Having reviewed Marc-André Hamelin many times, I fear I have depleted my repertoire of superlatives for this amazing man: one of the most inspirational and inspired musicians of any ilk. I own at least a dozen of his recordings; these have given me, not just pleasure, but also a much deeper appreciation of the featured composers.

No one witnessing his sold-out Gardner debut on Sunday will soon forget his extraordinary feats of pianism and his brilliant musicianship. Few artists could so successfully pull off a concert of so Many Brave New (to us) Works. A well-respected composer himself, he has dedicated much of his repertoire to resurrecting overlooked composers from the mid and distant past, as well as directing our attention to living ones, making made a strong case for each and every one. Many examples would have frightened all but the most intrepid pianists; in his recordings as well as in yesterday’s concert, he would give each one the Star Treatment. After each irresistible gem, one wondered about where it had BEEN in one’s whole listening life.

After he played the delightful Haydn Sonata in D Major, Hob. XVI:37) with clarity, finesse, charm, and insights (I strongly recommend his 3-CD set of Haydn’s piano sonatas on Hyperion), Hamelin asked the audience, “Are you ready for something completely different?” turning his attention to, yes, Frank Zappa (1940-93) and his six-minute Ruth is Sleeping (1991). Who would have guessed?

Thence he gave us Stephan Wolpe’s intricate and undeservedly obscure Passacaglia for Piano from 1936. According to Thom Jurek’s review of a 1954 recording:

If the keyboard has limits to its mechanical, structural, and expressionist capabilities, Wolpe never seemed to find them. Fantasies build upon a clustered seventh or ninth, and the counterpoint moves in direction that are diametrically rather than just harmonically in opposition. There is no seeking of resolution only more conflict — particularly in the third movement. But the conflict is one of grace, elegance, and fancy — even if the entire harmonic scale is built of flats. There is a kind of serial organization in the “Passacaglia for Piano,” but it is one of Wolpe’s own design and includes chromatic and tonal devices and the exertion of pitch. When interviewed he downplayed the importance of pitch saying it was “just a part of the drama.”

Fellow Canadian John Oswald wrote TIP in 2021 to a Hamelin commission. It felt like a fabulous musical parlor game, “a piece without a single ordinal note in it.” In this fun pastiche of 40 quotes, the faces I saw were awash in smiles. TIP quotes from Beethoven (Fur Elise, the Moonlight Sonata and Op. 111), Clair de Lune, the Rite of Spring, Stormy Weather, and the theme from Bach’s Goldberg Variations. So much fun!

In keeping with the Gardner’s current practice, stagehands turned the piano around 180 degrees during the intermission; thus those of us watching his hands the first half now, disappointingly saw only his face. I don’t usually care about musicians’ hands but in this case, watching Hamelin’s alone justified the price of admission.

Hamelin began the second half with a set by Nicholai Medtner (1880-1951), a Russian composer whom Hamelin has long championed, consisting of Improvisation in B-flat Minor (in variation form), Op. 31, No. 1 (1914) and Danza festiva (Op. 31, No.5) 1921-22. The atter induced a delicious overload.

Then came two Rachmaninoff gems: his gorgeous (and rather well-known) Étude-Tableau. Op. 39 No. 5 (1916-17) and his Piano Sonata No. 2 (1913, revised 1931). I had never heard the sonata performed live, or even on recording, but that’s my loss. What a monstrous feat of virtuosity and musicianship.

“Please allow me something like a rest,” our intrepid pianist asked before beginning his four-minute encore. Duke Ellington’s Single Petal of a Rose bloomed as the highlight of the whole afternoon. I levitated, feeling, like many in the audience, completely blissed out.

Ed. Note: This review has been edited post publication.

Susan Miron is a book critic, essayist, and harpist. She writes about classical music and books for The Arts Fuse. Her last two CDs featured her transcriptions of keyboard music of Domenico Scarlatti.