He is definitely the greatest living pianist. He is also one of the most humble, nicest, least pretentious and most generous person one can find. He is a true and authentic genius.
I saw him perform the Paul Dukas Piano Sonata in Eb Minor live in Toronto a few months ago (along with some Faure pieces and an original composition 'Suite a l'Ancienne")... Hamelin was crying at the end when he finished the Dukas sonata and stood up to take his bows- I've seen many performances but I've never experienced one more emotional than that. I don't know why he has a reputation as a pure technician, like I said I've never felt that level of emotion from a solo piano performance before, it was truly a transcendental experience.
He has a reputation as a pure technician, not because it's deserved or true at all, but merely because envious people must try to find something wrong with his playing in order to feel better themselves. Having watched a lot of videos of his playing, having seen him play live in concert and having watched him interviewed, I agree that he is a great, great genius musician and a beautiful, intelligent, mature and wise human being.@@kingconcerto5860
@@kingconcerto5860 His Hyperion recording of the Dukas is wonderful and after recently becoming aware of his Alkan recordings, I agree with @patrickbotti2357. Who can match that level of virtuosity and musicianship across such a wide range of uncompromising repertoire?
I had opportunity to chat with MAH after a function at Northwestern U, Bienen School of Music. Nice guy. Talked a bit about Scriabin, one of my fav composers. Very amicable.
This is an amazing recital. There is little rest and zero hiding here. He is playing the hardest literature with magnificent technique. Any of these pieces could be the finale of usual recitals. Here they are dashed off one after another. This man is a genius. Has to be best in the world and maybe in the best of all time short list. Thank you for posting this video.
Marc-André Hamelin, apresentando um recital diferente do convencional com compositores talvez desconhecidos por muitos, o segredo pra ficar familiarizado com as novas peças é ver o vídeo e ouvir, ouvir e ouvir. obrigado por postar tão rico trabalho.
It’s a nice touch that Hamelin’s first piece, the Berg sonata, was also the first piece that Glenn Gould played in his 1957 introduction for students of the Moscow Conservatory to music of the Second Viennese School
I've always been slightly ambivalent towards Rach's Second Sonata, but here Hamelin has made me believe in it whole-heartedly. What a sublime performance
I've loved the Rachmaninoff Bb minor Sonata ever since I heard Horowitz's recording as a kid. Of course, Horowitz did his own composer approved mixture of the original 1913 version and the 1931 revision. Only the 1931 revision was available in the US for many decades so I wasn't surprised that Hamelin played the revised version when he first recorded this piece in his 20s. I am surprised though that he still plays the 1931 version for this recent recital when the original 1913 version has been available for 25+ yrs. John Browning loved the original and succeeded in getting it from a Soviet library and presented it with fingering suggestions in an edition for International that includes both versions. And there is now a G. Henle Urtext edition that also includes the 1931 revision and the 1913 original edited by none other than Marc-Andre Hamelin himself! The original version is longer and more difficult and, to me, the 1931 revision seems truncated. But for sure, Hamelin does play it beautifully here. Personally, I'd love to hear him play the original 1913 version like John Browning did here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-faj7aEMR1ec.html
Perhaps - but he didn't much like many other composers work so not sure he'd be amused by anyone mucking about with his! Not that it matters - he's dead!
Maybe looking down from heaven he would find it lovely and funny-- but there's evidence that during his life he wasn't amused by people playing around with his scores.
30.35 he struggled for hand position on gaspard and 30,57 onward was just awfully smudged and haphazard and his face showed it but he is still best pianist ever
Volodos and Hamelin are my top two favorite pianists. I have all of their recordings...literally all of them. I have always contemplated which one is truly better, but I think its impossible for me to decide. Hamelin has an immense repertoire and accuracy in his interpretations. He splendidly glorifies the composers intentions to another level beyond what the composer imagined a pianist could do. On the other hand, Volodos' musically flowing, yet note-perfect, interpretations cannot really be matched as far as raw power and emotion are concerned. Volodos plays perfectly executed live performance recitals on a regular basis that would be worthy of studio recording material. Both give piano music worth listening to for a lifetime.
I used to think Volodos' albums had effects applied to make the piano so burnished. Then I heard him a week after Pollini in almost the same position in the same hall, and my god, I just bathed in his tone production!
Yea, double notes runs high up are a bit of an issue because if the body isn't positioned correctly, the hand doesn't feel balanced, and they come out uneven or they don't come out at tempo. Seems like he merely zone out for a moment though and had a lapse. Seems like that slight issue triggered another memory lapse in the left hand that disrupted his auto pilot and caused him to panic, look away, and rush in a desperate attempt to get the muscle memory to kick in. Really interesting, and can truly happen to anyone.
what a programme!!! all are but difficult pieces to interpret and are physically demanding. I think he would wipe out any concert pianist with this suicide recital. The best in this generation the Liszt or Alkan of today.
unbelievable Russians rushing to get out [excuse the pun] and a 1,39,15 the silly women still leaving even though they hear him coming back for an encore! what a waste of tickets on those plebs i would have loved to have been there,
It was a bit odd: he left at 1:37:58 and didn't come back for over 1.5 minutes - that is an unusually long wait! Quite a lot of people had - understandably - gone!
At that point he had already played the second encore though. I suppose the single clap of some people in the middle of his encore came a bit as a shock to him. He only returned because the people started clapping again, which is of course the condition for an(other) encore.
I simply cannot agree that M.A.H. "is definitely the greatest living pianist". What baffles me about his playing, he has 10 fingers that any pianist could want - AND YET - I find his playing utterly without colour or excitement. I don't understand it. (btw: I'm not happy he chose to play Rach 2nd sonata - that belongs to Horowitz - listen to his recordings and you'll NEVER come back to M.A.H.!) If you want a living pianist that totally lives up to that required by romantic repertoire then listen to MISHA DACIC or BENJAMIN GROSVENOR.
@@pianobirb5644 Your sarcasm aside, the greatest pianists often have repertoire that becomes associated with just them and the chances of others bettering those iconic performances are slim indeed. I wince when Lang Lang plays traumerei or Yuja Wang plays carmen variations. M.A.H. is setting himself up directly against V.H. playing Rach 2nd sonata - and, in my humble opinion, is found wanting!
Even Rachmaninoff himself said he felt like Horowitz played his works better than Rach himself could, he also said Horowitz interpreted the works exactly how he imagined they should be interpreted
