It was so stunning!! Just thinking what if Hamelin knew this piece earlier (in his young ages (1980s-2000s)) so he could play the first piano of this two-piano composition.
Also, he just released a recording of his own solo piano version of these variations last year. They're by far the most interesting and virtuosic variations on this cliche, overused theme that have ever been recorded.
@@kingconcerto5860 Honestly, yes (but just a little bit), for "mechanics", according to Hamelin. He's in his 60s and having serious disease like type 1 diabetes makes him a little more stressed...? Of course he is one of the best pianists right now, and his musicality got more matured due to his aging and lots of experiences. I think his value about playing the piano changed a lot. In his early days, he was astonishingly bold to play numerous virtuosic works (even in his early 50s, I believe...) in recitals, but he has been playing much more "musical" works than before and therefore became more cautious for playing musical compositions. I've never checked durations for his every compositions in every recitals, but durations of almost every works in the most recent album including his Paganini Variations is slower than his recommended times in the sheet music (e.g. his Paganini takes 11 minutes in the recording, one minute slower than early 2010s recitals)...
The only version of the Paganini variations that I've ever enjoyed are Hamelin's own for solo piano. There is very little repertoire that I specifically don't like, but this Paganini theme takes the cake for the most irritating, overused theme in existence IMO.
