Franz Liszt (1811-1886) Fantasie und Fuge über das Thema B-A-C-H S529ii / Bénédiction de Dieu dans la solitude S173/3 / Venezia e Napoli - Supplement aux Années de Pèlerinage seconde volume S162 / Sonate 'Piano Sonata in B minor' S178
Juno Nominee 2102 - CLASSICAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR: SOLO OR CHAMBER ENSEMBLE
Marc-André Hamelin has recorded over 35 CDs for Hyperion, including concertos by Alkan, Bernstein, Bolcom, Busoni, Korngold, Joseph Marx, Rubinstein, Scharwenka and Shostakovich, as well as works for solo piano by Alkan, Catoire, Grainger, Medtner, Reger, Roslavets and Rzewski. He has also recorded brilliantly received performances of Haydn, Schumann, Brahms, Liszt and Albeniz. Hamelin was recently presented with a rarely bestowed lifetime achievement prize by the German Record Critics’ Award (Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik). Marc-André Hamelin was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2003 and a Chevalier de l’Ordre du Québec in 2004. He is also a member of the Royal Society of Canada. Wholenote Discoveries - June 2011
In April, I had the pleasure of reviewing the double disc set of Marc-André Hamelin performing the complete Liszt Années de Pélerinage. Now he is back with more music by the “Mephistopheles disguised as an abbé” on this Hyperion recording comprising four works including the great Piano Sonata in B minor. Opening the CD is the Fantasy and Fugue on the letters B-A-C-H, Liszt’s homage to Johann Sebastian Bach. The piece was originally written for organ in 1854, but a revised version for piano appeared 14 years later. Hamelin demonstrates a solid command of the pianistic pyrotechnics inherent here, and we can only imagine today how 19th century audiences must have adored this type of showstopper, broken piano strings and all! A welcome contrast is the piece that follows, the serene Benediction de Dieu dans la Solitude, from the collection Harmonies poétiques et religieuses completed in 1853. I have always likened this composition to a serene lake (maybe Lac Maggiore?) with the opening measures a lyrical melody heard in the bass, and a rippling accompaniment provided by the right hand. Any evidence of bombast and virtuosity are noticeably absent in this marvellously expansive composition, and Hamelin’s performance shimmers with a wonderful luminosity. The Sonata in B minor - preceded by a set of three short pieces, Gondoliera, Canzone, and Tarantella - has had both admirers and detractors since its publication in 1854. Yet there is no denying the meticulous craftsmanship and wealth of ideas contained within. Hamelin approaches it with a bold assurance, making ease of the abundant technical demands and the ever-contrasting moods. What a sense of mystery he achieves in those cryptic opening measures before the appearance of the strident octaves in the secondary theme! This is a superb performance, easily among the best currently available, and rounds out another fitting tribute to Liszt’s bicentenary. Richard Haskell
This year, April is Hamelin month at Hyperion; not content with giving us another blockbuster addition to the Romantic Piano Concerto series, the pianist gives us his contribution to the Liszt bicentenary. The Liszt Sonata is undoubtedly one of the peaks of the repertoire, and recordings are suitably copious, but when an artist of Hamelin's virtuoso pedigree wishes to tackle it no excuse need be made for an additional version. The recital opens with a lesser-known masterwork, the Fantasy and Fugue on B-A-C-H, and for light relief there is Liszt's scintillating supplement to his Italian Année de Pèlerinage, the three pieces of Venezia e Napoli, but perhaps the emotional core of the recital is Liszt's intensely spiritual Bénédiction du Dieu dans la solitude. This is a major Liszt recital from one of today's most admired recording artists.
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Price: $19.98