Charles Ives; Samuel Barber - Piano Sonatas (Marc-André Hamelin)

Information

Composer: Charles Ives; Samuel Barber

1. Ives - Piano Sonata No 2 "Concord": 1. Emerson: Slowly
2. Ives - Piano Sonata No 2 "Concord": 2. Hawthorne: Very fast
3. Ives - Piano Sonata No 2 "Concord": 3. The Alcotts
4. Ives - Piano Sonata No 2 "Concord": 4. Thoreau: Starting slowly and quietly
5. Barber - Piano Sonata, Op. 26: 1. Allegro energico
6. Barber - Piano Sonata, Op. 26: 2. Allegro vivace e leggiero
7. Barber - Piano Sonata, Op. 26: 3. Adagio mesto
8. Barber - Piano Sonata, Op. 26: 4. Fuga: Allegro con spirito

Marc-André Hamelin, piano
Date: 2004
Label: Hyperion
http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_CDA67469

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Review

Reference Recording: Ives & Barber Piano Sonatas from Hamelin

Marc-André Hamelin recorded what for many listeners remains the reference recording of the Concord Sonata (New World), and this new recording does not efface memories of that outstanding performance. If, on the other hand, you don't have access to his earlier version, then I can recommend this newcomer without hesitation. The differences between them are small: timings are almost identical, and you can hear an additional fluency this time around, which is a mixed blessing in Ives' music. Hamelin is so technically adroit that it seems churlish to criticize him for playing too well, but there's a roughness to this music, Hawthorne in particular, that benefits from a wider dynamic range and a bit more sheer banging than Hamelin allows. On the other hand, his poetic rendering of The Alcotts has a wholly apt, Chopinesque grace, and he's one of the few pianists to make a noticeable effort to scale down his dynamics for Thoreau. 

This performance also includes the optional flute part, if you care (I don't). It's tough to compete with yourself when you play at Hamelin's level, so suffice it to say that this is very good by any standard, and I leave any remaining small differences between the two recordings to each listener's personal taste. In this respect, the coupling may be a determining factor. On New World, Hamelin includes Maurice Wright's uninteresting Sonata, while here we have an excellent account of the Barber. Once again, some listeners may miss the music's ultimate spikiness in this almost breezy account of the final fugue, for example, but even at its most truculent, Barber's music has a fastidious elegance that suits Hamelin's equally aristocratic polish and superb technique very well indeed. He knits the piece together effortlessly, and his moody account of the Adagio mesto slow movement is truly sad, not maudlin. The excellent recorded sound is well up to Hyperion's high standards.

-- David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday

More reviews:

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2004/Sept04/Ives_Hamelin.htm

http://www.classical.net/~music/recs/reviews/h/hyp67469a.php

http://www.allmusic.com/album/ives-concord-sonata-barber-piano-sonata-mw0001849951

http://www.amazon.com/Ives-Concord-Sonata-Barber-Piano/dp/B0002JEJQK

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Charles Ives (October 20, 1874 – May 19, 1954) was an American composer. He is one of the first American composers of international renown.and regarded as an "American original", though his music was largely ignored during his life. He combined the American popular and church-music traditions of his youth with European art music, and was among the first composers to engage in a systematic program of experimental music, with musical techniques including polytonality, polyrhythm, tone clusters, aleatoric elements, and quarter tones, foreshadowing many musical innovations of the 20th century.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Ives

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Samuel Barber (March 9, 1910 – January 23, 1981) was an American composer of orchestral, opera, choral, and piano music. He is one of the most celebrated composers of the 20th century. His Adagio for Strings (1936) has earned a permanent place in the concert repertory of orchestras. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music twice: for his opera Vanessa (1956–57) and for the Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (1962). Also widely performed is his Knoxville: Summer of 1915 (1947), a setting for soprano and orchestra of a prose text by James Agee. At the time of his death, nearly all of his compositions had been recorded.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Barber

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Marc-André Hamelin (born September 5, 1961 in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian virtuoso pianist and composer. Hamelin is recognized worldwide for the originality and technical brilliance of his performances of the classic repertoire. He has made recordings of a wide variety of composers with the Hyperion label. He is well known for his attention to lesser-known composers especially of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century and for performing works by pianist-composers. Hamelin has also composed several works, including a set of piano études in all of the minor keys.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marc-Andr%C3%A9_Hamelin

http://www.marcandrehamelin.com/

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