Marc-Andre Hamelin - Haydn: Piano Sonatas, Vol. 1

Hyperion�s Record of the Month for March�a generous two-for-the-price-of-one set�pits enthusiastic composer and master pianist Marc-Andre Hamelin against enthusiastic pianist and master composer Franz Joseph Haydn.Epitomizing the evolution of the Classical sonata, Haydn�s iconic contributions to the genre, some sixty in total, have in some respects become victims of their own perfection, ignored by all but a handful of today�s leading pianists and relegated to the classroom. But in the hands of Maestro Hamelin these crystalline marvels are released from such transient shackles�to wondrous effect.The programme is varied: a tour through Haydn�s �experimental� and �popularist� styles culminates with two of the acknowledged �great� sonatas, Nos 50 and 52. And how suited this all is to the performer: Hamelin�s devotion to virtuosic innovation�as reflected in his astonishing discography�is so firmly rooted in his passion for a sense of pianistic genealogy that these seminal works seem entirely in keeping with his more pyrotechnical reputation.