Naxos 8.559804
Read the Review
The following review is an excerpt from Keyed In (February 2018) which can be read in its entirety here.
Marc-André Hamelin’s new CD partners him with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra for a world premiere recording of the Claude Baker Piano Concerto “From Noon to Starry Night” (Naxos 8.559804).
Based on a poem by Walt Whitman, Baker’s work is highly detailed with many linkages to the structure of Whitman’s poem. Baker several times quotes well-known musical material to emphasize the programmatic content of both his music and Whitman’s poem.
The five-movement concerto is complex and presents considerable technical and interpretive challenges for the pianist. Hamelin’s performance integrates beautifully into this demanding ensemble requirement. He is particularly potent where he dominates the orchestra in pianissimo passages. For all its beauty, the work is one of very high tension. Baker is a brilliant composer and has the perfect pianist to premiere this remarkable work.
- Keyed In - Summer 2019 19-05-30
- Keyed In - May 2019 19-04-26
- Keyed In - April 2019 19-03-27
- Keyed In - March 2019 19-02-27
- Keyed In - February 2019 19-01-29