Recordings

Frederic Rzewski himself said of the CD “I think the secret of Corey Hamm’s excellent interpretation is his choice of consistently lively tempi. .. Listening to Corey’s version, I feel that he never gets lost in his own private world, but consistently focuses on the theme of revolutionary unity, in which both the new and the old share equally; a unity without which no true revolution can be realized”

Frederic Rzewski April 2014

"This is one of the finest piano performances I've heard of any music at any time, a magnificent performance beautifully recorded."

Lynn rene Bayley, Fanfare Magazine May/June 2015

Headline: "Corey Hamm Joins the Elite in Rzewski"
"There are, arguably, three supremely great recordings of this modern masterpiece: the composer's own on Hat Art (way out of print), Stephen Drury's on New Albion, and Marc-Andre Hamelin's on Hyperion. This version joins them."

David Hurwitz, Classicstoday.com

"Corey Hamm's deep commitment to The People United Will Never Be Defeated! is evident in every note. This is a brilliant and moving tour-de-force of a performance that communicates Rzewski's iconic work directly to the heart."

Jon Kimura Parker

"PEP sets our expectations of New Music against sounds often associated with traditional music and in doing that provides something that is as fresh as it is unique."

Jason Hall, Vancouver Observer, Mar. 2015

“The duo’s musically nuanced playing, combined with repertoire freshly commissioned in 2013 and 2014 - attractively captured in this recording - has caught the attention of critical ears. the album earned a nomination for Classical Recording of the Year at the 2015 western Canadian Music Awards. Given the rewards on display here and PEP’s ever-growing repertoire and reputation, in what musical directions will Volume 3 take us?”

Andrew Timar, WholeNote Sept./Oct.. 2015

"Rather than an intercultural vanity project, their collective music-making focuses on polished, musically engaged readings of recently commissioned scores. It's also a reflection of Vancouver's rich, ever-evolving, pan-Pacific scene." and "The polished scores they have produced for PEP are all performed with care and elan, and bear repeated listening."

Andrew Timar, WholeNote Feb. 2015

"... a very worthwhile musical adventure featuring two exceptional musicians in an eclectic series of works."

Lynn rene Bayley, Fanfare Magazine May/June 2015

"Much thought and affection has gone into this project, and I look forward to the release of the second volume."

RaymondTuttle, Fanfare Magazine May/June 2015

"The Nu:BC Collective put a cool, hip face on classical music in Vancouver. Their name is a play on the acronym for the University of British Columbia, where they are all in residence, and where this CD of varied, highly entertaining music was recorded."

Laurence Vittes, Gramophone Magazine March 2015

"It is also extremely difficult music to play well, and the members of the collective are to be commended for their ability to both cope with the exceptional technical demands and make something coherent out of it. This is a fascinating disc of modern music, played by musicians who seem to me deeply committed to this ideal."

Lynn Rene Bayley, Fanfare Magazine, May/June 2015

"... these performances seem to do everything for the music that can possibly be done. No one can fault The Nu:BC Collective for lacking a commitment to modern Canadian music, or for not giving the music the full measure of its considerable talent."

Raymond Tuttle, Fanfare Magazine May/June 2015

"This enterprising disc of new music is impeccably and beautifully presented." and "This is a marvelous exploration of compelling contemporary music. Recommended to those with an insatiable appetite for the new."

Colin Clarke, Fanfare Magazine May/June 2015

... a composer who writes music to which performers cannot help but give full measure, as violinist fritz Gearhart and pianist Corey Hamm do in September Elegy. In Soundings, played with colour and verve by Jerome Simas, Steve Vacchi and Hamm, he produces a delicious new sonic environment by setting the two trilling, crooning and rollicking woodwinds against a glittering piano score”

Laurence Vittes Gramophone Magazine August 2015