkling clarity? And who can infuse Holliger’s Lebenslinien with so much passion for both sound and structure?”
“…I listened to him on Peter Serkin’s recommendation, and the spark was immediate - he played the Hammerklavier Sonata. I immediately saw that there is a lot here, intellectually, and in how he plays Bach— so intelligent and cultured, understanding precisely the connections between the old and the new. And he passionately loves new music, but also knows exactly what good new music is…”
“Tomoki’s playing was so sensitive and idiomatic that we could almost see him as the composer himself...”
“...It was the kind of concert I would have liked to have played myself—a kind of playing that I respond to—not just efficient and well played, but musically meaningful. It was direct in relating to the compositions, with all their individual detail, showing real understanding and appreciation for each work, and it allowed the great pieces to manifest.”
Korean pianist Tomoki Park was born in Yokohama, Japan. Praised by Sir András Schiff as “a brilliant mind, intellectual in the best sense but full of emotions,” he has been noted as a “standout” (Boston Globe) and “among the highlights… and played sensitively” (The New York Times).
Key collaborations include Adolf Busch’s two-piano works with his late teacher Peter Serkin at the Marlboro Music Festival, and the music of György Kurtág with his mentor András Schiff, which they will perform again next season at Berlin’s Pierre Boulez Saal. His concerto appearances span repertoire from Bach to Takemitsu, as do his solo recital programs, recently presented at the Elbphilharmonie, Konzerthaus Berlin, Klavier-Festival Ruhr, and Gstaad Menuhin Festival. He has premiered over 50 works; composers including Katherine Balch, Dai Fujikura, and Michael Cohen-Weissert have recently written for him.
He began his musical education in England, studying piano with Tessa Nicholson at the Purcell School, while also pursuing composition. He later studied with Pascal Devoyon at the Universität der Künste Berlin, with Peter Serkin at the Bard College Conservatory of Music in New York, and at the Lake Como Piano Academy. He was a member of the International Ensemble Modern Academy in Frankfurt.
A long-running project is a commissioned biography of Peter Serkin, funded in part by The Amphion Foundation, Inc. He is currently based in Berlin.
Concerts
Schubert Piano Sonata in C major, D 840 “Reliquie”
Gallery
Boulez: Structures Book II, Chapter 1, Johann Vacher & Tomoki Park
On Air – Ensemble Modern live aus dem Dachsaal / Live from the Attic #9 Jagdish Mistry, Violine
Shadow Memory for piano - Dai FUJIKURA
Webern Variations, Op.27
Beethoven: "Hammerklavier" Sonata, Op. 106 - Tomoki Park - Bechstein piano
Peter Serkin/Tomoki Park: Adolf Busch Variations and Fugue, Op.2 May 22 2018
Takemitsu meets Messiaen
Isang Yun: Interludium A (1982)