A dream come true for
Charles Richard-Hamelin

The pianist records two Chopin concertos with Kent Nagano and the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal

For their first recorded collaboration, pianist Charles Richard-Hamelin and the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, under the direction of Kent Nagano, are offering the album Chopin: Concertos Nos. 1 & 2, on the Analekta label.

“This project is a real childhood dream come true. I feel extremely privileged to have immortalized this ideal collaboration with Maestro Nagano and to now be part of the rich discography of the OSM” says Charles Richard-Hamelin of this album recorded in concert at the Maison symphonique de Montréal in October 2018.

Silver medalist and laureate of the Krystian Zimerman Prize at the 2015 International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, Charles Richard-Hamelin impresses with his extremely refined playing and absolute musicality. The OSM and Maestro Nagano offer an emotionally contagious world-class performance that is in perfect harmony with the soloist.

“It was with heart and discipline that each musician and artisan engaged with this adventurous project. I applaud the extraordinary work of solo pianist Charles Richard-Hamelin, whose bravura gave us two concertos in a single concert. A unique example of artistic and human collaboration, the result reflects remarkable fluidity and beauty?” tells us Kent Nagano, Music Director of the OSM.

Written by Frédéric Chopin at the dawn of his twenties, the two selected works are imbued of freshness and poetry.

Two works of utmost beauty

Written by Frédéric Chopin at the dawn of his twenties, the two selected works are imbued of freshness and poetry. The majority of his compositions were for solo piano but, as these two concertos illustrate, he was also very gifted at orchestral writing with solo piano.

Listen to an extract from the album: Chopin – Concerto pour piano no 2 en Fa mineur – op 21 II

François Mario Labbé, president and founder of Analekta, says: “This music is of utmost beauty, of a great purity, all in strength and delicacy. We get to hear a rare symbiosis, very rare on record. Everything is perfect: the musicians, the soloist, the sound, everything! This album is without a doubt one of the best albums in Analekta’s catalog and I will enjoy listening to these concertos all my life. ”

About Charles Richard-Hamelin

Pianist Charles Richard-Hamelin stands out as one of the most important musicians of his generation. He has appeared in various prestigious festivals including La Roque d’Anthéron in France, the Prague Spring Festival, the “Chopin and his Europe” Festival in Warsaw and the Lanaudière Festival in Canada. As a soloist, he has performed with more than fifty ensembles including the main symphony orchestras of Canada as well as with the Warsaw Philharmonic, Sinfonia Varsovia, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, Singapore Symphony Orchestra, the Korean Symphony Orchestra, OFUNAM (Mexico), Les Violons du Roy and I Musici de Montréal. His albums have received widespread acclaim from critics throughout the world, including those of prestigious magazines such as Diapason, BBC Music Magazine and Gramophone.

‘Silver medalist and laureate of the Krystian Zimerman Prize at the 2015 International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, Charles Richard-Hamelin impresses with his extremely refined playing and absolute musicality.’

About the l’Orchestre symphonique de Montréal

Founded in 1934, the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (OSM) is a distinguished leader of musical life in Quebec and Canada. Recognized as one of the finest orchestras in the world, whose core activity is to perform the vast orchestral repertoire with conductors and soloists of the highest calibre, the OSM is an essential cultural ambassador. Under the direction of American conductor Kent Nagano since 2006, the OSM perpetuates several rich traditions rooted in its long history of social involvement and embodied in far-reaching projects, world class tours, and a superb discography.

Firmly anchored in today’s world, the OSM’s innovative artistic programming in both concerts and recordings brings modern-day relevance to the symphonic repertoire while strengthening the Orchestra’s place at the heart of its home base in Quebec’s metropolis. Over the years, the OSM has crisscrossed Canada and toured abroad, travelling to the Quebec’s Far North as well as to the United States, South America, and several countries in Europe and Asia. The OSM’s discography totals more than a hundred recordings on the Decca, Analekta, CBC Records, ECM, EMI, Philips, and Sony labels, earning more than 50 national and international awards.

Images: AnalektaRead also: Actor-musician Jean Marchand: double-barrelled talent

Analekta is the largest independent classical music record company in Canada. It has produced more than 500 albums and recorded more than 200 of the country’s most prominent musicians, winning multiple awards in the process. In early 2017, Analekta achieved the impressive feat of having the works in its catalogue streamed 100 million times on international streaming platforms.