Shout-Out to Marc-Andre Hamelin on his Magnificent Etudes

From time to time, pianist Marc-Andre Hamelin has included an etude of his own composition as a recital encore or as one among many short pieces in a recital recording.  Always enticing and entertaining, these works suggested that one of the world's great pianists has a sense of humor and a sure feeling for effective keyboard compositions.  Now, at last, he has collaborated with Hyperion, his main recording label, to produce an entire disc of his piano music, including all 12 of the Etudes in All the Minor Keys (from which those encores were drawn) as well as a bunch of other terrific short pieces for piano.

Hamelin is without doubt one of the most supremely gifted keyboard artists before the public today, and his recordings of both mainstream and unusual repertory generally top the lists of recommended recordings.  His own compositions are tailored to his particular pianistic strengths, and would surely pose daunting obstacles for other pianists, but I suspect that any aspiring lion of the keyboard would surely benefit from working his or her way through the twelve etudes, which present just about any technical and musical challenge one might confront in the grand romantic piano repertory of the 19th century.  Most of these etudes are "take-offs" on one or another of the great romantic composers - with a brief look-in at Scarlatti and Bach as well - and I suspect anybody who has mastered them will have found the key to the repertory at large.

This is prime ipod territory, and I'm putting this disc on mine right away.  Highly recommended to anybody who likes keyboard heroics.

Comments

[Caverta]

Hmm.. well I like keyboard heroics.. can anybody tell me at what extent it is recommended?