Pianist Marc-André Hamelin is taking his love affair with the music of Haydn to the next level with his latest release. Having recorded three volumes of the Austrian composer's sonatas for Hyperion Records, Hamelin's latest project sees him joining forces with Les Violons du Roy and conductor Bernard Labadie for a collection of three piano concertos by Haydn.
It's one of the most anticipated releases of the season, and Hyperion Records has selected it as its record of the month for April. CBC Classical is giving you the opportunity to stream one of the concertos before the album's official release on March 26.
Haydn: Piano Concerto in D major, Hob. XVIII: 11
I. Vivace, II. Un poco adagio, III. Rondo all'ungarese: Allegro assai
The album contains Haydn's three most popular piano concertos. In fact, they are his only works for piano and orchestra whose authorship can definitely be ascribed to Haydn. Some shady publishers back in the 18th century used Haydn's good name to try to boost sales of their manuscripts, so there has always been some confusion about the authenticity of his piano concertos. But the three played here by Hamelin are the real deal.
By no means as familiar as Mozart's piano concertos, Haydn's nevertheless hold their own appeal.
"There's no question that Mozart tends to reach quite a bit deeper emotionally in his concertos," wrote Hamelin in an email to CBC Classical. "Though Haydn was just as capable of emotional depth, in his concertos he set out to write music that mainly aims to please, and there's certainly nothing wrong with that."
Hamelin, one of today's leading concert pianists, is known for his technical prowess, playing the most difficult music in the repertoire. So fans were surprised, in a good way, when he recently turned his attention to the relatively (deceptively?) simpler music of Haydn. While Haydn's music is unquestionably central to the classical canon, his piano music tends to be eclipsed by his sexier contemporary, Mozart.
We asked Hamelin if, Justin Timberlake-like, he was bringing Haydn back.
"Haydn has never been out of fashion!" he was quick to respond. "The symphonies are constantly performed (by orchestras of all calibres), the string quartets are an integral part of the repertoire, and a good deal of the sonatas regularly crop up on piano recital programs. My recordings of his music seem to have been both visible and appreciated, but I am by no means his only representative, nor would I want to be!"
"I think a good sense of humour is one thing," wrote Hamelin, as to what he finds essential for playing Haydn's music. "One also needs the right kind of pianistic articulation in order to convey the character of the music, as well as a good attention to detail. Incidentally, one facet of his music that I particularly enjoy is that fact that, since it's sometimes so sketchily notated, there's a good deal of freedom involved in making interpretive decisions. These decisions have to be somewhat informed of course, but still, the paucity of expression marks invite a certain kind of freedom I find very appealing."
That freedom of expression finds an outlet on this new recording, in Hamelin's collaboration with conductor Bernard Labadie and his Quebec City-based chamber orchestra, Les Violons du Roy. Says Hamelin, "I've known Bernard for many years, and though occasions to perform with him have not been that frequent, we seem to have very similar outlooks musically, which makes it relatively easy to find common interpretational ground."
Hamelin, who calls Labadie "a rather amazingly wonderful human being," describes the recording sessions, which took place at Quebec City's recently refurbished Palais Montcalm, as a satisfying experience.
"I really admire Bernard's rehearsal technique, by which he can usually get his intentions realized in a very short time."
Related:
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