Charles Richard-Hamelin: Chopin (Blue Series)
Frédéric Chopin: Nocturnes, No. 17 in B, Op. 62/1; (27) Etudes, E minor, Op. 25/5; (27) Etudes, C minor, ‘Revolutionary’, Op. 10/12; (4) Ballades, No. 3 in A flat, Op. 47; (16) Polonaises, No. 7 in A flat, Op. 61, ‘Polonaise-fantaisie’; Waltzes, No. 8 in A flat, Op. 64/3; (16) Polonaises, No. 5 in F sharp minor, Op. 44; Rondo; (26) Preludes, C sharp minor, Op. 45; Barcarolle; (4) Mazurkas; Nocturnes, No. 18 in E, Op. 62/2; and Sonata for Piano No. 3
Fryderyk Chopin Institute NIFCCD617 (available on Amazon)
To open its series of portraits of the most interesting characters from the most recent edition of the Chopin Competition, the Fryderyk Chopin Institute in Warsaw (NIFC) presents a double album by Charles Richard-Hamelin—the winner of the 2015 Second Prize, as well as the 2015 Krystian Zimerman Prize for the best sonata performance. The release contains a complete set of the solo works performed by the pianist at his recitals during the first three rounds.
The Blue Series is an exceptional series of recordings that has been produced by NIFC since 2010, presenting musical portraits of the most interesting personalities from the Fryderyk Chopin International Piano Competitions in Warsaw over the years.
Below is an excerpt from a Gramophone review of this disc by Patrick Rucker:
Charles Richard-Hamelin is the 27-year-old Quebec-born pianist who won second prize at the Chopin Competition last year. Many apparently felt he was a shoo-in for first place, we are told, had not his concerto performance been disturbed by a bad case of nerves. Now the Fryderyk Chopin Institute has released a generous two-disc set, tracing Richard-Hamelin’s progress through the first-, second- and third-stage auditions, as well his contribution to the winners’ concert in October 2015. I can only echo what has already been written about him. Richard-Hamelin is a supremely artistic, highly sensitive yet thoroughly masculine young pianist, whose strikingly original ideas remain true to the spirit of Chopin. For those of us not fortunate enough to have been in Warsaw for the concert, this release is probably the next best thing.
Perhaps the most perceptive interpretation of the lot is the Polonaise-fantaisie, easily among the most beautifully wrought and persuasive I’ve heard. No wandering in a trance-like vagueness here. This is a boldly conceived and powerful performance: robust music, not reminiscent of the dance but actually dancing and happy to be doing so. Naturally there is plenty of atmosphere, punctuated by pensive moments, but Richard-Hamelin’s performance seems so forthright and inevitable, so self-evidently sane and musical, that one could almost imagine we’ve been listening to wrong-headed, or at least highly self-indulgent, readings for the past century and a half. This performance seems less a late masterpiece by a deathly ill composer than the work of a man who still relishes life.
[…]
Richard-Hamelin has bold, original ideas about the music he plays, the emotional reservoirs to back them up and the technical equipment to convey them without distraction. Surely this is a young pianist of whom we will hear a great deal more, and very soon.
[Sources: Gramophone newsletter, gramophone.co.uk]