Gramophone: Video of the Day: Marc-André Hamelin plays Ives
Marc-André Hamelin performs 'Alcotts' from the Concord Sonata
Marc-André Hamelin has recorded Charles Ives's Concord Sonata on two occasions, the first recording (for New World Records) was singled out for praise by Philip Clark in his overview of the available recordings of the work for Gramophone, writing: 'Hamelin’s technique can take him places other pianists can’t reach'.
NPR: Marc-André Hamelin: Tiny Desk Concert
Marc-André Hamelin has a marvelous, curious mind. While we chatted before his Tiny Desk concert, he snooped around the CD shelves near my desk, commenting on a few rarities and sharing his own eclectic tastes, including a crazy YouTube mashup of all 15 Shostakovich symphonies stacked on top of each other.
The Boston-based Montreal native is regarded as one of his generation's most technically astounding pianists, but he's no empty virtuoso. His interpretations are probing, precise and warm — keen to bring out humor when necessary. He routinely performs the world's most treacherous repertoire with his characteristic ease. I've witnessed him practically reduce a concert grand to matchsticks, and I've heard him tenderly caress a late Schubert sonata.
Your Classical: Marc-André Hamelin explores William Bolcom's piano rags in his new album
“In 1985, I won the Carnegie Hall competition for American Music. One of the prizes was an invitation to the Cabrillo Festival in California, which is still going on, I think. And the two composers in residence that year happened to be Arvo Pärt and William Bolcom. So, I got to meet him.”
Pianist Marc-André Hamelin not only got to meet Bolcom, the American composer whom he’d been admiring since he was 16, but he also got to make music with him. For his latest release, Hamelin has recorded a two-disc set of The Complete Rags of William Bolcom.
Boston Globe: Marc-André Hamelin and the riches of ragtime
Like many music lovers of a certain age, pianist Marc-André Hamelin was introduced to ragtime by pianist Joshua Rifkin’s recording of Scott Joplin rags, which his father bought when Hamelin was young. Released in 1970, Rifkin’s recording was credited with sparking a revival of interest in ragtime. (The resurgence got an extra kick a few years later with the release of the Paul Newman-Robert Redford film “The Sting” and its ragtime-infused soundtrack.)
The New York Times: Listen to Keyboard Music by Bach (No, Not That One)
The subject of the pianist Marc-André Hamelin’s latest album is Bach — no, not that one.
Hamelin — ever inquisitive in exploring the outer reaches of the repertoire, with recent releases of music by Sigismond Thalberg, Samuil Feinberg and Erno Dohnanyi — has now turned to the extraordinary range of keyboard works by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, Johann Sebastian’s second surviving son.
The New York Times: 5 Things to Do This Weekend
The pianist Marc-André Hamelin has a penchant for choosing unfamiliar repertoire. In doing so, his quicksilver playing has sometimes helped elevate the reputation of a neglected composer. His latest release on the Hyperion label is devoted to pieces by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach. And while you might not deem C.P.E. obscure, exactly — what with being the most famous of Johann Sebastian Bach’s sons — these works are hardly overfamiliar.
Gramophone: Marc-André Hamelin's Latest Album Selected as Editor's Choice for April
Marc-André Hamelin’s Feinberg Piano Sonatas Nos 1-6 album chosen as one of the best new classical albums, Editor's Choice for April 2020.
International Piano Magazine: Marc-André Hamelin's Feinberg Album Named Album of the Month
International Piano Magazine
Bryce Morrison
Marc-André Hamelin’s latest solo album, Samuil Feinberg’s Piano Sonatas, is featured in the March issue of International Piano Magazine as Album of the Month.
"It is difficult to imagine any living pianist other than Hamelin who could confront this music - music that is stranger than strange - with such compelling mastery, eloquence and lucidity."
The New York Times: 6 Classical Music Concerts to See in N.Y.C. Including Marc-André Hamelin
Marc-André Hamelin visits Carnegie Hall on October 22, 2019 at 8:00 PM. Hamelin has always relished performing the most technically challenging of piano music, and there is plenty of it in this recital, with pieces by Scriabin, Prokofiev, and Samuil Feinberg. But this Canadian pianist has recently been recording more canonical works, including a fine account of Schubert’s final sonata, the last work on the program here.