Montreal pianist Charles Richard-Hamelin (photo by Elizabeth Delage)
By Anita Malhotra
Acclaimed Montreal based classical pianist Charles Richard-Hamelin first made his mark on the international music scene in 2014 when he won second and third prizes respectively at the Montreal International Musical Competition and Seoul International Music Competition.
The cover of Charles Richard-Hamelin’s most recent album
The following year, his status as an important interpreter of Chopin was established when he was awarded the silver medal and Krystian Zimerman Prize at the 2015 International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, one of the most prestigious piano competitions in the world.
As a soloist, Richard-Hamelin has performed with major orchestras in Canada as well as with the Warsaw Philharmonic, Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Korean Symphony Orchestra and Orquesta Filarmónica de la UNAM (Mexico).
He has also toured Japan six times and has appeared in many prestigious festivals around the world. In addition, he has recorded eight solo, concerto and chamber music albums featuring the music of Chopin and other composers, four of which were nominated for Juno Awards. His latest album, released in early April by Analekta, features Chopin’s 24 Preludes and Andante spianato and the Grande polonaise brillante.
Anita Malhotra spoke with Richard-Hamelin, who was at his home in Montreal, by phone on April 14, 2021.
AM: How did you go about preparing to record your most recent CD and why did you choose to record Chopin’s Preludes?
CRH: Since the competition, I’ve been learning a Chopin recital every season, especially because of my tours abroad. And usually when I play a certain program, I play it in concert over 50 times before recording it.
Charles Richard-Hamelin (photo by Elizabeth Delage)
That was the plan, before the pandemic. I was about to play the Preludes as the second half of my recital program throughout 2020 and then record them in November and December.
That plan didn’t come to fruition, but we still held the recording dates. So instead of touring with the Preludes and gaining that experience on stage, I had time at home to work solo and in-depth.
That style of working brought me back to my student days, when you have a lot of time at the piano to study the score and recordings, and to seek help from people you trust. I think it was a good choice for these pieces, which need a very strong concept in order to work because they’re so short and condensed. From the very first note of each prelude you have to know exactly what you’re going for. Continue reading
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