classical music: Marc-Andre Hamelin

classical music: Marc-Andre Hamelin

classical music:

Marc-Andre Hamelin

Alkan: Concerto for solo piano; Troisième recueil de chants

Charles-Valentin Alkan, Marc-André Hamelin

Hyperion UK, 2007

Hamelin Runs Alkan's Gauntlet... and Wins
Charles-Valentin Alkan probably holds the most uneven status of any composer in music history: Schumann saw him as mediocre and Busoni believed him the greatest piano composer next to Beethoven and Liszt. Today, Alkan is gradually becoming more recognized as a musical ...

Ives: Concord Sonata; Barber: Piano Sonata

Samuel Barber, Charles Ives, ...

Hyperion UK, 2004

OK.. so how's the Barber?
No offense whatsoever to the other reviewers - I found the Alcotts movement of the Concord sonata fun to play and to work on for a short time, but the work still eludes me, so I'm not even going to attempt to evaluate Hamelin's performance of the Ives. However, I ...

Marc-André Hamelin: No Limits - The World of the Piano, Vol. 2

Euroarts, 2007

An Instant Classic
We are living in an age of phenomenal pianism, one in which pianists in general tend to have almost superhuman technical abilities and in which many of them are exploring hitherto unknown corners of the piano literature, to the amazement and delight of concert-goers. ...

Godowsky: The Complete Studies on Chopin's Etudes

Leopold [composer] Godowsky, Frederic [composer] Chopin, ...

Hyperion UK, 2000

If I could, I'd give this SIX stars! It's that good!
Ten years ago, following a severe accident where I broke my right upper forearm and my shoulder, I undertook paraphrasing eight of the Chopin etudes to be played with the left hand alone. I was really proud of that accomplishment: I stayed faithful (mostly) to the ...

In a State of Jazz

George Antheil, Friedrich Gulda, ...

Hyperion UK, 2008

Hamelin: Jazz
Marc-Andre Hamelin's jazz CD is fabulous! I was totally unfamiliar with the works on this CD and, as usual, Hamelin never ceases to amaze me both in his facility, but also his superb interpretations! I can't even imagine these works played better.

Haydn: Piano Sonatas

Franz Joseph Haydn, Marc-André Hamelin

Hyperion UK, 2007

Exquisite Haydn
For the life of me I cannot understand the reviews of these cds that claim Hamelin plays them too fast and mechanically. What exactly is too fast here? The slow movements and minuets are played, if anything, a little slower than usual. As for the finales, most of ...

Alkan: Grande sonate 'Les quatre âges', Sonatine, Le festin d'Esope

Charles-Valentin Alkan, Marc-André Hamelin

Hyperion UK, 1995

One of the best solo piano recordings ever made.
This disc is totally astonishing. One you start listening to it you will not be able to stop. The Grande Sonate is one of the most beautiful, moving, complex pieces of music for solo piano ever written. Hamelin brings it to life like no one else can. If you have ...

Nikolai Kapustin: Piano Music

Nikolai Kapustin, Marc-Andre Hamelin

Hyperion UK, 2004

Remarkable works, Hamelin shines
True, Russian composer Nikolai Kapustin is not a household name, but with CDs like this, hopefully his time will come (and soon). How should this album be recommended? The draw will either be Kapustin or Hamelin (or both) - and review boards are already flooded with ...

Marc-André Hamelin plays Liszt

Franz Liszt, Marc-André Hamelin

Hyperion UK, 1997

Stop
I guess it's time for Hamelin to quit playing the piano before he makes all other pianists, past and present, look like clumsy amateurs. I think Hamelin is a mean person who should be arrested for murdering the reputation of the most cherished piano legends. Someone ...

Godowsky: Strauss Transcriptions and Other Waltzes

Godowsky

Hyperion UK, 2008

Hamelin triumphs again
In this recording, Godowsky's imaginative approach to transcription and his virtuosic pianistic skills are equally matched by Marc-Andre Hamelin's unrivalled artistry. Indeed, while I have heard some of these pieces dismissed by others as mere 'salon music', under ...

Alkan: 12 Études, Op. 39

Charles-Valentin Alkan, Jack Gibbons

Asv Living Era, 1995

An incredible recording! Gibbons' Alkan is superb!
Alkan's Magnum Opus (39) has been seen recorded many times over the past years in part, as well as in whole. Jack Gibbons demonstrates that his interpretation of this monstrously challenging set stands at the very top of the list. Out of the 250+ CDs I own, I would ...

Schumann: Carnaval; Fantasiestücke; Papillons

Robert Schumann, Marc-André Hamelin

Hyperion UK, 2006

Beautiful
What a stunning CD! I thoroughly enjoy listening to this CD - the music is enchanting and Hamelin's performances are no less so. He has a great imagination with these groups of piano 'miniatures', giving each piece its own individual character. The 'Carnaval' is ...

Schumann: Fantasy in C major; Etudes Symphoniques; Piano Sonata No. 2

Robert Schumann, Marc-André Hamelin

Hyperion UK, 2001

Schumann Needs More Than Rhetoric
The Schumann Fantasy is one of the most subjective works in the piano repertoire. It is perhaps one of the most difficult of all to bring off as a convincing and integrated whole. In this sense it is much like the Chopin sonatas; many great artists have offered us ...

Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2; Four Piano Pieces, Op. 119

Johannes Brahms, Andrew Litton, ...

Hyperion UK, 2006

M.-A. Hamelin Strikes Again.
This recording of the Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2 is my first experience with this piece and I think it's an absolutely wonderful. Hamelin, whom a lot feel plays stiff and mechanically, plays with surprising musicality and fluidity.

Charles-Valentin Alkan: Concerto For Solo Piano

Charles-Valentin Alkan, Marc-André Hamelin

Music & Arts Program, 2001

One of the best
Hamelin or Alkan fans shouldn't bother reading the rest of this review. This is an essential disk. Buy it. If Hamelin receives any negative criticism at all, it seems to follow a regular formula: his technique is divine, but the interpretation is too rigid, fake, ...