FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Washington Performing Arts Society

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 21, 2013

CONTACT: Brenda Kean Tabor (202) 533-1886 [email protected]

Brilliant, unconventional pianist Marc-André Hamelin performs John Field, Nikolai Medtner and Franz Schubert at the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater on November 25 Washington, D.C. – Pianist Marc-André Hamelin returns to perform works by early 19th-century Irish composer John Field, early 20th century Russian composer Nikolai Medtner and Franz Schubert at the Terrace Theater on November 25. Said the New York Times, “Perhaps the most elegant and least ostentatious of virtuosos, Mr. Hamelin produces prodigies of sound seemingly without effort or concern.”

Said the Washington Post of his last local recital, “His technical facility is breathtaking: The piano quivers and trembles under his thunderous assault. But his sensitivity is also superb.” NPR’s Fred Child said, “I am not aware of a greater marriage of intellect and sensuality…For me, the Marc-André Hamelin Photo: Nina Large Click to hear Hamelin play Schubert’s Sonata D 960.

pleasure of listening to Hamelin play is like the pleasure of watching the greatest athletes in action — so comfortable in their extraordinary physicality, but with power and grace that

isn't self-conscious or narcissistic.” Long known for his bold exploration of the unfamiliar piano repertoire, Hamelin has increasingly turned his attention to the established masterworks of the piano literature and last April released a new CD of Haydn piano concerti performed with Les Violons du Roy and Bernard Labadie on Hyperion Records. Who: Marc-André Hamelin, piano Where Kennedy Center Terrace Theater When: Monday, November 25, 2013 at 7:30pm Program: John Field Andante inédit in E-flat Major Medtner Piano Sonata in E minor, “Night Wind,” Op. 25, No. 2 Schubert Four Impromptus, D935 Tickets, $60, are available by calling 202-785-9727 and at www.wpas.org.

This recital features works by Irish pianist and composer John Field, who was a student of Clementi and is widely considered to have originated the nocturne form, as well as by Rachmaninoff contemporary, pianist

and composer Nikolai Medtner and by Franz Schubert. Last season, Hamelin performed Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 4 with the TonhalleOrchester Zürich and David Zinman, with the Atlanta Symphony and Hugh Wolff, and with the National Arts Centre in Ottawa and Ainars Rubikis. He joined the National Philharmonic of Russia and Dmitry Vasiliev for concerti by Rubinstein and Medtner, and appeared with the San Francisco Symphony with David Robertson in Ravel’s Left Hand Piano Concerto and Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, among other performances. Hamelin toured the Shostakovich Piano Quintet with the Takács String Quartet to Great Performers at Lincoln Center, Royal Conservatory of Music - Toronto, the Library of Congress, Celebrity Series of Boston, San Francisco Performances, the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia Chamber Music Societies and the University of Florida. He also appeared in recital in Chicago and at the 92nd Street Y for the New York premiere of his Variations on a Theme by Paganini. Other recital engagements included Baltimore’s Shriver Hall, Detroit Chamber Music Society, Wigmore Hall, Berlin Piano Festival, and in Lisbon, Munich, Stuttgart, Moscow and Antwerp. Hamelin has appeared as soloist with many of the world’s leading orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Montreal Symphony, the London Philharmonic, the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the BBC Scottish Symphony, the Singapore and Melbourne Symphonies, the Malaysian Philharmonic and many others in North America, Europe, Australia and the Far East. Recent seasons saw Hamelin performances with orchestra and in solo recital at New York City’s Lincoln Center; in recital and in chamber music on the various stages of Carnegie Hall; and on an international tour of the Schumann Piano Quintet with the Takács Quartet. The Pro Musica Society of Montreal paid tribute to Hamelin with a six-concert series, “The Art of Marc-André Hamelin.” Hamelin’s complete Hyperion discography numbers more than 40 albums, and includes concertos and works for solo piano by composers such as Alkan, Busoni, Godowsky, and Medtner, as well as critically-acclaimed performances of works by Brahms, Chopin, Haydn, Liszt and Schumann. He has received eight Grammy nominations. A Canadian who lives in Boston, Hamelin was recently presented with a lifetime achievement prize by the German Record Critic’s Award and was made an Officer of the Order of

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Canada in 2003 and a Chevalier de l’Ordre du Québec in 2004. He is also a member of the Royal Society of Canada. Contact [email protected] for downloadable, high-resolution images. Funded in part by the D.C. Commission on the Arts & Humanities, an agency supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. WPAS is committed to making every event accessible for persons with disabilities. Please call the WPAS Ticket Services Office for more information on accessibility to the various theaters in which our performances are held. Services offered vary from venue to venue and may require advance notice. Considered one of the country’s leading presenters of the performing arts and recipient of the 2012 National Medal of the Arts, Washington Performing Arts Society (WPAS) was established in the nation’s capital by the legendary impresario Patrick Hayes. Throughout its 48-year history, WPAS has created profound opportunities for connecting the community to artists, both in education and performance. The mission of the Washington Performing Arts Society is threefold: 1) to provide the Washington community with performing arts presentations of the highest quality and of varied content and tradition; 2) to support and nurture performing artists and their art forms; and 3) to provide lifelong learning opportunities through arts education, youth involvement, and community partnerships. ####

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