Frédéric Chopin - Piano Concertos (Charles Richard-Hamelin)

Information

Composer: Frédéric Chopin

• Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21
• Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11
• Nocturne No. 20 in C sharp minor, Op. posth.

Charles Richard-Hamelin, piano

Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal

Kent Nagano, conductor

Date: 2019

Label: Analekta

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Review

Charles Richard-Hamelin’s recent recording Chopin: Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 (Analekta, AN 2 9146, analekta.com/en) is an exhilarating encounter with these two items of standard repertoire. There is a freshness in this performance that owes everything to its collaborators. Kent Nagano and the OSM are deeply aware of how much Chopin has vested in the piano’s role. Their ability to morph into something purely ethereal for the slow movement of Concerto No.2 is magical. The balance and unity across the ensemble, in this and similar passages, support the piano exquisitely. So much of the piano part in this movement is in simple octaves, albeit often very ornamented and fast. Richard-Hamelin performs it with absolute fluidity, as if it were an extended keyboard recitative. The time signature seems to dissolve, leaving only a hint of anything resembling a beat as the soloist and orchestra flow toward some distant ending.

The essence of dance that is inherent in Chopin’s writing saves the pianist from a conflictual role with the orchestra. The two are instead a pair of dancers elevating the solo instrument above the ensemble. While historical criticism of these works has focused on Chopin’s weak orchestral writing, Hamelin and Nagano have delivered such a transcendent experience that the criticism seems somehow lost if not irrelevant in the overwhelming beauty of this performance.

— Alex Baran

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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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