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IAN HOMINICKAlso Available
  OFF THE BEATEN PATHSolo Piano MusicMuzio Clementi, Carl Czerny, George Gershwin, Benjamin Godard, Fritz Kreisler, Franz Liszt, Nikolai Medtner, Ignaz Moscheles, Jean Sibelius, Sigismund Thalberg IAN HOMINICK, piano [MS1341] $12.95 LISTEN
REVIEWS
“Cutting across all eras of music, Ian Hominick has forged an unusual identity by moving beyond the familiar borders of Bach, Beethoven, Chopin and Schubert. Hominick’s magic at the keys sets these forgotten jewels in grand light. We only hope this is the beginning of something bigger and better to come.”Christie Grimstad, ConcertoNet – October 2012"Ian Hominick... plays impetuously and attractively... The repertory recommends itself as off-the-beaten-path, and a lot of times it rewards you for your willingness to take the road less traveled. Recommended for those times when Parsifal is just too much"Steve Schwartz, ClassicalNet - April 2012"Canada seems to have many pianistic treasures in their fold, one of whom is Ian Hominick... Mr. Hominick has gone on to establish a solid reputation as a first-rate pianist and one of today's most popular artists... But pianists the caliber of Ian Hominick are rare, indeed. The man has an incredible command of the piano having the complete musical package of infallible technique, rich and singing piano tone, and an innate natural musicality that makes one's ears immediately take notice... This MSR Classics release is a gem... One of Hominick's joys is to seek out and play piano rarities that one cannot generally find on concert programs. He succeeds with contagious enthusiasm... This recital whets one's appetite for more. Hopefully, Mr. Hominick will give us some sequels to this MSR release... Hominick uses a wonderful piano (sounding like a great Steinway)."Lance Hill, The Classical Music Forum - December 2010"The the Sonata Op. 24:2 by Clementi...is a rather virtuosic piece with affinity to Mozart and Haydn, and Ian Hominick plays it with humor and fantasy, also taking the freedom to insert cadenzas in appropriate places... Two pieces by Godard bring us into a different realm—the romantic character piece—[and] are played with charm... [In the Thalberg], Hominick’s flexibility and his familiarity with the performance practice adds some spontaneity... Moscheles’s Rondeau La Petite Babillarde is for me the high point of the program—and the best interpretation. Hominick’s playing is clear and well measured... and he manages to show the characters of the different parts of the rondo. Fritz Kreisler’s Rondino On A Theme of Beethoven in the transcription by Leopold Godowsky is played with accuracy... Die Lorelei is a virtuosic elaboration on the song, and is played persuasively and with much passion. The “singing” of the Lorelei sounds marvelous in tone color and voicing. Hominick identifies most closely with the Op. 25:1 Sonata by Medtner. The expressive rubato and passionate crescendos come across most organically, and he shows a great dynamic range as well as flexibility... The rest of the program...shows a pianist who is not afraid of choosing less known repertoire in order to let us take a glance at the hidden niches and corners of music history; and although we turn back and return to the established masters for our everyday musical elevation, we are reminded that these pieces delighted the audience at the time of their creation, and thanks to Hominick we can share this delight again."Muhlbock, American Record Guide - July/August 2010"...inspired programme-building... warm sonority and singing phrasing totally befits [the] Sibelius and Czerny..."Jed Distler, Gramophone - October 2010"There’s some pleasant, appealing music here, and Hominick responds to much of it with understanding and fine playing... Hominick gives a smiling, exuberant performance of Moscheles’ La Petite Babillarde, which is sheer fun. Like the Moscheles, the Gershwin pieces are new to me, and I’m glad to make their acquaintance... this is a nice program."Audiophile Audition - July 2010"...the music is consistently compelling, thanks in no small way to the joy and dexterity of Ian Hominick’s playing. This Nova Scotia native is a new name to me, but I will look for his work in the future. It isn’t surprising to learn, given his easy technique and interest in obscure repertoire, that he was a student of Earl Wild, and later served as his assistant... do buy this delightful collection for a highly entertaining and superbly rendered side trip from your everyday listening."Peter Burwasser, Fanfare - July / August 2010"This is a charming disc. On it Canadian pianist Ian Hominick has included nearly a dozen lesser-known pieces. These are neglected works which he slips into his recital programmes. An obvious problem is that in a recital listeners get to hear one or two pieces placed carefully in contrast with better known repertoire, whereas here we have an entire disc of rarities. But Hominick has cast his net widely, creating a sequence which has a nice variety of names and styles. A linking theme between many of the pieces is that their composers were often piano virtuosi themselves... Ian Hominick shows himself adept at all the different styles that the programme requires... he plays with a secure and enviable technique."Robert Hugill, MusicWeb International - July 2010"...a solid and outstanding disc made up of keyboard repertoire generally considered outside the mainstream... Off the Beaten Path is the first new recording of Hominick to appear since [1994] and it is certainly welcome... Hominick is an expressive player with a great sense of flexibility of tempo and an innate sense of how to project the relative volume of a passage in a way that elucidates the musical text. He's very much at home in this mostly romantic literature, effectively thundering and rolling away in the loud passages of Liszt's solo transcription of his own song Die Lorelei, and a great part of the thrill in listening to Off the Beaten Path is just following the generous and warm thread of the music as it unfolds. It is not unlike listening to Earl Wild, who also favored the "Die Lorelei" transcription and would have enjoyed this MSR Classics recording a great deal, based on both its program and the fine quality of the playing. It is heartening to know that even though Wild has joined the past that his traditions -- an investigative approach to repertoire, firm yet glowing pianism and a genuine desire to entertain -- are being carried on by pianists like Hominick; indeed, these pieces seem designed to entrap and engage the interest of the toughest of all audiences, the student pianist. Off the Beaten Path seems the perfect vehicle for a student pianist as something to stretch their minds in addition to their fingers; others fond of the piano should find this well entertaining also. MSR Classics' sound...is big, grand and opulent."Uncle Dave Lewis, All Music Guide - March 2010
PROGRAM NOTES
Despite the marvelous wealth of classical “standards” available to pianists, I often include some more rarely heard repertoire on my recital programs. Audiences find it refreshing to experience music that is less often performed. The selections included on this recording represent either a sampling of music from various neglected composers or seldom played works by more familiar composers. I hope you enjoy listening! – Ian Hominick, October 2009
Canadian pianist Ian Hominick began studying piano in his native Nova Scotia, attending Mt. Allison University where he was a student of Jamie Syer and Patricia Elliot. Continuing his studies in the United States under the tutelage of internationally acclaimed pianists, Jerome Rose and Earl Wild, Mr. Hominick earned the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Ohio State University in 1991 where he served as assistant to pianists, Earl Wild and fellow Canadian André Laplante. An active soloist, accompanist, adjudicator and teacher, Mr. Hominick has performed and conducted piano master classes across the United States and Canada and in Italy. He has appeared as soloist on the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series, the Chicago-Chautauqua Series and has been a featured guest for Saskatchewan’s Rites of Spring Festival, the Hornby Festival Society in British Columbia and the American Liszt Society Festival. His performances have been broadcast both regionally and nationally on CBC Radio, Radio-Canada and National Public Radio in the United States. He is also a frequent guest for Chicago’s WFMT Radio program “Live from WFMT.” Mr. Hominick’s premiere solo recording of the works of the legendary romantic pianist, Sigismund Thalberg, was released by Titanic Records in 1995 to glowing reviews from the critics and a nomination for “Best Classical Recording” in Canada’s East Coast Music Awards. A dedicated teacher, Ian Hominick has been Visiting Artist at the University of Newfoundland and has taught on the faculties of Otterbein College, the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, De Paul University, and Lake Forest College. Mr. Hominick has also served on the national piano jury for Canadian Music Competitions. He joined the piano faculty at the University of Mississippi in 1999 and is director of The Piano Discoveries Summer Camp. PROGRAM
MUZIO CLEMENTI (1752-1832) BENJAMIN GODARD (1849-1895) SIGISMUND THALBERG (1810-1871) IGNAZ MOSCHELES (1794-1870) FRITZ KREISLER (1875-1962) FRANZ LISZT (1811-1886) CARL CZERNY (1791-1857) NICOLAI MEDTNER (1880-1951) JEAN SIBELIUS (1865-1957) GEORGE GERSHWIN (1898-1937) MSR Classics |
