Ontrack: Master of the Suggestive

Marc-Andre Hamelin may have made his reputation with the recherche, but his new Schumann CD reveals a rare empathy with this most romantic composer.

Following his 2001 recording of the Fantasie, Symphonic Etudes and G minor Sonata, the Canadian pianist has added a disc with three more works - the Papillons, Carnaval and Fantasiestucke.

From the opening sweep of the Papillons, Hamelin is a master of subtlety and suggestion; the first of the work's many waltzes is a flurry of sighs, flutters and hesitations. And, if the colours extracted from the Steinway in the Henry Wood Hall are any clue, these are butterflies of fantastical hues.

As you find yourself immersed in Schumann's music, you become aware that the Commedia dell'arte characters on the CD cover, painted by the Expressionist Karl Hofer, provide the perfect image for the fragile, fantasy-imbued world of the composer.

Des Abends takes us cautiously into the world of the Fantasiestucke; Hamelin catches the eternal question of Warum with a beautifully measured rubato, while Grillen brings together nobility and capriciousness.

Carnaval is one of the great piano works of its century. This is masked ball as music theatre, with mysterious figures appearing from the wings to play out their short, charmed lives on stage. Schumann's own alter egos, the fiery Florestan and dreamy Eusebius, have a piece each, along with tributes to Chopin and Paganini, and cryptic love notes to the young Clara Wieck.

Hamelin, who has conquered the Chopin-Godowsky Etudes, has no issue with Schumann's technical demands - the stormy Pause offers ample proof in 17 seconds.

From the opening Preamble, Hamelin shows how poetry is possible without any sacrifice of clarity, in one of the crispest versions available.

Tempi are generally fastish; a real "agitato" portrait of Chopin seems very contemporary. And there is a thrill in the triumph of the Finale, a battle between the aesthetic right and left - the conservative Philistines lined up against the progressive Davidsbundler. Schumann and Hamelin's victory is a dazzling one, reminding us of the need for constant vigilance in fighting for artistic truth and justice.

* Marc-Andre Hamelin plays Schumann (Hyperion CDA 67120, available through Ode Records).