Chopin: Sonate No. 3 - Polonaise-Fantaisie - Nocturnes Charles Richard-Hamelin

• Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849): Piano Sonata No. 3 in B Minor, Op. 58:
• 1 I. Allegro maestoso 09:11
• 2 II. Scherzo: Molto vivace 02:33
• 3 III. Largo 09:50
• 4 IV. Finale: Presto, non tanto 05:01
• Polonaise-fantaisie in A-Flat Major, Op. 61 (Live):
• 5 Polonaise No. 7 in A-Flat Major, Op. 61, "Polonaise-fantaisie" 13:32
• Nocturne No. 17 in B Major, Op. 62, No. 1:
• 6 Nocturne No. 17 in B Major, Op. 62, No. 1 07:37
• Nocturne in E Major, Op. 62 No. 2:
• 7 Nocturne No. 18 in E Major, Op. 62, No. 2 05:41
• Total Runtime 53:25

Info for Chopin: Sonate No. 3 - Polonaise-Fantaisie - Nocturnes

Charles Richard-Hamelin is one of today’s most promising Canadian pianists. He was the the winner of the 2011 Prix d’Europe and, in 2014, he won the second prize at the Montreal International Musical Competition. As well, in October 2015, Charles will compete at the 17th International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw.

The works of Chopin on this recording were composed between 1843 and 1846, a period in which Chopin’s final compositional style came to the forefront. He emerged from this period even more of a perfectionist than before. The spontaneity and passionate impulses of youth gave way to a more pensive, meditative mood that in turn could express a much wider palette of emotions. Accomplished virtuosity!

Fluent, multi-faceted and tonally seductive, he is a technician of exceptional elegance and sophistication. Part of that sophistication is his refusal to dazzle. Technique is at all times put to strictly musical ends. His playing repeatedly put me in mind of Chopin's idol, Mozart, who prized the twin virtues of 'taste and feeling' and said of piano-playing that it should 'flow like oil'. (BBC Music Magazine)

Charles Richard-Hamelin, piano

Charles Richard-Hamelin
Silver medalist and laureate of the Krystian Zimerman award of the best sonata at the International Chopin Piano Competition in 2015, Charles Richard-Hamelin is standing out as one of the most important pianists of his generation.

He also won the second prize at the Montreal International Musical Competition and the third prize and special award for the best performance of a Beethoven sonata at the Seoul International Music Competition in South Korea. In April 2015, he was awarded the prestigious Career Development Award offered by the Women’s Musical Club of Toronto.

He has appeared in various prestigious festivals including the Prague Spring Festival, La Roque d’Anthéron in France, “Chopin and his Europe” Festival in Warsaw and the Lanaudière Festival in Canada. As a soloist, he has performed with various ensembles including the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Poznan Philharmonic Orchestra, Beethoven Academy Orchestra, Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal, OFUNAM (Mexico), Korean Symphony Orchestra and I Musici de Montréal.

Originally from Lanaudière in Québec, Charles Richard-Hamelin studied with Paul Surdulescu, Sara Laimon, Boris Berman and André Laplante. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in performance from McGill University in 2011 and a master’s degree from the Yale School of Music in 2013 and received full scholarships in both institutions.

He also completed an Artist Diploma program at the Conservatoire de musique et d’art dramatique de Montréal in 2016 and currently takes lessons on a regular basis with pianist Jean Saulnier. His first solo album, which features late works by Chopin, was released on the Analekta label in September 2015 and received widespread acclaim from critics throughout the world (Diapason, BBC Music Magazine, Le Devoir).

Booklet for Chopin: Sonate No. 3 - Polonaise-Fantaisie - Nocturnes