Marc-André Hamelin April 24, 2008

Don’t miss this extraordinary evening with the revered composer/pianist, Marc-André Hamelin. The first half of the program features a documentary film of the artist in dialogue about and in performance of the works of great (and unknown) composer-performers. The second half will be a glorious mini-concert.

“Hamelin’s legend will grow—right now there is no one like him.” –The New Yorker
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Artist Biography

Montréal native Marc-André Hamelin is internationally renowned for his musical virtuosity and refined pianism.

The summer of 2006 found Mr. Hamelin making his Grant Park Festival debut performing the Saint-Saens Piano Concerto No. 4 led by James Paul, and returning to the Festival International de Lanaudiere outside Montreal for the Liszt Wanderer Fantasy with the Montreal Symphony led by Gregory Vajda, followed by a solo recital performance. Performances of the Shostakovich Piano Concerto No. 1 led by Kent Nagano at the San Luis Obispo Mozart Festival were next before Mr. Hamelin made his annual recital appearance at the International Keyboard Festival at the Mannes College of Music in New York City. Bernard Holland of the New York Times reviewed the performance, saying, “Mr. Hamelin chose to look ahead, with generously formed phrases, tempos unafraid to bend and contract, big modern-piano effects and rhetorical silences. Here was a virtuosity well used: a performance as scrupulous and considered as it was deeply felt.” (July 31, 2006)

Orchestral engagements in North America in 2006/07 include the world premiere of Kevin Volans’ Piano Concerto for his debut with the San Francisco Symphony, led by Michael Tilson Thomas; Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2 for his debut with the Kansas City Symphony and Michael Stern, and for a return to the Detroit Symphony with Kwame Ryan; Messaien’s Turangalila with the Pittsburgh Symphony led by Sir Andrew Davis; Mendelssohn Piano Concerto No. 1 with Sir Neville Marriner and the Montreal Symphony; and Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 5 with the Vancouver Symphony led by Tania Miller. Recital appearances include the 92nd Street Y, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Harvard Musical Association, Pro Arte Musical in San Juan, University of Utah, Wake Forest, Union College Concert Series and the Raleigh Chamber Music Guild.

Under exclusive contract with Hyperion records, Mr. Hamelin’s latest release is a disc of the Brahms Piano Concerto No.2 with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. His highly acclaimed recording of Dukas’ epic piano Sonata and Decaux pieces was released earlier this season, which also saw the release of the Hyperion documentary DVD Marc-André Hamelin: It’s all about the music. During the 2004/05 season his recordings of the complete Albeniz “Iberia” and Ives’s “Concord” Sonata brought him a nomination for Gramophone Magazine's 2005 Artist of the Year. His “Iberia” recording just received the 2006 Juno Award for best classical album solo or chamber ensemble.

His dozens of recordings include concertos by Alkan, Bernstein, Bolcom, Korngold, Joseph Marx, Medtner, Rodion Schedrin, Scriabin, Shostakovich, and solo discs of Alkan, Catoire, Nikolai Kapustin, Liszt, Reger, Roslavets, Rzewski, Schumann, Villa Lobos, and “The Composer-Pianists: From Alkan to Hamelin.” His double album of the complete Chopin-Godowsky Etudes won the 2000 Gramophone Instrumental Award. With a double nomination for the epic Busoni Concerto with the CBSO under Mark Elder and the Chopin-Godowsky, Mr. Hamelin was the only classical artist to play live at the 2001 Grammy Awards. He received another Grammy nomination in 2002 for his recording featuring the works of Alkan.

In 2005 Mr. Hamelin was honoured to be made an Officer of the Order of Canada and a Chevalier de l'Ordre national du Québec.

Official Website: http://www.performances.org/performances/performances.asp?PerformanceID=645