Customer Reviews

Kaleidoscope

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

This recording should come with a warning not to listen to more than few tracks at a time! Even pianophiles will be spoilt on this sampler of bon bons.

Hamelin teases us with another addition to his incomplete set of virtuoso etudes. The third etude, after Paganini-Liszt, is absolutely uproarious. Hamelin also gives Jakob Gimpel's (who?) Offenbach transcription a performance worthy of the pre-retirement Horowitz. This alone is worth the price of admission.

There is a rendition of the Blumenfield left-hand etude that is on par if not better than any of Simon Barere's famous recordings. And, since Shura is no longer with us it is nice to hear Josef Hofmann's Kaleidoskop once again in capable hands. Hofmann's Nocturne receives a resurrection as well. There is a ravishingly beautiful piece which Hamelin has adapted from Glazunov's The Seasons. But, the piece I could not stop playing over and over was the infectiously rythmic Kasputin Toccatina--true virtuoso jazz!

Leopold Godowsky accused Theodore Leschetizky of setting the art of piano playing back a hundred years. Hamelin has set back most of today's pianists at least that much. The only thing missing here is the kitchen sink; Hamelin has thrown everything else in. The only thing missing here is Rubinstein's Staccato Etude and the Melody in F. Not exactly a balanced recital, but marvelous fun. If you love piano, you have to have this! It's better than the entire Kissin discography combined.

Now lets face it, there is no one like Marc-Andre Hamelin, and that will stay the same for ever! I was really looking forward to this CD and when I finally received it, I was truly amazed.

Yes people say that not many people know the works performed on this CD, but that doesn't matter! You will love these works the first time you hear them, or with the more popular ones, you will love what he has done with them! You can hear how astonishingly difficult these pieces are, but he plays them immaculately!

My favourite piece on the CD would have to be Kaleidoskop by Josef Hofmann. This piece is a true wonder and I know he does justice to Hofmann. Mr Hamelin's own pieces are remarkable and being a pianist myself (i am 15 years old), it is remarkable what he can transform in an arrangement!

Do not listen to critics: they have nothing better to do with their other than wishing they were the performer! I am RATING this item because I think it deserves a rating NOT a criticism!

If you are looking for a modern-jaw-dropping-listen-to-it-all-the-time-can't-live-a-day-without-it-CD, then this one is DEFINATELY for you!

I hope you gape at this fantastic CD as I did!

Bon Apetit
Gareth Ross

Imagine pianists as being assasins. Horowitz would be a cowboy, twirling his guns around, his hat evilly slanting across his face as he dispatched his victims (the pieces). Pogorelich would be a knife thrower, piercing his victim in frighteningly calculated positions, squeezing as much life from his prey before parting with their company. How does Hamelin fit in? Hamelin would be a man in a black Gucci suit with a black briefcase. A no-nonsense double-tap to the forehead with laser-sighted precision is his method. Some people will find this exciting.
The pieces on this are varied in style and period. But I do not feel the same variance in approach to all the pieces (One does not always need to keep using a hammer to crush a pea). The exception is the piece by Blanchet in which Hamelin creates a wonderful tapestry of sounds. With such a range of pieces, this CD should appeal to a wide range of pianists, from romantic-period lovers to modern music fans. So, if you're looking for a bit of pianistic lollipop indulgence ala Hough's 'Piano albums', then perhaps this will tempt you.
(...) I possess the music for the Horowitz and Hamelin transcriptions, and I assure you the Hamelin transcriptions (though not all of them) are more difficult, regardless of subjective mechanical problems

This recording should come with a warning not to listen to more than few tracks at a time! Even pianophiles will be spoilt on this sampler of bon bons.

Hamelin teases us with another addition to his incomplete set of virtuoso etudes. The third etude, after Paganini-Liszt, is absolutely uproarious. Hamelin also gives Jakob Gimpel's (who?) Offenbach transcription a performance worthy of the pre-retirement Horowitz. This alone is worth the price of admission.

There is a rendition of the Blumenfield left-hand etude that is on par if not better than any of Simon Barere's famous recordings. And, since Shura is no longer with us it is nice to hear Josef Hofmann's Kaleidoskop once again in capable hands. Hofmann's Nocturne receives a resurrection as well. There is a ravishingly beautiful piece which Hamelin has adapted from Glazunov's The Seasons. But, the piece I could not stop playing over and over was the infectiously rythmic Kasputin Toccatina--true viruoso jazz!

Leopold Godowsky accused Theodore Leschetizky of setting the art of piano playing back a hundred years. Hamelin has set back most of today's pianists that much. The only thing missing here is the kitchen sink; Hamelin has thrown everything else in. The only thing missing here is Rubinstein's Staccato Etude and the Melody in F. Not exactly a balanced recital, but marvelous fun. If you like piano, you have to have this! It's better than the entire Kissin discography combined.

I don't really think comparing Hamelin's technique to that of Horowitz is necessary or useful. Obviously, they both have (had) incredible techniques and that should be sufficient. How do you know whether Hamelin's etudes are more difficult than Horowitz's transcriptions of Liszt rhapsodies? I've played piano for many years and I don't know -- I haven't seen any of the music in print. Moreover, what may be hard for one pianist might be easier (relatively speaking) for another. Horowitz may have been more exciting or galvanizing than Hamelin, but some of that could have been due to the voicing on his pianos (he supposedly had the hammers lacquered), which lent itself to more explosive fortissimos. On the other hand, Horowitz' recorded repertoire is far more limited than Hamelin's -- he seemed to play the same specialities over and over again, whereas Hamelin is constantly exploring new music (at an astonishing pace too).

Comparisons aside, I give this album a full 5 stars. The music Hamelin has found (or composed) is fascinating, and he plays everything with seemingly incredible ease. I also think he has become more of a musician over the years; if one listens to his early albums (I'm thinking of a Liszt recital) and the most recent Alkan recital as well as Kaleidoscope, it is evident that he has matured as an interpreter.

I have just about all of Hamelin's cds and enjoy them. He is obviously a wonderful pianist and fine musician. It is difficult to think of another pianist today with a similar mechanism, perhaps Volodos. I especially like his own transcriptions on this disc. Interestingly I have heard Shura Cherkassky play the wonderful Kaleidoskop many times in concert as an encore with even greater abandon. I also have Simon Barere's recording of the Blumenfeld etude which I always loved (over 50 seconds faster). I wish I had any one of these pianist's fingers I mentioned above. This is certainly an album for anyone who loves piano music. Enjoy all.

Okay, forget Ashkenazy. Forget Argerich. Forget Perrhia. For pianistic skill and interpretation, Hamelin has risen to the level of Rachmaninoff and Art Tatum. This CD will convince you that he IS the Bill Gates of keyboard performers. He certainly makes the rest of us piano players look like rather wearisome ivory ticklers.
All kidding aside,I think Hamelin has proved that he can simply do anything he wants with a piano. I am hoping that, in the not too distant future, he will tackle the Ives First Piano Sonata and Liszt Sonata in b minor. We can only hope.