Kaleidoscope [Import]

Edna Bentz Woods (Composer), Sergey Rachmaninov (Composer), Josef Hofmann (Composer), Marc-Andre Hamelin (Composer), Felix Blumenfeld (Composer), Jakob Gimpel (Composer), Jules Massenet (Composer), Moritz Moszkowski (Composer), Francis Poulenc (Composer), Leopold Godowsky (Composer), Aleksander Michalowski (Composer), Arthur Vincent Lourie (Composer), Emile-Robert Blanchet (Composer), Alfredo Casella (Composer), John Vallier (Composer), Alexander Glazunov (Composer), Nikolai Kapustin (Composer), Marc-André Hamelin (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Marc-André Hamelin
• Composer: Edna Bentz Woods, Sergey Rachmaninov, Josef Hofmann, Marc-Andre Hamelin, Felix Blumenfeld, et al.
• Audio CD (November 13, 2001)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Hyperion UK
• ASIN: B00005QIT6
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #113,072 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

This may be the only recorded classical piano recital in which you're likely to burst into "From the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli," since the music of the Marine Corps' anthem stems from an Offenbach operetta duet, performed here in Hamelin's edition of Jakob Gimpel's piano arrangement. That's an indication of the fun you'll hear among the 20 piano miniatures in this recital. There's also a truckload of superior salon music: tuneful, often sentimental pieces favored by 19th century pianists and audiences. And there are plenty of pianistic fireworks, too, as in Hamelin's gloss on a Paganini-Liszt étude and Josef Hofman's dazzling Kaleidoskop, which gives the disc its title. Throughout, Hamelin plays with his usual virtuosity, demonstrating mastery of various styles, from waltzes to technical exercises and even jazz, as in Kapustin's Toccatina. Several works on the disc are by composers even keyboard buffs will not have heard of, but everything clicks. First-rate sonics, too. Piano fanciers won't want to miss this one. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the great piano recordings of the year, April 16, 2002

By 

Bruce Hodges (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kaleidoscope (Audio CD)

Marc-Andre Hamelin is clearly a fearless pianist - in both his playing and his programming. This recording has many relatively unknown composers, but after hearing Hamelin's work on their behalf, you'll wonder why they aren't better known. The opener, "Valse Phantastique" by Edna Bentz Woods, is spectacular and pretty much sets the tone for the entire disc.

My favorites might be Hamelin's own etudes, all witty and somewhat reminiscent of Conlon Nancarrow (i.e., high praise). The "Etude No. 3, After Paganini and Liszt" is surely one of the most amusing piano works I've heard in years. And Jakob Gimpel's paraphrase of "The Marines Hymn" is priceless.

Hamelin's technique is a bit terrifying. He executes some of the most jaw-dropping piano playing I've heard in a long time, and there are plenty of terrific pianists around these days. His articulation, phrasing and musicality cannot fail to impress you - even if you are unmoved by the pieces themselves (unlikely). Altogether astonishing.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Give the Man a Break, June 4, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Kaleidoscope (Audio CD)

I read many of the reviews of "Kaleidescope" and have come to the conclusion that some of the people who listened to this disc simply did NOT understand it. Marc-Andre Hamelin is not trying to offer you the "real classics." The standard piano literature does not constitute a large part of ANY of his discs. I believe that this recording is simply UNPARRALLED. It presents selection of salon music, archaic virtuoso pieces, as well as some original "transcriptions." I believe the his musicality transcends the average virtuosos interpretation of music. Instead of "packing a punch" by accentuating individual aspects of a line, or a phrase, Hamelin is able to make all of these, albeit "poor compositions", come to life by being cognizant and function as a whole. Furthermore, there are people who may attack a transcription as being unorthodox. No, this is simply a presentation of a virtuoso's "take" or feelings concerning a piece. For we do not EVER see things as they truly are, but rather as WE are. You will NOT find Liszt "La Campanella" on "Kaleidescope". No, instead, you will see Hamelin in every turn of phrase. I think this is VASTLY more valuable. It allows us to see Hamelin. (Remember, Liszt transcribed the orginal CONCERTO!) Enjoy this CD--its truly wonderful.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I like vanilla, December 15, 2001

By 

J. Deon (Nelson, BC Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kaleidoscope (Audio CD)

Hamelin is an astonishingly talented pianophile who has consistently managed to unearth real quality from the literature's esoteric realms. Here is a collection comprising twenty pieces of piano esoterica. Most of it is light, fast, and fun. Hamelin's studies are the highlight for me - he is exactly the kind of composer we need nowadays: inventive, original, and laugh-out-loud witty. This is one of the better recorded Hyperion-Hamelin offerings as well.

Now I will address the oft-heard characterization of this pianist as boring and unimaginative (and clarify my review title):

The people who criticize this aspect of his playing are obviously more interested in pianists than music, more concerned with performers than composers. As I said in my review of Hamelin's Liszt recital, he allows listeners to forget about the performance and let them bask in the music itself which is always executed with a fluid perfection that seems other-wordly. It's completely un-pretentious playing with no excessive tinkering, and no ego-driven attempt at finding an "individual voice" or a "unique expression" at the expense of fidelity to the composer's intentions. Call me crazy, but I like this style. Whether performing standard repertoire or dusty obscurities, he plays what's on the page, and plays it perfectly - not robotically, he plays with expression and musicality - but always in complete control with no needless excess or grating distortion. This, admittedly, results in a certain lack of personality. As such, he is not prone to establishing the sort of cult followings that pianists like Horowitz and Argerich have - or at least not as large followings, anyway.

I'm not saying that I'd do away with the Horowitzs and Argerichs of the world and replace them all with vanilla pianists like Hamelin - but I find it refreshing to listen to a piece of music once in a while without hearing Gould-Bach, or Argerich-Chopin, or Horowitz-Liszt. With Hamelin, my ears cut through the performer-idiosyncrasy filter and straight to the composer. All I'm saying is that I enjoy both types of pianists, and I'd reserve at least some space on a desert island for a few of Hamelin's discs.