I went to see/hear Marc-Andre Hamelin at the new Muziekgebouw in Amsterdam last night.

Wow!

The program comprised Berg's piano sonata, Liszt's B minor sonata, 4 Preludes by Debussy (from book two) and 4 pieces by Alkan, selected to make a coherent "Piano symphony"

I just do not have the words to express how good he was.

I confess that although parts of the Berg sonata were beautiful, and all of it was impressive, I did not really understand it as a piece of music.

But the Liszt sonata was magical. I had heard recordings many times without really grasping what it was about. All was made clear last night. I was inspired to start learning it .. a resolve that lasted until about 15 minutes after I arrived home, dug out the score, and realized just how difficult it is.

He received a standing ovation which was rewarded with a Chopin Nocturne.

I foolishly missed seeing Horowitz, Arrau, and many other great pianists of that generation .. then they all went and died towards the end of the 20th century. Meanwhile Brendel has retired and Ashkenazy no longer plays because of arthritis. True there are recordings, but a recording does not remotely compare to a live performance by someone of this class.

So don't make the same mistake as me! See him while you can. Not that Hamelin is likely to pop off any time soon, but like Martha Argerich, Maurizio Pollini, Tamas Vasary, and a handful of other living legends , he won't be around forever.

The only thing that marred the event was the half-empty hall. Despite a convenient and attractive location, reasonably priced tickets (23 Euros) and one of the finest pianists alive today. It is hard to understand. Maybe the advance publicity just wasn't good enough.

By contrast Murray Perahia is playing at the old Concertegebouw next week. Tickets are around 50 Euros and it is sold out.

I saw him here in Cheltenham a couple of years ago. He played Ives' Concord Sonata and the Alkan Concerto. As you suggested, stunning playing! He received a standing ovation here too, which for Cheltenham was, I believe, a first.

In preparation, I had immersed myself in the Ives' score beforehand, armed with a recording by Pierre-Laurant Aimard. That 'homework' was well worth the trouble.

On Radio 3 the other week they broadcast his recital from the RSAMD in Glasgow, in which he played the Liszt. The Berg was listed in the Radio Times, along with a Faure Nocturne but these were swapped for a Mozart Sonata and one of his own compositions - he's in the process of completing a set of 12 preludes in minor keys.

No problem filling the seats here!

I've seen Hamelin a couple of times and yes he's great. A few of us also already have tickets for when he plays in London next year. Tickets are going extremely fast at London venues this next season; I'm not quite sure why. (The Barenboim-Boulez concert next June (2011) is sold out after 2-3 days.) I agree about going while you can. I was lucky to have seen Brendel a few times, including his final London recital. Hopefully, Pollini's series of London recitals next year aren't meant to be farewell ones!

Quite agree; I'm using his recording of some Haydn as a model for my own study of the piece. (I realise how pompous that sounds)

Can't understand why he wasn't sold out. A year or two back I missed Alfred Brendel by about 3 days when he was giving a recital in a church in the Cotswolds - unfortunately the holiday had finished by then but I would have gone like a shot, even if I had had to eavesdrop outside.

Yup, I was there too - fantastic.

Couldn't agree more. He is absolutely fantastic.

I saw him twice 2 years ago. Once at the Wigmore Hall and then at the South bank centre. It is a wonder he is still so underrated. On both occasions I managed to get the best seats only booking the tickets a couple of weeks before the concerts!
He is just amazing!
I'm yet to hear him perform Liszt "un sospiro" though...just like I'm yet to see Evgeny Kissin perform "La campanella...one day..."!! When I go to see Kissin at the end of the year he will perform Chopin's 2nd concerto which I'm really looking forward to. Maybe if I clap loud enough at the end his encore will be La campanella!!

I believe he performed both Chopin Concertos under the baton of Karajan, when he was just 12 yrs old!

Hamelin is sometimes thought of as a super virtuoso that specialises in less familiar composers, Alkan, Medtner, Catoire, Kapustin to name but a few. His staggering technical wizardry sometimes overshadows other aspects of his playing. I remember reading an interview in Pianist magazine where i got the impression that this is something which irks him a little. Understandably so... his playing is technically superb and poetic in equal measure. I'm also very glad that he does play music off the beaten track, many big name pianists don't, which is a shame. If i could recomend one CD to anyone, that i'd wager they don't already have, it would be Hamelins recording of Medtners Forgotten Melodies Op 38 and 39. I've got several other recordings but none of them are in the same league.

An advert for live music in general: Go to whatever you can whenever you can - don't just wait for the big names and the well-worn repertoires. One day you might be able to say "I saw Guisseppi Ejournales before he was famous"

I saw him in Manchester the other week playing the Bach Partita no. 6 and Beethoven Op. 109. Probably the best solo recital I've ever been to.

Lucky you!!!

Prod him to come to Glasgow, someone. He'd fill City Halls with no problems. (When Angela Hewitt did the 48 here there was absolute, religious silence in the packed-to-the-rafters hall - she commented it was the best audience she'd had on the tour).

I'd have loved to hear his Alkan, as I'm learning the first movement at the moment. (The four pieces were actually written as a "piano symphony" originally). It's fiendishly difficult in a very odd, unobvious way - unlike e.g. the Liszt which shouts its fiendish difficulty right out at you from the first glance at the page.

I'd have loved to have heard what Hamelin does with it; my best ever 2CD purchase was his complete Scriabin Sonatas, where he seems to have idly chewed through the technical difficulties as a pre-breakfast snack - but without losing any of the impressiveness of the music by making it sound "easy in the wrong way". Highly recommended!

Hamelin's the soloist in today's Radio 3 1.00 pm Lunchtime Concert from RSAMD:

Berg Sonata No.1
Liszt Venezia e Napoli
Debussy from Preludes (Bk2)
Marc-Andre Hamelin Studies Nos.8, 2, 7 and 1

Absolutely one of my favourite pianists ever - love his eclectic approach. Am enjoying his Debussy at this very moment