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Marc-André Hamelin Recital: Marc-André Hamelin (piano), Jane Mallet Theatre, St. Lawrence Center, Toronto. 11.11.2008 (PL)

Haydn: Piano Sonata No.38 in F Major, Hob. XVI:12
Piano Sonata No.55 in B Flat Major, Hob. XVI:41
Weissenberg: Sonate en état de jazz (Sonata in a State of Jazz) (1982)
Chopin: Barcarolle in F Sharp Major, Op.60, Ballade No.3 in A Flat Major, Op.47
Hamelin: Étude No.8 ‘Erlkönig’ after Goethe (2007),
Étude No.7 after Tchaikovsky’s Lullaby, for the left hand (2006)
Strauss-Godowsky: Symphonic Metamorphoses on Wine, Women and Song

(Encores): Hamelin: A Little Nocturne, Suggestion Diabellique (based on Beethoven’s 32 Variations on Diabelli)

Marc-André Hamelin with Piano Keys - Picture © Nina Large

Marc-André Hamelin  brings the cold winter night a touch of flair and brilliance.


Ever since winning the 1970 Canadian Music Competition, pianist Marc-André Hamelin has made an impressive mark in the chapters of music history for his scholarly interests and novel interpretations in the piano works of contemporaries and lesser-known composers of the past century. Georgy Catoire, Nikolai Kapustin, Kaikhosru Sorabji, and Alexis Weissenberg, to name but a few, were composers often associated on the recital programmes of the Montréal-born pianist. Hamelin’s début Hyperion recording in 1994 at the Wigmore Hall saw the birth of two fruitful decades of recording partnership, capturing some of the finest piano literature on discs. From his award-winning Chopin-Godowsky Etudes to his recent Haydn Sonata recordings, the Canadian pianist has  combined virtuosic flair, a refined poetic lyricism and a probing mind for the musical form,  which has made him a rare breed among his kind. Reaching his 25^th anniversary with Hyperion in 2009, one cannot help but  ponder what greater excitements will be already on the drawing board. To the joy of many avid collectors of piano music and admirers of Hamelin’s meaningful language, his service on stage as much as off-stage has been formidable.

Whenever Hamelin gives a live concert, a sensation fills each corner of the concert hall, simply fun both to hear and watch. Whether as a concert soloist of the BBC Proms or as a recitalist at the likes of the Wigmore Hall, any performance of Hamelin’s could be tied together by three Es – Energized, Exuberant and Exquisite. This evening’s recital at the Jane Mallet Theatre in the St. Lawrence Center, as part of Music Toronto’s piano series for 2008-2009, was no exception to this tradition. The pianist drew upon his full arsenal of interpretative genius to reach each of the great summits of piano literature:  Classical, Romantic and Contemporary periods were represented equally.

The first half of the recital was dedicated to the Piano Sonata form. Throughout the Haydn pieces, Hamelin persuaded us how the composer grappled with the ultimate mysteries to achieve the pinnacle of this artistic form. His characteristic wit and ethereal tone yielded a sparkling mix to Haydn’s music, with an opening first movement (Moderato) from the Piano Sonata No.38 in F Major which captured all variations of musical and rhythmic delights. In the second movement (Adagio), Hamelin probed into Haydn’s musical world, with an expressive siciliano which was spiritual, unpretentious and deeply personal, while the third movement (Presto) was highly polished, typical of Hamelin’s style of piano playing. This finale saw a glimpse of the witty, folk-like themes permeating the composer’s masterly contrapuntal skills, and the pianist was unafraid to extend his exploration further. His choice of  contrasting the F Major Sonata with Haydn’s latter Piano Sonata No.55 in B Flat Major was commendable. With precise, fluid finger technique, Hamelin elected an overuse of pedaling however,  perhaps designed to mute the lustrous quality of the instrument in  imitation of a fortepiano. Even so, the richness in tone quality, with the subdued tenderness achieved on the newly acquired Model D Steinway Grand Piano was in perfect unison with Haydn’s frank statements in music. Throughout the two movements, one could certainly appreciate the continued efforts, as Hamelin attempted to “break-in” into the Model D Steinway to bring out the best sound quality possible on this new instrument. The sparkled trills and naked scale-like runs in the top register had a fleeting touch, in stark contrast to the bold return of thematic materials.

The 1982 Sonata in the State of Jazz by legendary pianist Alexis Weissenberg was a typical example illustrating the pianist-composer’s explosion of musical styles – from the lushly chromatic post-Romanticism to Jazz idioms of the 1950s, plus manyideas in between. The Sonata was a testament to the French pianist's ability to shape seemingly divergent musical elements ever so smoothly and seamlessly naturally as if by birthright, never sounding either clumsy or overwhelmingly  eclectic. By blending four popular styles - Tango, Charleston, Blues and Samba, Marc-André Hamelin paid tribute to Mr. Weissenberg’s gifts in composition, with what appeared an effortless, exceptional technical rendition of this highly dense and rhythmically intimidating piece. At times, particularly in excerpts of the third movement “Reflets d’un blues” and the final two minutes of the fourth movement “Provocation de samba,” one cannot help the thought “how on earth did he memorize all the notes, had them completely note-perfect, and still managed to captivate us so fabulously with rhythmic flare?” Well, the simple answer: this was Hamelin at his very best.

On the other hand, the Chopin Barcarolle and Ballade No.3 in A Flat that opened the second half of the recital landed on comparatively less impressive grounds. In retrospect, Hamelin had great difficulty sustaining the long phrases and the colorful palette out of these works - he suffered again from what sounded like over-pedaling in an attempt at the rich tones of this Gondoliere's love song. Granted, Hamelin did make considerable efforts and skillful handling of the embellishments typical of Chopin’s compositions to produce an elegant rippling effect. But the Ballade No.3 that followed  lacked the great romantic quality of long, sweeping lines of lyricism and poetry, and seemed to be beset by rushed tempi periodically. The pianist's own two Études dated from 2006-2007 on Goethe’s Erlkönig and Tchaikovsky’s Lullaby were examples of Hamelin conforming to the great tradition as a pianist-composer, following much like his predecessor Alexis Weissenberg. These  Études, did give a glimpse of  how brilliant and imaginative Hamelin as a composer could be, as he drew from  musical styles tracing back to the Chopin, Liszt, Paganini and Scarlatti. The pianist took a few minutes explaining to the audience the setting of these solo piano miniatures and the constructive process; in particular, he made reference to the fact that his transformation on the Goethe’s Erlkönig was only slightly influenced by the overpowering precedent – Schubert’s celebrated version. Indeed, what Hamelin delivered was a vivid, Lisztian-account of a Goethe poem with Étude No.8. On the other hand, the Étude No.7 was a skillful arrangement written solely for the left hand, based on Tchaikovsky’s celebrated song, Lullaby. To continue  in the art of piano transcriptions, Hamelin ended the recital with a flamboyant rendition in the Godowsky transcription of Johann Strauss Jr.’s “Wine, women and song.” His iridescent scales, arpeggios, chords, double notes and octaves, together with  opalescent rotating harmonies and  superbly secure and supple rhythmic sense were not merely virtuoso tricks. In fact, these pianistic skills served as ornamentations to dramatize the thematic elements of the dance in one delirious interpretation that held the audience completely mesmerized. What Hamelin produced was a delicious account of a Straussian party according to Godowsky. The charming spirit then had a comical turn as the recital ended with Hamelin’s choice of encores: his own A Little Nocturne written last year, followed by a tribute to Beethoven’s celebrated 32 Variations on a Waltz by Diabelli, which Hamelin wittily called the 33^rd variation -  a dazzling account with the title Suggestion Diabellique.

Patrick P.L. Lam 


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