Marc-Andre Hamelin Plays Alkan Videos

rvn10rvn17 Says:

Nov 18, 2008 - i'm waiting for him to visit seattle..

paolohudson Says:

Nov 18, 2008 - I suggest you consider what you're saying before writing it. If you had done any research at all, you would have known that Hamelin does not only focus his musical endeavours on obscure composers, but on a wide range of them. Besides, not everything he has recorded or has been post up on youtube includes all the pieces he has studied/performed. He has probably played each Beethoven sonata and I know for a fact that he has performed Chopin and recorded Schumann. Hamelin is a genuine musician!

dmitribron Says:

Nov 18, 2008 - I know he plays almost everything, but what does a genuine musician seek in Alkan or Godowsky ? Godowsky's pianism and harmonic language are superior to most other composers. nevertheless Beethoven can speak of the most profound things with only simple harmonic progressions while Godowsky with all his skills speaks only of cocktailparty's and good cigars. Horowitz got depressed because of this and felt inferior towards Serkin who played Beethoven and would never consider etincelles.

paolohudson Says:

Nov 18, 2008 - Yes you've made your point about Beethoven, but you still have neglected what I saying. Hamelin's done all of the standard repertoire and appreciates its value. But he also sees great value in Alkan and similar composers. Perhaps it is time for you to take a look and see what value there is in that kind of music; if not, keep to your little bubble of the 'greats' and don't criticize others for doing otherwise. And where does it say that Horowitz got depressed over Beethoven?

dmitribron Says:

Nov 18, 2008 - like I said earlier, I know all obscure pianomusic, because I felt they deserved my attention. I was wrong. and on Horowitz. it is in the Harold C Shoenberg biography.

mtr369 Says:

Nov 18, 2008 - Mr. Hamelin is a fine performer of any composer, including his own work. Anyone who has seen him in person, as I have, or has been privilaged to own his recordings (I do)knows that his musicianship is without parallel.Obviously Beethoven is included in his repetiore; he chooses to share Alkan with us because he his moved by the composer's wit, skill, sensitivity and (above all) musical genius. These are all of the attributes that Beethoven posseses.

mtr369 Says:

Nov 18, 2008 - Maybe you need to examine the scores.

davealkan Says:

Nov 18, 2008 - You are right hear. But also Hamelin's emphasis on speed means that each bar comes across as a challenge he is tying to overcome; trying to keep up to the tempo of the previous bar. In doing so Hamelin loses sight of a large scale interpretation, something which is completely deadly in a work of around fifty five minutes...

davealkan Says:

Nov 18, 2008 - The music sure is overloaded. But having analyzed the score in considerable detail I can tell you Alkan does not concentrate on the present; the formal structure works fully in the grand scale of the piece.In my opinion, Hamelin only concentrates on the moment. He is not a good interpreter of Alkan, believing one should merely play it as fast as the metronome mark, and in doing so losing sight of the large scale structure.

celach Says:

Nov 18, 2008 - How can you say playing it AT the metronome mark makes him lose sight of the large scale structure when alkan put the metronome mark himself?... alkan knew how it was supposed to be played, he wrote it down that way, and that's how hamelin did it.

jsphweid Says:

Nov 18, 2008 - "He is not a good interpreter of Alkan, believing one should merely play it as fast as the metronome mark" "losing sight of the large scale structure."Ha! For a minute there, I thought you were being serious!Apparently having "analyzed the score in considerable detail" gives you more credibility than one who can PERFORM it. I couldn't imagine this piece being playing any slower! Perhaps only if one does not have the technical proficiency... I think Hamelin's interpretation is wonderful.

jsphweid Says:

Nov 18, 2008 - "I know all obscure pianomusic"You can't possible make judgements about music with support like that one because it is simply false.

mvs1312 Says:

Nov 18, 2008 - excuse me, he was doing a good comment why did so much people put him thumbs down?

oestrophilia Says:

Nov 18, 2008 - because he talked abt smtg that many or much people think to be wrong!

rashedalamodi Says:

Nov 18, 2008 - put for me -1 i want 2 see how much it will reaches lolo

JlDsanity Says:

Nov 18, 2008 - This is a rediculous performance. Hamelin is too amazing...

mvs1312 Says:

Nov 18, 2008 - so is alkan!

JlDsanity Says:

Nov 18, 2008 - Alkan as well lol they're both major inspirations to me

Flayzerannyx Says:

Nov 18, 2008 - After reading alot of comments about alkan's emptiness, i'd like to present my view. I feel that virtuoso writing is just another way of expressing your music especially if you have the ability to execute the music you've written. Such is the case for Liszt, Alkan, Thalberg and the likes - these virtuoso elements are present in their music because they can execute it themselves, and thus chose to use them to achieve the musical EFFECT that they desire.

Flayzerannyx Says:

Nov 18, 2008 - Of course there must have been an element of desire for showing off for these composers. But surely after a while they must have gotten used to showing off? And surely we can see that virtuoso elements persist in their music from young to old. That is why i feel virtuosity, while most obviously having the use of showing off, also should be treated as another avenue of musical expression.

Flayzerannyx Says:

Nov 18, 2008 - Not to say that Chopin, Brahms etc. weren't phenomenal pianists, but we have to admit to the transcendental level of pianists like Liszt and Alkan - which is why the superultravirtuoso avenue of expression manifested in the music in this video is only open to those selected few. For Alkan's Op. 39, I urge haters to look past the virtuosity and into the music he is trying to convey - it is ridiculous that he wrote such a GIANT Opus just to show off his skill.

Flayzerannyx Says:

Nov 18, 2008 - For those who HAVE tried to look into his musicality and have not found beauty, I hope you'd take a second try. Alkan does have a style of short motifs and bursts, which may sound like random bangings, but looking at the bigger picture I do find beauty in his virtuoso works. For those who are more concerned about complexity of chord progressions defining musical depth, I must say while good command of complex harmony does entail musical depth, good music does not necessarily need complex harmony

Flayzerannyx Says:

Nov 18, 2008 - My POV is that Alkan might be striving for a more raw form of beauty, rather than an abstract form - raw being manifested in the endless variety of performance elements built on relatively simple chords. He capitalised on the resource that he was so blessed to have FULL access to, that is technique and ways of playing a tune. Of course my argument might be wrong, but I hope it presents another way of looking at virtuosity for all those haters of 'showing off'-virtuosity out there.

trigalg693 Says:

Nov 18, 2008 - For most very difficult pieces, they are hard not because the composer intended them to be, but because the composer wanted to achieve a desired effect. The technical difficulties are a side effect in a way.

Flayzerannyx Says:

Nov 18, 2008 - agree totally.