This recording, released back in 1996, was one of the first ones Hamelin made for Hyperion, and ever since that collaboration has proven to be one of the most fruitful in the classical record industry. Each and every release since has been a milestone recording for piano music, be it for choice of repertoire, Hamelin's monstrous virtuosity, or sound quality.

Even back then, Hamelin's clarity, fluidity, stamina and phenomenal technique are behind every note. The "Un Sospiro" has never been so beautifully performed, the "Nuages Gris" so sombre. Each piece on this disc is played to perfection, but the clincher is the famous Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2, in which the cadenza near the end was written by Hamelin himself. You have to hear it to believe it. You just feel like standing up and cheering him on at that moment because it is so full of technical and musical wizardry ... unbelievable!!!

Jean-Yves Duperron