Poster Marc-André Hamelin
Marc-André Hamelin, pianist/composer
Photo: Sim Cannety-Clarke
Performance Today®

Beethoven's 'Hammerklavier'

Marc-Andre Hamelin is one of the most celebrated and respected pianists of our time. His performances are known for their brilliance, technical mastery, and deep musicality. On today's show, we'll hear Hamelin play one of the world’s most challenging piano compositions: Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 29, the Hammerklavier.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Morten Lauridsen: Dirait-on (So They Say)
Los Angeles Guitar Quartet
Album: Air and Ground
Sony 89100

Michael Hedges, arr. LAGQ: Aerial Boundaries
Los Angeles Guitar Quartet
Beaches Fine Arts Series, St. Paul's by the Sea Church, Jacksonville, FL

Robert Fuchs: Trio in F-sharp minor, Op. 115: Mvts. 3-4
Adrienne Kim, piano | Louise Owen, violin | Michael Roth, viola
Central Vermont Chamber Music Festival, Chandler Center for the Arts, Randolph, VT

Antonin Dvorak: Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104, B.191: Mvts. 2-3
Jennifer Kloetzel, cello | Lexington Symphony | Jonathan McPhee, conductor
Lexington Symphony, Cary Memorial Hall, Lexington, MA

Hour 2

Leopold Godowski: Piano Sonata – Mvt. 4
Marc-Andre Hamelin, piano
Album: Godowsky: Sonata And Passacaglia
Hyperion

Jacques Ibert: Deux Interludes
Carol Wincenc, flute | Guillaume Sutre, violin | Kyunghee Kim-Sutre, harp
Round Top Music Festival, Festival Concert Hall, Round Top, TX

Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 29 in B-flat Major Op. 106, "Hammerklavier" Mvt. 4
Marc-Andre Hamelin, piano
Tippet Rise Art Center, The Olivier Music Barn, Tippet Rise Art Center, Fishtail, MT

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: 5 Fantasiestucke for String Quartet, Op. 5
Catalyst Quartet
Chamber Music Northwest, Mixon Hall, Cleveland Institute of Music, Cleveland, OH

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Performance Today® features live concert recordings that can’t be heard anywhere else, highlights from new album releases, and in-studio performances and interviews. Performance Today® is based at the APM studios in St. Paul, Minnesota, but is frequently on the road, with special programs broadcast from festivals and public radio stations around the country. Also, each Wednesday, composer Bruce Adolphe joins host Fred Child for a classical musical game and listener favorite: the Piano Puzzler.

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