Liszt Piano Sonata Hamelin

It's curious that Marc-André Hamelin, the Quebec pianist perhaps most identified with pure virtuosity, hasn't recorded a great deal of the music of Liszt, the quintessential composer-virtuoso. This collection of Liszt pieces delivers satisfying results, although they don't involve the sheer keyboard-pounding fireworks you might expect. Indeed, Hamelin deploys his gifts more in the maintenance of total control over the music – not an easy thing with the Piano Sonata in B minor, it must be said – than in sheer power.

Named after the platinum-selling American winner of the first International Tchaikovsky Competition in Cold War Moscow in 1958, the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition was established in 1962 and its gold medal is recognized as “one of the most prestigious prizes in classical music” (The Guardian). Every four years, winners are chosen by an esteemed panel of judges and awarded significant cash and other prizes, as well as three years of comprehensive career management and concert tours.

Established in 1962, the quadrennial Van Cliburn International Piano Competition is often recognized as the most prestigious classical music contest in the world (The Chicago Tribune) and remains committed to its original ideals of supporting and launching the careers of young artists, ages 18 30. It shares the transformative powers of music with a wide global audience, through fully produced webcasts and by providing comprehensive career management and concert bookings to its winners. Past winners include Radu Lupu, Jon Nakamatsu, Olga Kern, Joyce Yang, Haochen Zhang, Beatrice Rana, and Vadym Kholodenko.

Since his debut recording released in 1997, Arcadi Volodos, is celebrated as a keyboard genius, and is without a doubt one of today’s most outstanding and internationally interesting pianists. His unlimited virtuosity along with his unique sense of timing, colour and poetry made him a romantic narrator of intensive stories. This performance is an awesome display of keyboard command. The recorded sound does gorgeous justice both to the playing itself, and to the surrounding Vienna Musikvereinsaal acoustic.

Since his debut recording released in 1997, Arcadi Volodos, is celebrated as a keyboard genius, and is without a doubt one of today’s most outstanding and internationally interesting pianists. His unlimited virtuosity along with his unique sense of timing, colour and poetry made him a romantic narrator of intensive stories. This performance is an awesome display of keyboard command. The recorded sound does gorgeous justice both to the playing itself, and to the surrounding Vienna Musikvereinsaal acoustic.