| Wednesday 27 January 2021 | 19:30 |
| Marc-André Hamelin | Piano |
Composer, keyboardist and colossus of the piano world Marc-André Hamelin surrounds Beethoven's early sonata with works of propulsive charm.
His recital contains music that is pensive, joyous, entertaining and exploratory.
Mozart’s Sonata in E flat, K.282, opens with a slow movement instead of the usual Allegro and owes much to the legacy of Carl Philipp Emmanuel Bach.
CPE Bach was the most important keyboardist of his age. His piano 'rondos' proved immensely popular in 18th-century London and it's not difficult to hear why.
He capitalised on new, more expressive instruments to write music that explored a fresh range of volumes, colours and expressions. His C minor Rondo combines singing lyricism with free-flowing fantasy.
Beethoven's cycle of 32 piano sonatas would encompass all his joys, dreams and triumphs. The Op.2 No.3 sparkles like crystal, and its unusual accents and sudden twists signal that Beethoven was no ordinary composer.
In an evocative French second half, Hamelin follows Fauré's unjustly neglected Nocturnes with Ravel's set of poetry-inspired, pictorial pieces, the dazzling Gaspard de la nuit.
Marc-Andre Hamelin has cemented his reputation as one of the most skilled and communicative pianists on the planet.
