Charles Richard-Hamelin – Chopin – 24 Préludes, Op. 28 – Andante Spianato & Grande Polonaise Brillante, Op. 22 (2021) [FLAC 24bit/192kHz]

Charles Richard-Hamelin – Chopin – 24 Préludes, Op. 28 – Andante Spianato & Grande Polonaise Brillante, Op. 22 (2021)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 56:12 minutes | 1,84 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Digital Booklet, Front Cover | © Groupe Analekta, Inc

This new album by Charles Richard-Hamelin presents two important works from Frederic Chopin’s repertoire, 24 Préludes, Op. 28 and Andante spianato & Grande polonaise brillante, Op. 22, and confirms that he is one of the world’s elite pianists. Writing about Richard-Hamelin, BBC Music Magazine characterized his playing as “fluent, multifaceted and tonally seductive… a technician of exceptional elegance and sophistication”. Qualities that are made evident on this brilliant new album. Charles Richard-Hamelin is well known on the international music scene as a “highly sensitive” pianist (Gramophone), driven by “a great depth of feeling without the slightest pretense” (Le Devoir).

Charles Richard-Hamelin continues his exploration of Frédéric Chopin’s oeuvre with this recording of the Preludes, op. 28, and the “Andante spianato et Grande polonaise brillante, op. 22”. Chopin sketched out the Grande polonaise brillante in 1830 in Warsaw, shortly before leaving his native land for good; the Andante spianato would come several years later, in 1834. Contemplative and even-keeled (spianato meaning “level”), the Andante contrasts strikingly with the ensuing Grande polonaise brillante – probably the last example of the brilliant style typical of Chopin’s early works. Chopin premiered the diptych on April 26, 1835 at the Paris Conservatoire, accompanied by an orchestra led by the founder of the Société des concerts du conservatoire, François Antoine Habeneck. The orchestra plays a secondary role, so the work is generally performed for solo piano – as it is on this recording – with the pianist performing the orchestral parts.

Likely begun in 1837, the Preludes were completed during Chopin’s stay in Majorca with George Sand in the winter of 1838 – 1839. The couple and Sand’s children took up residence in Palma in November and were initially enchanted, as noted by Chopin in a letter to Julian Fontana: “It is sunny all day. At night, one hears guitars and singing for hours on end… I feel better.” The spell was short-lived, however. Mistrust from the locals, the delayed delivery of the Pleyel pianino he had ordered, and the severe climate soon took its toll on both their enthusiasm and Chopin’s health. When doctors diagnosed tuberculosis in mid-December, Chopin, Sand, and the children were evicted from their villa and took refuge in the Valldemossa Charterhouse. “The cell,” wrote Chopin to Fontana, “is shaped like a great coffi n; an enormous dusty vault, a small bay window overlooking orange, palm, and cypress trees… silence… one can shout… still silence.”

Tracklist:

1. Charles Richard-Hamelin – 24 Préludes, Op. 28, No. 1 in C Major – Agitato
2. Charles Richard-Hamelin – 24 Préludes, Op. 28, No. 2 in A Minor – Lento
3. Charles Richard-Hamelin – 24 Préludes, Op. 28, No. 3 in G Major – Vivace
4. Charles Richard-Hamelin – 24 Préludes, Op. 28, No. 4 in E Minor – Largo
5. Charles Richard-Hamelin – 24 Préludes, Op. 28, No. 5 in D Major – Allegro molto
6. Charles Richard-Hamelin – 24 Préludes, Op. 28, No. 6 in B Minor – Lento assai
7. Charles Richard-Hamelin – 24 Préludes, Op. 28, No. 7 in A Major – Andantino
8. Charles Richard-Hamelin – 24 Préludes, Op. 28, No. 8 in F-Sharp Minor – Molto agitato
9. Charles Richard-Hamelin – 24 Préludes, Op. 28, No. 9 in E Major – Largo
10. Charles Richard-Hamelin – 24 Préludes, Op. 28, No. 10 in C-Sharp Minor – Allegro molto
11. Charles Richard-Hamelin – 24 Préludes, Op. 28, No. 11 in B Major – Vivace
12. Charles Richard-Hamelin – 24 Préludes, Op. 28, No. 12 in G-Sharp Minor – Presto
13. Charles Richard-Hamelin – 24 Préludes, Op. 28, No. 13 in F-Sharp Major – Lento
14. Charles Richard-Hamelin – 24 Préludes, Op. 28, No. 14 in E-Flat Minor – Allegro
15. Charles Richard-Hamelin – 24 Préludes, Op. 28, No. 15 in D-Flat Major – Sostenuto
16. Charles Richard-Hamelin – 24 Préludes, Op. 28, No. 16 in B-Flat Minor – Presto con fuoco
17. Charles Richard-Hamelin – 24 Préludes, Op. 28, No. 17 in A-Flat Major – Allegretto
18. Charles Richard-Hamelin – 24 Préludes, Op. 28, No. 18 in F Minor – Allegro molto
19. Charles Richard-Hamelin – 24 Préludes, Op. 28, No. 19 in E-Flat Major – Vivace
20. Charles Richard-Hamelin – 24 Préludes, Op. 28, No. 20 in C Minor – Largo
21. Charles Richard-Hamelin – 24 Préludes, Op. 28, No. 21 in B-Flat Major – Cantabile
22. Charles Richard-Hamelin – 24 Préludes, Op. 28, No. 22 in G Minor – Molto agitato
23. Charles Richard-Hamelin – 24 Préludes, Op. 28, No. 23 in F Major – Moderato
24. Charles Richard-Hamelin – 24 Préludes, Op. 28, No. 24 in D Minor – Allegro appassionato
25. Charles Richard-Hamelin – Andante spianato et Grande polonaise brillante, Op. 22: I. Andante spianato
26. Charles Richard-Hamelin – Andante spianato et Grande polonaise brillante, Op. 22: II. Grande polonaise brillante