Marc-André Hamelin performs Haydn, Wolpe, Oswald, Zappa, Beethoven, Medtner, and Rachmaninov

Canadian piano virtuoso Marc-André Hamelin blends classical Haydn and Romantic Rachmaninov with works by 20th-century figures like Frank Zappa, John Oswald, and Stefan Wolpe in this exquisite recital at the 2025 Ruhr Piano Festival. The 11-time Grammy winner is known for performing varied programs that, in his words, “offer the opportunity to discover one or two things that are relatively unknown but, in my opinion, deserve to be heard and shared.” Discover Hamelin’s steadfast inner calm and astonishing virtuosity in the devilish Passacaglia and intricately complex Ruth is Sleeping, and witness a level of effortless dexterity in Medtner’s Danza Festiva that will leave you spellbound! These stunning displays of technical mastery are interspersed with the wit and charm of Haydn’s Sonata in D major Hob. XVI:37 and Beethoven’s Sonata in C major, Op. 2 No. 3, culminating in the signature lushness of Rachmaninov’s Sonata in B-flat minor, Op. 36, No. 2.

Photo © Christian Palm