Marc-André Hamelin in a state of jazz
Antheil - Jazz Sonata
Gulda - Exercise No 1
Gulda - Exercise No 4
Exercise No 5
Prelude and Fugue
Sonata No 2
Weissenberg - Sonate en état de jazz
Six arrangements of songs sung by Charles Trenet

Marc-André Hamelin’s technical and interpretative brilliance over an extraordinarily wide range of repertoire has placed him firmly in the top rank of living pianists. His recent recordings of Alkan and Haydn were universally acclaimed in the highest terms. In this latest recording, Hyperion presents Marc-André Hamelin ‘in a state of jazz’, as he turns his attention to the music of Kapustin, Antheil, Gulda and Weissenberg all composers who felt keenly that there was a fundamental desire on the part of the concert-going public to hear something different. This wonderful disc is full of surprises as Hamelin writes in his entertaining yet scholarly liner notes, ‘There is no jazz in this recording. At least not in the traditional sense … There is much to be enjoyed here, and much to be amazed by’.

DIAPASON D'OR; BBC R3 CD REVIEW DISC OF THE WEEK; GRAMOPHONE EDITOR'S CHOICE; GRAMMY AWARD NOMINATION

'Played with such astounding agility and aplomb that you end up mesmerised by virtually every bar. Indeed, it is no exaggeration to say that no other pianist could approach Hamelin in such music. Notes pour and cascade like diamonds from his fingers and he has an inborn flair for the music's wild, free-wheeling melodies and rhythms, for its glittering whimsy and caprice … Superbly presented and recorded, this is a special addition to Hamelin's towering and unique discography' (Gramophone)

'The Canadian pianist Marc-André Hamelin possesses one of those musical brains that spark with maddening brilliance in whatever direction takes his fancy … It's hard to believe Hamelin didn't grow up within earshot of some dubious jazz haunt in New Orleans or Harlem … As Hamelin explains in his enjoyably lucid booklet notes, Gulda's astonishing pianistic pedigree deserves to be seen in a far wider context … Hamelin's evocations of these are wonderfully whimsical yet as crisp as celery. The syncopations 'sit' so comfortably under his fingers - exactly the right balance between ambition and restraint, warmth and edge - a pretty rare commodity in the performance of classical repertoire, let alone jazz-inspired music … This is a lovely, lovely disc; I highly recommend it' (International Record Review)

'Although this fine recording is entitled ' In a State of Jazz' it includes no true jazz - every note is written down - but for all that it bursts with the daring vitality that is the hallmark of the best improvised music' (Observer)

'Hamelin plays with such dexterous panache that he puts back much of the heat that the formalisation of jazz as 'composition' removes … Dazzling and enchanting' (Classic FM Magazine)

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Recording details: July 2007; Henry Wood Hall, London, United Kingdom; Produced by Andrew Keener; Engineered by Simon Eadon; Release date: April 2008;