Schumann: Piano Music [CD]

Marc-André Hamelin already has some notable Hyperion discs under his belt and now adds three works by Schumann to his catalogue. The op.17 Fantasie shows Schumann the master of large-scale composition--at almost 33 minutes it is the longest piece on the disc. This is good, rich, meaty stuff, and Hamelin really gives it some welly, but he is equally at home in the quieter, more lyrical passages which are never far away in Schumann. Try the opening of the Langsam getragen. This is archetypal Schumann: intimate, assured and with more than a hint of vulnerability. There's more of this in the slow movement of the Piano Sonata op.22. After the headlong scurrying of the first movement, the Andantino lets us into the quiet place again, the old head-and-heart mix which is Schumann's trademark. The Etudes symphoniques op.13 is one of those grand sweeping pieces that just carries you along. Having set out its stall in leisurely fashion, it cascades through an endlessly inventive set of variations to the Allegro brillante finale, which Hamelin tackles with take-no-prisoners verve. The playing throughout is rich and opulent, tempering Schumann's essentially personal outpouring with the bravura public face. --Keith Clarke

Supreme artistry (Pianist Magazine) These are among the most poetic readings you will find by anyone. The tone is beautiful, the phrases long and songful, the drama passionate. This disc whets one s appetite for more mainstream masterpieces from the world s fastest fingers (The Capital Times) For me the outstanding performance is the great C major Fantasie...so beautifully voiced and phrased I can only say that it moved me more deeply than any I have heard for a long time (Gramophone) 'A dazzling technician fuses technical dexterity and poetry to compelling effect' (Gramophone) If you want to experience a whirlwind ride, Hamelin is definitely your man. A remarkable tour-de-force (The Irish Times) 'Hamelin brings a transcendental technique and passionate romantic temperament to music that, more often than not, is the preserve of pianistic intellectuals and poets. But his performances of the great C major Fantasy and the Symphonic Studies are not merely exercises in virtuosity. His astounding feats of dexterity and dazzling spectrum of colour are constantly put to the service of the music. This is freshly conceived Schumann, light and brilliant in bravura passages - the concluding Allegro brillante of the Etudes rarely sounds so joyous - yet never lightweight in reflective music: the slow third movement of the Fantasy is a poignantly poetic meditation, while the lovely Andantino of the Sonata glows with an entirely appropriate inward emotional intensity. Hamelin's Schumann ideally combines the extrovert and introspective characteristics of this glorious music. Highly recommended.' (The Sunday Times) 'Genuinely outstanding disc' (The Guardian) 'While there s no shortage of either visceral excitement or poetic exploration, this remains supremely balanced playing ... If you re already a Hamelin aficionado, of course, you won t need my urging to buy this disc; but if you ve been wary because of his usually offbeat repertoire, here s a chance to see what he can contribute to the mainstream. Top recommendation' (Fanfare, USA) '[Hamelin s] reading is glorious in its blend of virtuosity and emotional commitment ... The recording quality is first-rate. I doubt very much if the current year will produce a finer piano CD --Musical Opinion

This disc contains Schumann's three greatest abstract works for piano (as opposed to his suites of character pieces such as Carnival and Kinderszenen), including the Fantasy Op 17 arguably his finest piano work. Marc-André Hamelin has lived with these works for many years, and has made something of a speciality of the C major Fantasy, which he has played many times in concert. These performances have been widely praised, and we are delighted that this studio recording captures all the poetry and Romantic feeling of his live performances. Schumann was, of course, primarily a lyricist of the piano, but that did not stop him writing some of the most fearsomely difficult passages in the repertoire: the coda to the second movement of the Fantasy is an infamous example, as are many of the variations in the Études symphoniques. Nevertheless, Marc-André Hamelin's legendary virtuosity allows him complete freedom to concentrate on the music rather than merely on the technical challenges. His now familiar hallmarks of refinement of tone and clarity of line, coupled with his warmth of expression, enable him to communicate Schumann's poetry with a rare poise and passion. All in all, this is yet another outstanding recording to add to Hamelin's impressive discography for Hyperion.