Chopin contest victor wins Koreans' hearts

Pianist Cho Seong-jin takes a bow at his first recital Paris, Saturday. / Yonhap

Cho Seong-jin, who won the 17th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw last month, hosted his first recital in Paris, Saturday.

The two-story Salle Gaveau concert hall of 900 seats was filled with French and Koreans, Yonhap reported. Cho played the encore piece three times.

Following the performance, dozens of female fans greeted the pianist and handed him flowers and gifts.

Record label Deutsche Grammophon's album of Cho's performance at the Chopin competition has swept major online album charts by subscription sales. The album topped online Kyobo bookstore’s overall best album chart the week following the competition and still remains No. 1. It was released Friday.

Meanwhile, tickets for 2,500 seats of Cho's gala concert slated for February 2 at the Seoul Arts Center sold out in 50 minutes.