"Fire & Temperament" – Marc-André Hamelin on Scriabin's Canadian Connection

Over the years, Canadian pianist and composer Marc-André Hamelin has built a reputation as the pianist who can play anything –  and he does so with verve and style. But, at heart, he is an artist who is deeply fascinated by the new. In this context, we talk about his experience as one of the first pianists in the West to be enthralled by the works of Alexander Scriabin: a cosmopolitan Russian composer who traveled widely, wrote poetry, and was fascinated by India. Scriabin's career was a remarkable story of continuous innovation. He died suddenly at 43 –  just as he was on the cusp of new discoveries, composing new works extending into new musical territory that still remains largely unexplored. In episode 1 of this 2-part interview, Marc-André Hamelin talked about his early attraction to Scriabin's music. In episode 2, we explore a unique aspect of Marc-André Hamelin's background: his personal connection to Scriabin.  Early in his career, Marc had the privilege of meeting someone with close personal links to Scriabin: Madeleine La Liberté. Madeleine, herself a pianist, studied with, and later married, Alfred La Liberté, a Canadian musician and pedagogue who was a friend and associate of Scriabin. La Liberté first met Scriabin in New York. He quickly became a member of the composer's inner circle, working with him for extended periods during Scriabin's regular sojourns in Western Europe. La Liberté would go on to make an important contribution to the  development of Canadian musical culture, and to the preservation of Scriabin's legacy, in Canada and beyond.  Marc-André Hamelin speaks with typical grace and humility about his amazing connection to Scriabin, which situates him directly within the composer's own musical and humanistic lineage. Marc's discography includes the complete piano sonatas of Scriabin (recorded for Hyperion). His recent recital programs feature, at last, the work that first captivated him at 16: Scriabin's revolutionary Fourth Sonata, music of desire and its fulfillment, culminating, in the final movement, in an exuberant dance of cosmic delight. Music heard in Episode 2: Medtner, Sonata Reminiscenza, Op. 38 No. 1, performed by Marc-André Hamelin: https://share.google/YHzYYvWV10As7gM2K Scriabin, Sonata No. 5. Op. 53, performed by Vladimir Horowitz:  https://share.google/y9MoUdSzsGo15lcs2 Medtner, Two Skazki (Two Tales), Op. 20, performed by Maria Grinberg (1961): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVQfraqJT00  Rimsky-Korsakov, Scheherazade, Op. 35, performed by the Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire du Paris with Ernest Ansermet conducting (1949): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sAUuOhKCZQ Nikolai Obukhov, Aimons-nous les uns les autres (1943), performed by Gianluco Cascioli: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkRNPZ-D0kE  Sergei Lyapunov, 12 Transcendental Etudes Op. 11 (LYAPUNOV'S 156TH BIRTHDAY TRIBUTE) (1897-1905), performed by Konstantin Schcherbakov: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zs2n9tf7VQU  Episode credits: Sound Engineer: Jóhann Vignir