Marc-André HamelinEvery podcast appearance, updated as new ones drop

In a captivating interview for KGNU, violist Richard O'Neill, cellist András Fejér of the renowned Takács Quartet, and celebrated pianist Marc-André Hamelin discuss their collaboration on the new Dvořák and Price Piano Quintets album, released on the Hyperion label. The ensemble reflects on the meaningful pairing of Dvořák’s beloved Piano Quintet No. 2 with Florence Price’s rediscovered Piano Quintet in A minor, noting shared influences from African-American musical traditions. They describe the challenges of interpreting Price’s little-performed work, especially in addressing notational inconsistencies. Recorded in the resonant and secluded Wyastone Concert Hall near the Welsh border, the project highlights their deep artistic rapport, technical precision, and the unique intimacy of chamber music. As the Takács Quartet celebrates its 50th anniversary, the musicians express gratitude for their evolving legacy, their connection to the Boulder community, and the enduring joy of making music with trusted collaborators. (Interview: 5/20/25)

Marc-André Hamelin is one of the world's greatest living pianists. He is known as a virtuoso of the highest order and has made nearly 100 recordings spanning the gamut of the piano repertoire. In this conversation we talk about how Marc fell in love with Gershwin, piano rolls, Busoni, Godowsky, the nature of virutosity, Haydn, CPE Bach, programming, nerves on stage, and much much more! This was such a fun and wide-ranging conversation and I certainly learned a lot speaking with Marc about the piano. Join us!!

Marc-André Hamelin is many things: a renowned pianist, a composer, an Officer of the Order of Canada , and a record collector of major proportions. The hands-on, no robots or algorithms, no safety net, digging in dusty bins in record shops variety. In fact, hunting for classical music diamonds in the rough is part of his creative process, and he loves bringing lesser-known works that he finds out into the light before audiences. In this episode, Hamelin talks about how (and why) he finds music that's new to him, about a few pieces he's found that he loves, and gives advice on how you, too, can go a-(record)hunting. Music in this episode: https://youtu.be/ZlrHX8muIYA https://youtu.be/qnzjGbhPpfI Aurea Carmina Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Special Thanks to Todd Reynolds for his music, Taskforce: Farmlab from Outerbourough .