Kenneth Hamilton Plays Liszt, Volume 1: Death And Transfiguration

Description

This is a Liszt recording with a difference: repertoire reflecting love, death and transfiguration, memory and nostalgia, performed by internationally renowned pianist and Liszt expert Kenneth Hamilton.

The recording has been named as one of Gramophone Magazine's "Best Classical Albums of 2022".

It goes without saying that Hamilton has intensively studied the original scores of these pieces, but in addition he has sought out and taken seriously Liszt's often ignored recommendations on their interpretation, passed down from the many reminiscences and recordings of students who worked closely with the composer. He has, in effect, tried to think like a Liszt pupil, to immerse himself in a performance tradition that goes beyond the printed text, and to respect Liszt's long legacy of teaching his own music.

New insights abound, even in such popular pieces as the Sonata in b minor: Hamilton's powerful recording reflects not only the interpretative nuances suggested by Liszt, but also adopts a strikingly moving revised reading of the Sonata's final page. The luscious Lorelei likewise incorporates the composer's later improvements, and the renditions of both Funérailles and Bénédiction de Dieu profit from Liszt's detailed advice on tempo flexibility, arpeggiation and ornamentation. Insights extend to hidden meanings within the music, as outlined in Hamilton's own notes to the recording. The wonderful second Ballade is revealed as a "love-death" anticipating by several years the Wagner/Liszt Liebestod that ends the album, while the fascinatingly intertwined relationships linking the other pieces are lucidly and elegantly explained. A truly remarkable recording, and a milestone in the history of Liszt performance.

Described by the Moscow Kommersant as "an outstanding virtuoso; one of the finest players of his generation", by Tom Service in the Guardian as "pianist, author, lecturer and all-round virtuoso", and by Stefan Pieper in Klassik Heute as a "pianist, scholar, radical thinker and philosopher", Kenneth Hamilton is well-known as a recitalist and recording artist of emotional depth and striking originality. His CDs have attracted both critical acclaim and a large number of listeners worldwide. His award-winning After the Golden Age: Romantic Pianism and Modern Performance (Oxford University Press) is one of the most internationally influential books on music of recent decades.

CRITICAL ACCLAIM

"throughout Hamilton's Liszt recital, the control of colour, the delineation of the voices, the different instrumental qualities he brings to bear are strikingly effective…the Romantic warhorses the B minor Sonata and the Ballade emerge refreshed. The whole recital flows thoughtfully from beginning to end, and the notes are as illuminating as the playing." Andrew McGregor, BBC Radio 3 Record Review, RECORD OF THE WEEK

Gramophone Editor's choice for February, 2022
"Kenneth Hamilton offers a richly rewarding and brilliantly played Liszt survey, clearly deeply thought-through, and furthermore recorded on a fabulous sounding piano."

"Masterly readings…the pianist is one of these rare mortals whose erudite, elegant prose is matched by his eloquence at the keyboard... I cannot recommend this release too highly." Jeremy Nicholas, Gramophone

"This wide-ranging collection of Liszt's piano music meets its technical challenges with rare directness and clarity...As in Hamilton's earlier discs –his recordings of Ronald Stevenson's piano works especially-- there is always the feeling that the music comes first, that the performances are a means to an end rather than a self-regarding end in themselves, and that is both liberating and totally refreshing for the listener." Andrew Clements, The Guardian

Featured in Guardian Best Classical New Releases of 2021

"Kenneth Hamilton plays these pieces as a pianist completely familiar with the music, both technically and artistically. He employs, in a fashion as masterful as it is virtuosic, the entire gamut of pianistic expressiveness, but never goes over the top…And that is exactly what makes "his" Liszt so worth hearing. Without too much overloaded ballast, the music, immaculately realized, takes centre stage." Guido Krawinkel, Klassik Heute

"A magnificent release, its contents perfectly judged and delivered with a balanced mix of virtuosity and intellect." Colin Clarke, Classical Explorer

"Kenneth Hamilton knows how to turn a CD into a deeply engaging intellectual and musical experience. He is one of the great treasures of the classical-music world today." Ralph Locke, ArtsFuse

"A fresh look at the composer's career…this is a recording that brings the listener closer to Liszt's inner personality." James Manheim, AllMusic

"Magisterial... a close and personal look at Liszt's own thirst for spiritual sustenance and regeneration, his response to bereavement and how he found his peace...There is not a single vulgar work or superfluous note in these 152 minutes of music." Dr Chang Tou Liang, Pianomania, Singapore

"The playing here is superb. Kenneth Hamilton brings a numinous quality to Liszt's music that is often absent in other performances." John France, Music Web International

"Just as I was beginning to despair of ever hearing Liszt that really set the heart racing along comes Kenneth Hamilton...I don't think I have ever heard an account of [the Sonata] that brought out so richly the fecundity of Liszt's inspiration. I was transported to an epic voyage through a Byronic landscape with heart stopping vistas at every turn...What Hamilton seems to get, and clearly revels in, is the role of imagination in this music, that in comparison to our prosaic age, Liszt's was a poetic one. Hamilton possesses all the technical prowess one could wish for but, listening to him, it is, for once, audible that the virtuosity of Liszt's music is needed to match the excessive nature of his inspiration...The word I keep coming back to with this new recording is richness and that applies equally well to the recorded sound. It made me realise how often Liszt is recorded in the equivalent of a garish spotlight. This is like hearing Liszt in a candlelit salon, full of shadows for demons, assignations and prayer vigils." David McDade, Music Web International, RECOMMENDED RECORDING

"Hamilton is an excellent Lisztian…I am very hopeful that this is indeed the start of a new series by this magnificent pianist. I should also say that this was one of my favourite CDs of 2022." Jonathan Welsh, Music Web International