
Marc-André Hamelin - Rocks Rachmaninoff
From Classical Music Happy Hour by WNYC, WQXR
March 11, 2026 · 31 min · Episode 2
About this episode
Marc-André Hamelin discusses his musical upbringing, piano techniques, and performs a piece by Rachmaninoff.
Composer and pianist Marc-André Hamelin joins Manny to talk about growing up with a musical father, the mechanics of piano playing, and the influences behind his prolific performing and recording career. He answers listener questions about piano transcriptions and why music is written in so many different keys. In the music segment, Hamelin performs one of his favorite works by Rachmaninoff live in the studio.
People in this episode
Host: Manny
Guest: Marc-André Hamelin
Topics covered
- piano playing
- music influences
- listener questions
- Rachmaninoff
- performing career
Keywords
- Marc-André Hamelin
- piano
- Rachmaninoff
- music influences
- performing career
- listener questions
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Rachmaninoff
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