It is difficult to believe that it has been almost ten years ago that Canadian pianist Charles Richard-Hamelin triumphed at the 2015 International Chopin Competition in Warsaw, bringing home the silver medal as well as the prize for best performance of a sonata. I still remember clearly his Vancouver debut shortly after returning home from the competition, and his magnificent performance of Chopin’s Piano Sonata No. 3 in B minor.
Based on his recent recital in Vancouver, playing a programme of music by Debussy, Ravel, Poulenc and Chopin, it is hard to fathom why this artist has not become a household name in music circles. From his first performance in Vancouver to this latest recital, it is evident that he has grown as both an artist and a musician.
In addition to maintaining a busy schedule of performances, Charles has also been giving us a considerable discography of fine recordings, solo performances as well as recordings of chamber music and concertos. His latest recording on Analekta, entitled Échos, showcases both rarely performed music by Granados, Albéniz, and Chopin – yes, there are pieces by Chopin that are not often played – as well as a generous selection of Chopin’s very familiar waltzes.
When I was a teenager, I had laboured under the illusion that Enrique Granados’ Valses Poéticos, Op. 43, as guitar pieces – so well did they sound on that instrument - and it was only much later that I discovered them as originally written for piano.
Charles Richard-Hamelin’s inspired and beguiling performance of this rarely performed work – so highly reminiscent of Robert Schumann’s Papillons, Op. 2 – brings out all the charm the music calls for. The engineers faithfully captured the beautiful tone he produces on the piano, and his timing and pacing are impeccable.
Hamelin’s performances of Chopin’s Allegro de concert and Granados’ Allegro de concierto, both coincidentally (or not?) catalogued as Op. 46, highlight all the brilliance and not inconsiderable virtuosity inherent in the music. He did not fall into the trap of making these sound like a mere technical showcase, but imbued the music with stylistically impeccable playing.
In La Vega, Charles Richard-Hamelin captured the Spanish flavour inherent in the music, and had a complete grasp of every aspect of the soundscape of this large canvas by Albéniz, as well as an absolute command of an infinite number of colours and shadings.
The recording begins with a set of waltzes and ends with a selection of waltzes by Chopin, and it will be with Chopin that most fans of this pianist would pay special attention to. The impression I had after hearing these performances of Chopin’s waltzes was that Hamelin is one of those rare species among pianists - a born Chopin player. He infused the Waltz in E minor, Op. posth., so often treated as a race against time by so many, with impeccable pacing, a stylishness and thoughtfulness that one rarely hears in this work. He perfectly captured the deep sadness in the Waltz in F minor, Op. 70, No. 2, as well as in the masterful Waltz in A minor, Op. 34, No. 2. There was also masterful and stylish playing of the three great waltzes of Op. 64, especially the Waltz in C-sharp minor, Op. 64, No. 2, arguably one of the composer’s greatest creations. The recording ends with the brilliant Waltz in A-flat Major, Op. 42, where he perfectly grasped the rhythmic intricacies of this “Grande Valse”, and dashed it off with a rousing virtuosity, and nary a thought for its technical hurdles.
On top of all that, there is now a simplicity, a directness, in his approach to music, allowing the music to breathe, and to speak for itself.
Recorded in the beautiful Koerner Hall in Toronto, the engineers accurately captured the beautiful sonorities produced by this young artist. This is a thoroughly enjoyable recording from first note to last, both in its thoughtful programming and in Hamelin beautiful playing.
My advice to anyone who reads this – run out and purchase this album. I myself will be returning to this recording very often indeed.
