Frédéric Chopin - Préludes; Andante spianato & Grande polonaise brillante (Charles Richard-Hamelin)

Information

Composer: Frédéric Chopin

• 24 Préludes, Op. 28
• Andante spianato et Grande polonaise brillante, Op. 22

Charles Richard-Hamelin, piano

Date: 2021

Label: Analekta

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Review

It is not always a good sign that, when listening to a new recording of familiar music for review purposes, one reaches for the score within the first minute. Yes – I was right: the first Prelude is marked agitato. The reason for checking this is that Richard-Hamelin’s opening C major salvo – a prelude to the Preludes, if you like – is, rather than agitated, more a reluctant debutante dragged out to a party against her will. The A minor Prelude that follows sounds like ‘Bydło’ from Mussorgsky’s Pictures, its ‘grotesque and discordant harmonies’ (Huneker) more striking than usual. No 3 – the clouds lift, its babbling semiquavers dispatched with exemplary clarity. The miniature masterpiece that is No 4 in E minor (played on the organ at Chopin’s funeral by Lefébure-Wély) follows – and already some characteristics of the pianist’s view of the cycle have emerged.

In the hands of earlier pianists such as Cortot (1926) and Moiseiwitsch (1949), the babbling semiquavers of No 3 and repeated left-hand pattern in No 4, though well-articulated, are secondary to the melodies in the left hand and right hand respectively. Richard-Hamelin gives equal importance to both. Everything is more deliberate, less liberated. Another difference: the piano tone is bright, the acoustic verging on the empty-assembly-hall; the elderly mono sound, conversely, lends a more mellow hue to proceedings – and acres more charm. Where Richard-Hamelin is particularly good is in the more forthright numbers – the whirlwind No 16, the declamatory F minor (No 18) and especially the concluding D minor Prelude, with its last three bottom D minims superbly hammered out fff with relish.

After the Preludes, Richard-Hamelin makes their perhaps surprising companion the Andante spianato and Grande Polonaise brillante. The solo version is heard not so frequently that one has become tired of hearing it – and certainly not in such a poised, beautifully phrased, judiciously paced Andante as here or with such a sparkling, magisterial account of the Polonaise, its improvisatory filigree runs tossed off with the fluency of an Art Tatum. It is again an fff final bar that wraps up the performance which, for this listener, is the undoubted highlight of the disc.

— Jeremy Nicholas

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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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