On this CD Marc-André Hamelin turns his attention to the music of Brazilian composer Villa-Lobos, who wrote some 200 piano works. Hamelin’s lightning finger-work (as in his dazzling Polichinelle) is both savage and poetic on this disc. Rudepoêma is the composer’s master-work and one of the most difficult pieces ever written, despite its inherent pianistic qualities. Hamelin gives it an intensive interpretation that lets the listener grasp the primitive influences (at times reminiscent of Le Sacre du printemps) and the polytonal effects so characteristic of Villa-Lobos. Even so, the refined subtlety of Hamelin’s playing is best demonstrated in the miniature…