Godowsky: Johann Strauss Transcriptions & Other Waltzes - Marc-Andre Hamelin

Marc-André Hamelin’s programme is mostly devoted to Godowsky’s works based on themes by Johann Strauss II and includes Godowsky’s finest reflections on the Waltz King. In these transcriptions, Godowsky elevated the art of the piano paraphrase to a higher musical and pianistic plane; however their extreme technical difficulty remains a striking feature and places them out of the reach of ordinary pianists. And Marc-André Hamelin is, of course, no ordinary pianist …