Marc-André Hamelin, Piano

Berg: Sonata No. 1
Liszt: Sonata in B Minor
Debussy: Préludes, Book II (excerpts)
Hamelin: Twelve Etudes (excerpts)
"One of the most adventurous, and certainly the most courageous, pianists of recent times." - International Piano Quarterly
Marc-André Hamelin's startlingly original blend of musicianship and virtuosity has earned him legendary status as a true avatar of the piano. Long known for his matchless exploration of unfamiliar pianistic terrain, Mr. Hamelin is now recognized worldwide for the originality and technical brilliance of his performances of the classic repertoire. He appears regularly in the International Piano Series at London's South Bank Centre and the London Pianoforte Series at Wigmore Hall. He has been nominated for eight Grammy awards, including his 2008 release of Marc Hamelin in a State of Jazz. He has recorded the works of numerous composers ranging from Schumann, Brahms, and Liszt to Bernstein and Rubenstein. Mr. Hamelin was recently presented with a rarely bestowed lifetime achievement prize by the German Record Critic's Award (Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik). A native of Montreal, Quebec, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2003 and a Chevelier de l'Order du Quebec in 2004. He currently resides in Boston, Massachusetts.
Berg's Sonata No. 1 opens Mr. Hamelin's PCMS recital. A fascinating composer, Berg obsessed with the past, especially the formal ideas of those who came before him. This work has much to say about the traditional notions he inherited; it crashes barriers and gives way to new thinking. In a way, this piece-Berg's lone contribution to the sonata repertoire-is a "shot heard 'round the world" work, a harbinger of revolution that would come to a head a few years later in Schoenberg's non-tonal essays. Mr. Hamelin also explores a Liszt sonata and a selection of Debussy's preludes before concluding the evening with excerpts from his own Twelve Etudes. These pieces include tributes to such composers as Scarlatti, Chopin, Liszt, Paganini, and Rimsky-Korsakov.