GRASS VALLEY, Calif. January 3, 2019 – Sierra’s “season of celebrating the keyboard” continues on Sunday Jan. 20. with a solo performance by dynamic pianist Marc-André Hamelin. He is known worldwide for his unrivalled blend of consummate musicianship and brilliant technique in the great works of the established repertoire.
When InConcert Sierra Artistic Director Ken Hardin announced the 2018-19 Third Sunday Series last spring, he dubbed it “the season of the keyboard,” because the line-up included intrepid pianist Anne Marie McDermott, Grammy award winning organist Paul Jacobs, and Hamelin — widely considered by critics, musicians and audiences alike as one of the preeminent pianists in the world today.
“Marc-André Hamelin is, by all accounts, among the elite pianists in the classical music world. Getting the chance to hear him perform in our intimate venue is an experience not to be missed, I’m beyond excited!” said Hardin.
Hamelin’s critical acclaim world-wide is as prolific as his repertoire.
“Hamelin’s legend will grow – right now there is no one like him,” according to The New Yorker
Terry Blain from the Minneapolis Star Tribune wrote, “He has the rare ability to sound like he is improvising music on the spot, like the ink is still drying on the composer’s manuscript. The explosive contrasts of dynamic in the opening movement had the shock of the new about them, forcefully suggesting a composer searching out new possibilities of emotional expression.”
Hamelin’s program for Jan. 20 includes Liszt’s transcription of Beethoven’s Adelaide, Op. 46, Schumann’s Fantasie in C major, Op. 17, Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s Cipressi (Cypresses), Chopin’s Polonaise-fantaisie in A-flat major, Op. 61 and more.
In addition to his Grass Valley concert, Hamelin’s schedule this year includes a return to Carnegie Hall for a recital on the Keyboard Virtuoso Series, plus recitals in Montreal, Seattle, Berlin, Florence, Salzburg, Wigmore Hall, Istanbul, among others. In repertoire from Haydn and Mozart to Ravel and Rachmaninoff, Hamelin appears with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles, Stuttgart, and Moscow State Philharmonics, the Vancouver, Cincinnati, and Oregon Symphonies, and tours in Europe with the Amsterdam Sinfonietta.
He was a distinguished member of the jury of the 15th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2017 where each of the 30 competitors in the preliminary round performed Hamelin’s “Toccata on L’Homme armé” which marked the first time the composer of the commissioned work was also a member of the jury. Although primarily a performer, Hamelin has composed music throughout his career; the majority of his works are published by Edition Peters.
There will be a pre-concert forum at 1:15 p.m. in advance of Hamelin’s 2 p.m. performance. General admission tickets are $38 and are available by phone at 530-273-3990, online at www.inconcertsierra.org (ticketing fees will apply), and in person at BriarPatch Co-op or at the door on the day of the concert, if available. There are a limited number of free youth passes with the purchase of a general admission ticket. Youth passes must be arranged in advance, please call 530-273-3990 to reserve.
The concert will be presented at the Seventh-day Adventist Church, 12889 Osborn Hill Road in Grass Valley. For more information, please visit www.inconcertsierra.org or call 530-273-3990.
WHO: InConcert Sierra presents pianist Marc-André Hamelin
WHEN: 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 20, 2019
WHERE: 12889 Osborne Hill Road, Grass Valley (at the Seventh-day Adventist Church off Hwy 174)
TICKETS: $38 general admission, with a limited number of free youth passes. To order, call 530-273-3990, go online at www.inconcertsierra.org or purchase in person at BriarPatch Co-op in Grass Valley or at the door on the day of the concert, if available.