Sonates pour piano Numéro 1 à 6

Description

A major pianist and educator in Russian musical life, Samuil Feinberg composed twelve sonatas, of which the Canadian pianist offers us half of the cycle. The first part is considered more interesting than the second, as it reflects the evolution of an extraordinary writing style that builds on Scriabin's harmony. Marc-André Hamelin – and this is the great interest of his interpretation – delves into the identity of this music, ensuring it is allowed to "breathe." The excellent sound quality in the ideal acoustics of the Teldex Studio in Berlin enhances the exploration of this complex writing. Nevertheless, the musical gesture remains primarily romantic. Romantic, in the sense that the six sonatas, all in a single movement except for the Third, are constructed like symphonic poems. They possess their own "swell," their unique universe, which rests not on a revolutionary conception of the piano, but simply on song. The interpreter's tempos are measured. They lead the listener to discover an almost literary narrative. Thus, these often dazzling, paroxysmal pages seem to be in continuity with the thoughts of Chopin and, even more so, Liszt. The finesse of Marc-André Hamelin's touch, the taste and pleasure he takes in making dissonances resonate, and in exploiting considerable dynamics reach their peak in the Sixth Sonata, the most brilliant of the scores. For a few years, it bore the title "The Decline of the West"... Its expressionist nature, its destructive momentum are carried by extraordinary fervor and virtuosity. (Jean Dandrésy)