MARC-ANDRÉ HAMELIN

5 little epip hanies at the piano

tonebase piano
 ABOUT THE ARTIST
MARC-ANDRÉ HAMELIN

“A performer of near-superhuman technical prowess” (The New York Times), pianist Marc-André Hamelin is known worldwide for his
unrivaled blend of consummate musicianship and brilliant technique in the great works of the established repertoire, as well as for his
intrepid exploration of the rarities of the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. He regularly performs around the globe with the leading
orchestras and conductors of our time, and gives recitals at major concert venues and festivals worldwide.

Highlights of Mr. Hamelin’s 2022–2023 season include a vast variety of repertoire performed with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s at
Carnegie Hall (Piano Quintet’s by Florence Price and Brahms), Berlin Philharmonic and Marek Janowski(Reger’s Piano Concerto), San
Diego Symphony and Rafael Payare (Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 2), Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Gustavo Gimeno (Messiaen’s
Turangalîla-Symphonie), Netherlands Philharmonic and Joshua Weilerstein (Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue), and Symphony Nova Scotia
and Holly Mathieson (Grieg’s Piano Concerto). Recital appearances take Mr. Hamelin to Vienna, Chicago, Toronto, Montréal, Napa
Valley, São Paulo, and Bogotá, among other venues across the world. The summer of 2022 included performances at many festivals
including Caramoor with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Tanglewood, Domaine Forget, La Jolla, Schubertiade, and Festival International
Piano.

Mr. Hamelin is an exclusive recording artist for Hyperion Records, where his discography spans more than 70 albums, with notable
recordings of a broad range of solo, orchestral, and chamber repertoire. In January 2022, the label released a two-disc set of C. P. E.
Bach’s sonatas and rondos that received wide critical acclaim and in June 2022, Hyperion released the two-disc set of William Bolcom’s
The Complete Rags.

Mr. Hamelin has composed music throughout his career, with over 30 compositions to his name. The majority of those works—
including the Etudes and Toccata on L’homme armé, commissioned by the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition—are published
by Edition Peters. His most recent work, his Piano Quintet, was premiered in August 2022 by himself and the celebrated Dover Quartet
at La Jolla Music Society. Mr. Hamelin makes his home in the Boston area with his wife, Cathy Fuller, a producer and host at Classical
WCRB. Born in Montreal, he is the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the German Record Critics’ Association, and has
received seven Juno Awards and 11 Grammy nominations, and the 2018 Jean Gimbel Lane Prize in Piano Performance from
Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music. In December 2020, he was awarded the Paul de Hueck and Norman Walford Career
Achievement Award for Keyboard Artistry from the Ontario Arts Foundation. Mr. Hamelin is an Officer of the Order of Canada, a
Chevalier de l’Ordre national du Québec, and a member of the Royal Society of Canada.
I: BACH’S POLYPHONY
Hamelin began their studies at age 11 with Yvonne Hubert in Montreal. Hubert had previously worked as
Alfred Cortot's assistant in France, and she had made a name for herself after coming to Montreal in the
'20s. She had a particular fondness for developing a pianist's technique and provided excellent guidance
on fingerings and exercises. However, one of Hubert's greatest strengths was her ability to hone a
student's awareness of sound.

Hamelin remembers an experience with Hubert while studying Bach's D minor three-part
invention. The half-hour lesson was spent meticulously breaking apart the piece and identifying essential
elements, emphasizing certain components, and downplaying others. By the end of the lesson, Hamelin
felt emotionally drained by the immense effort required to incorporate Hubert's feedback. At that point, he
had not yet developed an understanding of contrapuntal music, and there was an overwhelming amount
to monitor. Hamelin suspects that he was not yet adept at differentiating between the various voices in the
composition. Hubert wanted students to understand the individual personalities of each voice in a piece,
even in complex sections like the third bar with two distinct personalities in the same hand.

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II: BEETHOVEN’S DRAMA
Hamelin then shared an anecdote about bringing the second half of the trio in Mvt. 2 of Beethoven’s
Sonata Op. 10 No. 2 in F major to Russell Sherman for guidance. Sherman, an accomplished soloist from
New York, is currently artist-in-residence at New England Conservatory. Sherman helped Hamelin connect
emotionally with the piece by imagining monolithic Roman temples with huge columns and the murder of
Julius Caesar happening behind one of them!

It is easy to become complacent with simply playing the notes on the page. True expressivity and magic,
however, cannot be achieved without introspection and a connection to the music.

Upon reflection, Hamelin realized he had yet to truly explore the meaning behind the piece. He had yet to
ask himself why he was playing it, what he wanted to express, or to whom he was expressing it. These are
all important questions that need to be pondered by any musician trying to connect with a piece of music.
He had previously played the piece somewhat lackluster, only moderately interested in it. However, after
reflecting and connecting with the music, he now has a completely different outlook on it. It is not merely
about playing the notes correctly, but about understanding the deeper meaning and expressing it to the
audience. Without this connection, the music remains lifeless and uninspiring.

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III: THE AUDACITY OF CPE BACH

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IV: AN OLD FRIEND: DEBUSSY ‘S REFLETS DAN L’EAU

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V: MARC-ANDRÉ HAMELIN’S TOCCATA

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