Nikolai Kapustin: Piano Music | Nikolai Kapustin, Marc-Andre Hamelin

Nikolai Kapustin: Piano Music | Nikolai Kapustin, Marc-Andre Hamelin | Technical and Artistic Brilliance from Two Master Pianists

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	Nikolai Kapustin: Piano Music Nikolai Kapustin, Marc-Andre Hamelin Hyperion UK, 2004 average customer review:based on 7 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Beyond Words

These are too incredible. Hamelin is not just the best pianist of his generation, but a pianist for the ages. In his hands, Kapustin's musicality reaches its perfect voice ... it can only be listened to do it justice.

Technical and Artistic Brilliance from Two Master Pianists

Nothing inspires and challenges a piano virtuoso like Hamelin as much as discovering a magic repertoire of another technical virtuoso. Kapustin's monumental technical capabilities, which few of us had the opportunity to hear directly, are presented by Hamelin with percussive athleticisn and intricate precision of execution. For all of us who want to be an inspired devotee to what can best be described as an early "post modern" take on pianoforte, which is Kapustin's legacy, this first collection from Hamelin egages the listener, then inspires, awes and satisfies with flawlessly executed technique, sensitive mood shifts, and dynamic voicing that confidently and potently declares, 'this is the new world, and you are in it'!Nikolai Kapustin: Piano Music

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A Great Composer that Needs to be Heard!

Nicolai Kasputin is one of the finest if not the very greatest living composer. His music is designed to reach everyone, and not just sophisticated highbrows. Like Gershwin, his works are instantly appealing and many were inspired by the great Oscar Peterson.Marc Andre Hamelin plays this music definitevely with stunning virtuosity and impeccable taste. The recorded sound is state of the art.If you love Gershwins Concerto in F or the Rhapsody in Blue you will love this music. A real collectors item.

For the Ghost of George Gershwin

The fine combination of pianist Marc-André Hamelin and composer Nikolai Kapustin was featured on the extraordinary album "In A State Of Jazz," in which Kapustin's Sonata No. 2 surprised this classical and jazz fan. That beautiful jazz-influenced piece was not the exception, as this wonderful album demonstrates. As I listened with tearful eyes of joy, I am in a rapture of the mind-blowing piano perfomance of Hamelin (who can play the notes of the scores of Alkan, Liszt, and Chopin) and of the luxurious melodies, romantic rhythms, and edgy modern European etudes that is the synthesis of romantic classical and postmodern jazz. Fantasies, show-stoppers, reveries, dances, touches of Bernstein, Corea, Willie "the Lion" Smith, and the tunesmiths of the Great American Songbook envelop the listener. This is not your grandfather's classical music, not counting Gershwin's rhapsodies, preludes, and piano concerto. Full of vitality, the album soars for 77 minutes, dropping musical notes of happiness behind. Listen! And spread the word.

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Five stars to Hamelin, but this music is trite and annoying

Hamelin appears to be in search of some niche, and it seems that he decided to concentrate on technically super-demanding and obscure repertory. I regret this very much, because he is a fantastic pianist, but he ends up playing a lot of garbage I don't want to hear no matter how well played (like Medtner, Reger, Alcan, and now Kapustin). Kapustin's music is written-out jazz: that is, it's idiomatically jazz but sans improvisation. As jazz pieces they're busy but not inventive or original, so what's the point? You can hear this sort of music on any good jazz pianist's record (and know that the guy is making it up as he goes).

Hamelin gets five stars, Kapustin gets one star, three stars overall.

I wish Hamelin issued more stuff like his Scriabin sonatas collection. Isn't there more music like that: difficult, yet, nevertheless, listenable?

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reviews: page 1, 2

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