{"id":122838,"date":"2026-03-25T11:59:44","date_gmt":"2026-03-25T15:59:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=122838"},"modified":"2026-03-25T14:00:01","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T18:00:01","slug":"interview-marc-andre-hamelin-talks-two-pianos-one-voice-hamelin-richard-hamelin-toronto","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2026\/03\/25\/interview-marc-andre-hamelin-talks-two-pianos-one-voice-hamelin-richard-hamelin-toronto\/","title":{"rendered":"INTERVIEW | Marc-Andr\u00e9 Hamelin Talks About Two Pianos, One Voice: Hamelin & Richard-Hamelin In Toronto"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Pianist
Pianist Marc-Andr\u00e9 Hamelin (Photo; Ben Ealovega)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hamelin & Richard-Hamelin: it could be a high-end law firm. In fact, it is something far rarer: an occasion for two of Canada\u2019s finest pianists to share the stage in a two-piano recital that promises both brilliance and insight.<\/p>\n

I have had the privilege of speaking with both artists before. Both encounters revealed musicians of exceptional intelligence and artistry, but also of disarming modesty and warmth.<\/p>\n

So it was a particular pleasure to reconnect with Marc-Andr\u00e9 as he embarked on the Canadian leg of his current tour. I catch up with him in Kitchener, Ontario. For a pianist in the midst of a busy schedule, he was, as ever, generous with his time.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have all morning,\u201d he reassured me. That generosity of spirit also lies at the heart of his musical partnerships \u2014 none more so than his collaboration with Charles Richard-Hamelin.<\/p>\n

Marc-Andr\u00e9 Hamelin & Charles Richard-Hamelin<\/h3>\n

Their meeting was almost serendipitous.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a Radio Canada producer in Montreal, Fran\u00e7oise Davoine,\u201d he recalls. \u201cShe knew us both and decided to put us together.\u201d<\/p>\n

The two pianists met at one of Marc-Andr\u00e9\u2019s favourite vegetarian restaurants in Montreal and talked for hours.<\/p>\n

\u201cVery quickly, I realised he was a genuinely wonderful person. I had already heard some of his playing and knew he was a great musician.\u201d<\/p>\n

Their first collaboration came a bit later at the Lanaudi\u00e8re Festival in July 2022, where they performed Mozart\u2019s Sonata for Two Pianos in D major alongside his double Concerto. \u201cIt worked so well that we decided to continue.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is clear that Marc-Andr\u00e9 holds his partner\u2019s musicianship in the highest regard.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe is very poetic,\u201d he says of Charles. \u201cHe is never concerned with himself as a musician\u2014only with what is there, what needs to be communicated.\u201d<\/p>\n

When I suggest that this self-effacing quality is something they share, he brushes my compliment aside and redirects it.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe is one of the most remarkable Chopin interpreters. His Chopin is just otherworldly.\u201d (Charles was also silver-medal winner of the 2015 Chopin Piano Competition.)<\/p>\n

\"Pianist
Pianist Charles Richard-Hamelin (Photo: \u00a9 Elizabeth Delage)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Performing Together<\/h3>\n

As a duo, their rapport seems almost instinctive.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe spend a lot of time agreeing with each other,\u201d Marc-Andr\u00e9 notes, with a hint of amusement. \u201cAnd much of it happens without us doing very much, which is a sign that things work.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the same time, there is no lack of critical exchange. \u201cNeither of us is shy about making suggestions. And I take everything he says very seriously \u2014 there\u2019s always a very good reason behind it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Such dialogue feeds directly into their shared goal \u2014to sound, as far as possible, like a single instrument.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe point is to become as homogeneous and as connected as possible,\u201d he explains. \u201cIt\u2019s always useful to be reminded that what we do is not necessarily the best solution. It makes you rethink and reconsider things all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Toronto: Koerner Hall<\/h3>\n

Both pianists are also well acquainted with Koerner Hall, whose warm, transparent acoustic makes it an ideal space for two-piano repertoire.<\/p>\n

Marc-Andr\u00e9 recalls his first appearance there with particular fondness. Having expected a far more modest venue, he instead encountered what he describes as a \u201cgorgeous, beautiful hall\u201d.<\/p>\n

Their new program also reflects the spirit of collaboration. Suggestions came from both sides: Medtner from Charles, Mozart as a natural continuation of previous work, with other pieces emerging more by chance.<\/p>\n

C\u00e9cile Chaminade\u2019s Pas des cymbales (from Callirho\u00e9, 1888) came from a festival requesting a work by a female composer.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew this piece \u2014 it\u2019s very exciting,\u201d Marc-Andr\u00e9 says. \u201cI even have a player piano roll of it at home.\u201d Originally orchestral, it translates into a dazzling two-piano showpiece. \u201cIt just works,\u201d he adds. \u201cIt\u2019s not complicated, but it\u2019s very effective.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chopin\u2019s Rondo in C major for Two Pianos presents rather different challenges. \u201cIt\u2019s exuberant, but not easy,\u201d he says. \u201cThere are passages \u2014 especially in my part \u2014 that I can only describe with the French word tricotage,\u201d referring to its intricate, almost knitted textures.<\/p>\n

The music of Nikolai Medtner \u2014 a close contemporary of Rachmaninoff but far less frequently performed \u2014 inhabits a more rarefied and inward world. For many listeners, Marc-Andr\u00e9 himself has been an ideal entry point into Medtner\u2019s richly wrought soundscape.
\nWhen I mention Charles\u2019s admiration for his authority in this repertoire, Marc-Andr\u00e9 deflects the compliment and reflects on the music itself.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe worst thing you can do to Medtner is to play him passively,\u201d he says. \u201cHe is not, at first glance, as melodically generous as Rachmaninoff. But if you take the time to enter his world, you won\u2019t be able to get rid of it \u2014 it\u2019s fascinating.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Two Pieces Op. 58 are Medtner\u2019s only essays in the two-piano medium. \u201cHe was an exquisite craftsman. His control of form is extraordinary.\u201d Yet their dense textures require particular care. \u201cThey end up being busier than the solo works, so you have to deal with them very carefully. You have to listen closely and highlight certain things to guide the listener \u2014 otherwise, while the endless wonders are still there, they don\u2019t come across.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Pianist
Pianist Marc-Andr\u00e9 Hamelin (Photo; Ben Ealovega)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Details<\/h3>\n

Even in repertoire that might appear more immediately accessible, questions of balance and texture are central.<\/p>\n

In Mozart, for instance, \u201cThe interplay between the pianos is wonderful. He shares the material in a way that not all composers do.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, their approach is one of subtle intervention. \u201cWe do little things, but we also try not to get in the way \u2014 that\u2019s very important.\u201d A touch of spontaneity remains in a brief improvised cadenza in the third movement, shared between the two pianists \u2014 an echo of 18th-century practice.<\/p>\n

Percy Grainger<\/h3>\n

Their Toronto program closes with Percy Grainger\u2019s Fantasy on Gershwin\u2019s Porgy and Bess, a vivid reimagining of themes from George Gershwin\u2019s opera.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really more than an arrangement \u2014 it\u2019s an 18-minute fantasy,\u201d Marc-Andr\u00e9 explains. \u201cGrainger brings enormous enthusiasm to the music, but also a great deal of respect.\u201d<\/p>\n

He is particularly appreciative of Grainger\u2019s practical understanding of the instrument. \u201cHe always cared about performers \u2014 it\u2019s very well written, very considerate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Where exactly does Grainger end and Gershwin begin? \u201cI think Grainger first and foremost brings his utter enthusiasm for the music, but also his own way of shaping it \u2014 the sequence of numbers, the contrasts \u2014 he creates something very unified. You never wonder when it\u2019s going to end; it has a very nice arch.\u201d As for style, \u201cI\u2019ve never really thought of Gershwin as pure jazz. There\u2019s jazz in it, of course, but it\u2019s also popular music \u2014 dance music.\u201d<\/p>\n

That sense of rhythm and movement finds a more personal echo in the planned encore \u2014 a short Tango by Marc-Andr\u00e9 himself, written for either duet or two pianos. \u201cIt\u2019s a little long,\u201d he says with a smile, \u201cbut it works well\u201d.<\/p>\n

Final Thoughts<\/h3>\n

Practical matters \u2014 such as who plays which piano \u2014 are resolved with the same absence of ego that defines their partnership. \u201cWe always consider the personality of the pianos, how they work acoustically in the hall, and the character of the music. If the instruments are too different, then you have to rethink everything \u2014 sometimes even switch.\u201d<\/p>\n

The decision is never hierarchical. \u201cEgo shouldn\u2019t enter into it. It\u2019s about what serves the music best.\u201d<\/p>\n

Our conversation, like so many of Marc-Andr\u00e9\u2019s performances, moves fluidly between precision and digression \u2014 touching briefly on composers, recordings, and shared musical interests. He remains throughout engaged, thoughtful, and quietly enthusiastic, with humour never far from the surface. I am reminded of something Charles once told me in an earlier interview, when he described his colleague as \u201cthe funniest person I know.\u201d I now understand exactly what he meant.<\/p>\n

Only towards the end do I realise that time has slipped away. For me, the day carries an additional significance: it is Nowruz, the Persian New Year. With just minutes to go before the turning of the year, I apologise and explain that I must call my family.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, of course \u2014 Happy New Year!\u201d<\/p>\n

I leave, feeling that I have already received the best possible New Year gift: not just an interview, but a reminder \u2014 echoing through music, conversation, and collaboration \u2014 of what it means to listen, to share, and to connect.<\/p>\n