Rachmaninov / Medtner: Piano Concertos – Marc-Andre Hamelin

   in Piano International (Jul, 2016)
Chopin and Dutilleux may seem strange bed-fellows but, as Arthur Ancelle explains in his accompanying essay, Dutilleux was of Polish ancestry and a great lover of Chopin. His Piano Sonata, first performed by his wife, Genevieve Joy has, given its stature, appeared too rarely both on record and in the concert hall (though the finale is heard from time to time on the competition circuit, an attraction for pianists undaunted by its virtuoso intricacy). So all praise to Ancelle for his enterprise, and for a performance of overall mastery and clarity. He also makes admirable sense of the Three Preludes, alive to their characteristic blend of vivid colour and abstraction.

There …