Frédéric Chopin - Ballades; Impromptus (Charles Richard-Hamelin)

Information

Composer: Frédéric Chopin

1. Ballade No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23
2. Ballade No. 2 in F major, Op. 38
3. Ballade No. 3 in A-flat major, Op. 47
4. Ballade No. 4 in F minor, Op. 52
5. Impromptu No. 1 in A-flat major, Op. 29
6. Impromptu No. 2 in F-sharp major, Op. 36
7. Impromptu No. 3 in G-flat major, Op. 51
8. Fantaisie-Impromptu in C-sharp minor, Op. posth. 66

Charles Richard-Hamelin, piano

Date: 2019

Label: Analekta

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Review

Unprecedentedly in the history of Warsaw’s great Chopin Piano Competition, the most recent edition (2015) saw North American players making up four of the six prize-winners. Top among these was the Canadian Charles Richard-Hamelin, placed second and already then clearly a Chopin interpreter to watch. He confirms that further in cultivated performances here, focusing on the beauty of Chopin’s music while finding deep meaning within it. Sophisticated in his approach to the four Ballades, he sets the tone in the G minor work with playing of great introspection, but for all the poetry – even the żal, that uniquely Polish soulfulness – he also commands plenty of virtuosity. Seemingly mindful of the literary associations attached to the Ballades, he brings out their narrative qualities; this is felt particularly in the storytelling sense with which he opens the F major piece.

But it is perhaps the approach of the Quebec-born musician to the often-overlooked Impromptus that really marks him out. It takes an outstanding pianist to make the most of these, often dismissed in comparison with Chopin’s greater music yet also seen by some as a series of musical landscapes prefiguring impressionism. Paying tribute in their title to Schubert and belonging to the bel canto thread in Chopin, they share with the Nocturnes their A-B-A structure. Even Chopin himself called the G flat major Impromptu an ‘occasional piece’, yet Richard-Hamelin makes it spellbinding, and to round off the disc he captures the pianistic glitter of the Fantaisie-Impromptu. An exemplary Chopin recital.

— John Allison

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Frédéric Chopin (1 March 1810 – 17 October 1849) was a Polish Romantic composer and virtuoso pianist. A prodigy from Warsaw, he moved to Paris at 21, where he spent the rest of his short life. Although often in poor health, he produced a remarkable body of piano-centered works, including nocturnes, mazurkas, waltzes, polonaises, études and two piano concertos. His music, which is known for technical brilliance and innovative harmony, helped shape musical nationalism and late-Romantic style. Chopin's iconic status, dramatic life, and early death made him one of the enduring symbols of the Romantic era.

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Charles Richard-Hamelin (born 17 July 1989) is a Canadian pianist. Born in Lanaudière, Quebec, he studied at McGill University, the Yale School of Music and the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal. He gained international recognition after winning the silver medal and the Krystian Zimerman Prize at the 2015 International Chopin Piano Competition. Richard-Hamelin has performed with leading orchestras and at renowned festivals worldwide, collaborating with distinguished conductors and chamber musicians. His acclaimed discography, featuring works by Chopin and Mozart, has earned multiple award.

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