Tour Dates
Helene Grimaud: Bio
She could be called a Renaissance woman for our times. Hélène Grimaud is not just a deeply passionate and committed musical artist whose pianistic accomplishments play a central role in her life. She is a woman with multiple talents that extend far beyond the instrument she plays with such poetic expression and peerless technical control. The French artist has established herself as a committed wildlife conservationist, a compassionate human rights activist and as a writer.
Grimaud was born in 1969 in Aix-en-Provence where she began her piano studies at the conservatory with Jacqueline Courtin and subsequently under Pierre Barbizet in Marseille. She was accepted into the Paris Conservatoire at just 13 and won first prize in piano performance a mere three years later. She continued to study with György Sándor and Leon Fleisher until, in 1987, she gave her well-received debut recital in Tokyo. The same year the renowned conductor Daniel Barenboim invited her to perform with the Orchestre de Paris.
This marked the launch of Grimaud's musical career; one highlighted by concerts with most of the world's major orchestras and many celebrated conductors. Her recordings have been critically acclaimed and awarded numerous accolades, among them the Cannes Classical Recording of the Year, Choc du Monde de la musique, Diapason d'or, Grand Prix du disque, Record Academy Prize (Tokyo), Midem Classic Award and the Echo Award.
Between her debut in 1995 with the Berliner Philharmoniker under Claudio Abbado and her first performance with the New York Philharmonic under Kurt Masur in 1999 – just two of many acclaimed musical milestones – Grimaud made a wholly different kind of debut: in upper New York State she established the Wolf Conservation Center.
Her love for the endangered species was sparked by a chance encounter with a wolf in northern Florida which led to her determination to open an environmental education centre. "To be involved in direct conservation and being able to put animals back where they belong," she says, "there's just nothing more exciting."
But Grimaud's engagement doesn't end there: she is also a member of the organisation Musicians for Human Rights, a worldwide network of musicians and people working in the field of music to promote a culture of human rights and social change.
For most people, establishing and running an environmental organisation or having a flourishing career as a musician would be accomplishment enough. Yet, remarkably, Hélène Grimaud has also found time to pursue writing. Her first book, Variations Sauvages, was published in French in 2003 and subsequently translated into English, Japanese, Dutch and German. Her second book, Leçons particulières, which is part novel and part autobiography, followed in 2005.
Despite her divided dedication to these multiple passions, it is through Grimaud's thoughtful and tenderly expressive music-making that she most deeply touches the emotions of audiences. Fortunately, they have been able to enjoy her concerts due to her extensive touring programme with major orchestras around the world. In 2013, she performs in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Russia, the USA, Brazil, China and Japan. Amongst others, she will play with the Czech Philharmonic, Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo, the Philharmonia, St Petersburg Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Russian National Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.
Brahms features prominently in Grimaud's programming repertoire throughout 2013. In the autumn Deutsche Grammophon will release her album of the two Brahms piano concertos; the first concerto with Andris Nelsons conducting the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and the second recorded with the Vienna Philharmonic. When she took the Brahms on tour to Southeast Asia this year, The Straits Times of Singapore said: "Her playing was distinguished by superb timing and consistency of touch, and seamless interplay between piano and orchestra."
Grimaud is also an ardent and committed chamber musician who performs frequently at the most prestigious festivals and cultural events with a wide range of musical collaborators that has included Sol Gabetta, Thomas Quasthoff, Rolando Villazón, Jan Vogler, Truls Mørk, Clemens Hagen and the Capuçon brothers.
An exclusive Deutsche Grammophon artist since 2002, her most recent release was Duo, a collaboration with cellist Sol Gabetta, released in October 2012. Last autumn the pair gave a series of concerts in Germany and France, performing the cello sonatas by Schumann, Brahms, Shostakovich and Debussy which are featured on the disc. The album's repertoire originated as an inspired recreation of a concert they gave at the 2011 Gstaad Festival and which the Berner Zeitung described at the time as "breathtaking" while BBC Music Magazinecommented that ". . . in the grand first movement [of Brahms' Cello Sonata No. 1] Hélène Grimaud produces a context of almost orchestral depth and spaciousness into which Gabetta projects her eloquently refined lines."
Previous releases include her Mozart Piano Concertos No. 19 and No. 23 with the Kammerorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks. That disc, released in 2011, also featured a collaboration with singer Mojca Erdmann on a recording of Mozart's Ch'io mi scordi di te? …Non temer, amato bene. Grimaud's 2010 release, the solo recital album Resonances, featured music by Mozart, Berg, Liszt and Bartók. Other DG recordings by Grimaud include Bach's solo and concerto works in which she directed the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen from the piano bench, and a Beethoven disc with Staatskapelle Dresden and Vladimir Jurowski, Reflection and Credo (both of which feature a number of works linked thematically), a Chopin and Rachmaninov Sonatas disc, and a DVD release of Rachmaninov's Second Piano Concerto with the Lucerne Festival Orchestra under the direction of Claudio Abbado.
Hélène Grimaud is undoubtedly a multi-faceted artist. Her deep dedication to her musical career, both in performances and recordings, is reflected and reciprocally amplified by the scope and depth of her environmental and literary pursuits.
1 | Silvestrov, Valentin: Bagatelle I from 'Bagatelles I-XIII' | |
2 | Debussy, Claude: Arabesque no. 1 in E major from 'Deux Arabesques' | |
3 | Silvestrov, Valentin: Bagatelle II from 'Bagatelles I-XIII' | |
4 | Satie, Erik: Gnossienne no. 4 from '6 Gnossiennes' | |
5 | Chopin, Frederic: Nocturne no.19 in E minor, Op. 72 no. 1 | |
6 | Satie, Erik: Gnossienne no. 1 from '6 Gnossiennes' | |
7 | Satie, Erik: Gymnopedie no. 1 | |
8 | Satie, Erik: IV Danses de travers: No. 4 En y regardant a deux fois | |
9 | Debussy, Claude: La plus que lente L.121 | |
10 | Chopin, Frederic: Mazurka in A minor, Op 17 no. 4 | |
11 | Chopin, Frederic: Waltz no. 3 in A minor, Op. 34 no. 2 | |
12 | Debussy, Claude: Clair de lune | |
13 | Debussy, Claude: Reverie L.68 | |
14 | Satie, Erik: IV Danses de travers: No. 5 Passer from 'Six pieces froides' | |
15 | Sawhney, Nitin: Breathing Light |
Pianist Hélène Grimaud is set to release her new album Memory on September 21th on Deutsche Grammophon. The album explores the nature of recollection through a series of exquisite pianistic miniatures, with a choice of repertoire embracing everything from impressionistic reveries by Chopin and Debussy to the timeless, folk-like melodies of Valentin Silvestrov. The French pianist's latest Deutsche Grammophon recording addresses music's unique ability to bring images of the past back to life in the present moment, to conjure up vivid evocations of time and place.
Memory and music make perfect partners. Both are fleeting, never fixed, always subject to interpretation. Our identities are formed from memories, just as so many of our most enduring experiences are rooted in music. Hélène Grimaud wanted to explore the universal nature of memory, its place in the lives of us all. Memory, she explains, uses music to probe the many levels of human consciousness.

Stories
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Coltrane, Cho, Ott, Hahn, Grimaud, Pollini make KCRW - Rhythm Planet 'Best of 2018'
Posted At : December 18, 2018 12:00 AM
This week's playlist features my picks for the best of 2018. Looking back on the year, 2018 offered a treasure trove of jazz, world, classical, Brazilian and Cuban music. We highlight a few classical albums, too. Here's the list. John Abercrombie – Up and Coming (ECM) Seckou Keita and Catrin Finch – SOAR (Bendigedig) Various Artists – Two Niles to Sing a Melody: The Violins & Synths of Sudan (Ostinato Recrods) Koum Tara – Koum Tara (Odradek Records) Hilary Hahn – Hilary Hahn Plays Bach (Decca) Hélène Grimaud – Memory (Deustche Grammophon) Maurizio Pollini – Debussy: Préludes II (Deutsche Grammophon) Song-Jin Cho – Debussy (Deutsche Grammophon) Alice Sara Ott – Nightfall (Deutsche Grammophon) Bruno Råberg Trio – Tailwind (Red Piano Records) Various Artists – The Complete Cuban Jam Sessions (Craft Recordings) Jorge Ben Jor – Jorge Ben (Universal Music) Various Artists – Listen All Around: The Golden Age of Central and East African Music (Dust to Digital) Bheki Mseleku – Celebration (World Circuit) John Coltrane – Both Directions at Once: The Lost Album (Impulse! Records) Pharoah Sanders – Thembi (Impulse! Records) Brian Eno – Ambient series – Discreet Music, Music for Films, Music for Airports, On Land
p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px} SEE THE KCRW - Rhythm Planet 'Best of 2018' PAGE -
Helene Grimaud - Memory is KDFC: Album Of the Week
Posted At : November 5, 2018 12:00 AM
p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px} Pianist Hélène Grimaud new Deutsche Grammophon album Memory explores the nature of recollection through a series of exquisite pianistic miniatures, with a choice of repertoire embracing everything from impressionistic reveries by Chopin and Debussy to the timeless, folk-like melodies of Valentin Silvestrov. The recording addresses music's unique ability to bring images of the past back to life in the present moment, to conjure up vivid evocations of time and place. Memory and music make perfect partners. Both are fleeting, never fixed, always subject to interpretation. Our identities are formed from memories, just as so many of our most enduring experiences are rooted in music. Hélène Grimaud wanted to explore the universal nature of memory, its place in the lives of us all. Memory, she explains, uses music to probe the many levels of human consciousness. as she says, "… a sequence of crystalline miniatures capturing time". Helene Grimaud - Memory is KDFC: San Francisco 'Album Of the Week' -
Helene Grimaud - Memory is KUSC: Album Of the Week
Posted At : November 5, 2018 12:00 AM
Pianist Hélène Grimaud new Deutsche Grammophon album Memory explores the nature of recollection through a series of exquisite pianistic miniatures, with a choice of repertoire embracing everything from impressionistic reveries by Chopin and Debussy to the timeless, folk-like melodies of Valentin Silvestrov. The recording addresses music's unique ability to bring images of the past back to life in the present moment, to conjure up vivid evocations of time and place. Memory and music make perfect partners. Both are fleeting, never fixed, always subject to interpretation. Our identities are formed from memories, just as so many of our most enduring experiences are rooted in music. Hélène Grimaud wanted to explore the universal nature of memory, its place in the lives of us all. Memory, she explains, uses music to probe the many levels of human consciousness. as she says, "… a sequence of crystalline miniatures capturing time". Helene Grimaud - Memory is KUSC: Los Angeles 'Album Of the Week' -
Helene Grimaud - Memory is the WFMT: Featured New Release
Posted At : September 26, 2018 12:00 AM
Pianist Hélène Grimaud's album ‘Memory' explores the nature of recollection through a series of exquisite piano miniatures. The choice of repertoire embraces everything from impressionistic reveries by Chopin and Debussy to the timeless, folk-like melodies of Valentin Silvestrov. The French pianist's recording addresses music's unique ability to bring images of the past back to life in the present moment, to conjure up vivid evocations of time and place. Hélène Grimaud's album ‘Memory' is the WFMT: Chicago 'Featured New Release.' SEE THE PAGE p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} -
Helene Grimaud's 'Memory' makes CLASSIC fM: New Releases
Posted At : September 25, 2018 12:00 AM
Throughout the week CLASSIC fM's presenters bring you the best new recordings, including world exclusives and premiere broadcasts of latest releases. Hélène Grimaud brings us a collection of well-known pieces by Chopin, Satie, Debussy and others. The album comprises pieces associated with reflection and freedom of form that certainly illustrate the concept of Memory. Grimaud demonstrates her mastery of musical transportation here and beautifully creates the fleeting wistfulness she clearly intends to. It is an effortless interpretation of truly immersive music – worth a relaxing listen. -
10 interviews celebrating Robert Siegel's love for classical music / NPR
Posted At : January 5, 2018 12:00 AM
Today our colleague Robert Siegel is retiring after four decades at NPR. He's covered everything from peace movements in East and West Germany to the Republican revolution of the 104th Congress, the mentally ill homeless and the 2008 earthquake in Sichuan Province, China. Over his 30-year tenure as host of All Things Considered, Robert has also chased one of his lifelong passions - classical music. He's interviewed dozens of today's most compelling musicians. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px Helvetica} "I'm intrigued by classical performers," Robert told me this week. "We don't expect them to improvise or compose. They play pieces from a canon that have been performed and recorded many times before, but they are not imitative. They strive to bring a personal dimension to performance. The musicians whom I have had the chance to interview possess technical mastery, plus the gift to impart something personal to the performance. Yo-Yo Ma, Hélène Grimaud, Anne Akiko Meyers - they are so gifted, and so serious about their art, it is a gift to peek inside their brains for a few minutes." With an impressive spreadsheet of his classical music interviews in front of him, dating back some three decades, I asked Robert to pick a few favorites. A few of those - with some unforgettable quotes - follow below. Gil Shaham (1996) "You would fungo the rosin?" Hélène Grimaud (2006) "You've disappeared into the piano?" Mahan Esfahani (2015) "Two skeletons copulating on a tin roof." Simone Dinnerstein (2011) "Is this what Bach had in mind?" Stuart Canin (2015) "The rifleman who fiddled for Truman and Churchill." Anne-Sophie Mutter and Lambert Orkis (2006) "With Mozart, it's crafting jewels." Andras Schiff (2009) "Beethoven is very much one of us, and the best of us." Oscar Paz Suaznabar (2015) "When you're playing it, do you think about the bunny?" JoAnn Faletta (2013) "The mythical title of The Great American Symphony." p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px Helvetica} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px Helvetica; min-height: 13.0px} The People's Republic of Beethoven (2016) "Music in Communist China."
PHOTO: Stephen Voss/NPR READ THE FULL NPR ARTICLE -
Helene Grimaud - Perspectives is WCRB: CD of the Week
Posted At : June 26, 2017 12:00 AM
Hélène Grimaud thrives on the spontaneity of performance, and challenging an audience. That, and her keen attention to the poetry of the music she plays, have brought her to the forefront of the international music stage. Her newest release, Perspectives, surveys the most heartfelt performances from her recording discography at Deutsche Grammophon. The two-disc set explores both orchestral and solo piano works, and includes a number of live recordings, plus selections from her 2014 Park Avenue Armory recital. Grimaud's Perspectives is the WCRB: Boston - CD of the Week. Watch the attached trailer for Perspectives p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px} -
Helene Grimaud - Perspectives is WFMT: Featured New Release
Posted At : June 14, 2017 12:00 AM
This 2-CD compilation features highlights from renowned pianist Hélène Grimaud's Deutsche Grammophon recordings, developed in close collaboration with the artist. The first disc comprises solo pieces and the second disc is devoted to concerto movements. The album reflects Grimaud's artistic journey, offering new perspectives on even the most familiar music. Helene Grimaud: Perspectives on Deutsche Grammophon is the WFMT: Chicago - Featured New Release for Wed. June 14 2017. Featured tracks are Liszt: Les jeux d'eaux à la Villa d'Este (7:39)
Bach/Rachmaninoff: Prelude in E major (3:37) Hélène Grimaud, piano p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Helvetica; min-height: 12.0px} -
WCRB - Boston presents encore broadcast of Brahms with Helene Grimaud & BSO
Posted At : June 4, 2017 12:00 AM
Tonight, Sunday June 4 at 8p ET on WCRB: Boston, in an encore broadcast of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Hélène Grimaud is the soloist in the Brahms - Piano Concerto No. 1, and Andris Nelsons conducts Brahms - Symphony No. 2. With inimitable passion and spiritual dedication, Grimaud climbed the Mount Everest of the romantic piano repertoire, performing The Brahms No. 1 and No. 2 Piano Concertos with Nelsons conducting her 2013 dual disc on Deutsche Grammophon. Believed to be the first woman pianist of the 21st century to release both the Brahms piano concertos, Grimaud recorded the Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, op. 15 live with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks (Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra) at Munich's Herkulessaal; and the Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major, op. 83 with the Wiener Philharmoniker (Vienna Philharmonic) in Vienna's legendary Musikverein. It is Grimaud's first recording with the Vienna Philharmonic. SEE THE WCRB PAGE p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px} -
Helene Grimaud - Perspectives is KDFC: Album Of the Week
Posted At : May 29, 2017 12:00 AM
Helene Grimaud's challenging, eloquent artistry runs throughout Perspectives, a personal selection of highlights from her Deutsche Grammophon catalog that offers a strong flavor of the pianist's penetrating insights into landmarks of her instrument's repertoire. The double-disc album, embraces the composers and compositions that have left the deepest impressions on her soul. It features both extracts from monumental concertos by such titans as Beethoven, Brahms and Bartók, and transcendent solo scores by Bach, Mozart and Chopin among others. Each disc is rounded off by a delightful "encore" – Brahms's Waltz in A flat and Sgambati's arrangement of Gluck's "Dance of the Blessed Spirits," respectively – both pieces enjoying their first CD/streaming release on this album. CLICK HERE FOR KDFC: San Francisco PAGE -
Classical MPR celebrates 50th anniversary with Saint Paul Sunday and Helene Grimaud
Posted At : May 16, 2017 12:00 AM
As part of Classical MPR's 50th anniversary we'll celebrate one of public radio's most popular programs - Saint Paul Sunday. Over the next few months, we're continuing to air our top 10 "Saint Paul Sunday" programs, hosted by Bill McLaughlin, every Tuesday night at 7 p.m. on Classical MPR. This week, we'll share a program from 2003 with pianist Hélène Grimaud, recorded at the concert hall of the American Academy of Arts and Letters in New York. On the program: selections by Brahms, Corigliano, and Rachmaninoff. Grimaud's challenging, eloquent artistry runs throughout her new recording - Perspectives, a personal selection of highlights from her Deutsche Grammophon catalog that offers a strong flavor of the pianist's penetrating insights into landmarks of her instrument's repertoire. LISTEN TO THE FEATURE p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px} -
Helene Grimaud & BSO execute with intensity and grandeur in Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2 / Washington Classical Review
Posted At : March 4, 2017 12:00 AM
After intermission, Hélène Grimaud joined the orchestra to perform Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 2. The Second is an unusually long concerto, typically taking over forty minutes to perform. It also poses a unique set of challenges to performers, requiring tremendous endurance as well as sensitivity to the larger symphonic musical texture. The work opens with a solo horn gently introducing the main theme in a duet with the pianist, which Grimaud and principal horn Philip Munds played to enchanting effect. A tumultuous cadenza follows the introduction of this theme, which Grimaud executed with intensity and grandeur, proving herself fully suited to the daunting physical demands of this music. Throughout the work, Grimaud produced a volume of sound to rival the orchestra, no mean feat in the Meyerhoff, which is often a challenging hall for soloists. Yet she also proved capable of playing with a rich variety of coloring, and created special moments of quiet beauty in the lyrical third movement. Besides being one of the most difficult works ever written for the piano, this concerto also makes great demands on the orchestra. Alsop guided the ensemble with great finesse, allowing them to play with great expression while still keeping them aligned with Grimaud. At the end of the concerto, the audience gave one of the most enthusiastic ovations of the BSO's season thus far,. Grimaud graciously acknowledged the cheers and applause as she took the stage for numerous curtain calls. READ THE FULL Washington Classical Review READ THE Washington Post REVIEW -
New Classical Tracks Uncut - Helene Grimaud
Posted At : December 23, 2016 12:00 AM
This year, Julie Amacher counts down her six favorite New Classical Tracks interviews of 2016 and shares them in their entirety on "New Classical Tracks Uncut." For December 23, Julie shares her full conversation with pianist Hélène Grimaud, who talks about her album, Water, and her motivation to raise awareness about global water-related issues. "Once you start to think about water as a source for inspiration and a metaphor, as it was for all these creators and artists who were inspired by it, you of course cannot help but start to look into simply water as a source of life, as the most essential resource that we all depend on," Grimaud says. "And then it becomes something else. It morphs into a sort of artistic invitation for a greater awareness about water and the lack of it and how difficult it is for so many people on this planet to actually have access to water and to drinkable water. … [I] hope that it's another way of bringing this to the forefront of people's consciousness." LISTEN TO New Classical Tracks FEATURE p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Helvetica; min-height: 12.0px} -
Helene Grimaud plays Baltimore's Shriver Hall / Washington Classical Review
Posted At : December 5, 2016 12:00 AM
Hélène Grimaud's work at the piano tends toward refinement and elegance, more than bravura power. The French pianist was supposed to open Shriver Hall's season in 2014 but had to withdraw because of a finger injury, to be replaced by Angela Hewitt. She finally returned to Baltimore on Sunday evening, for the first time since 2006. The first half, drawn from the "Water" program Grimaud released on the Deutsche Grammophon label earlier this year, was reflective in the meditative and aquatic senses of the word. The eco-conscious pianist's twee program note describes this selection of music as a "meditation on contrasting incarnations of water – gushing, trickling, raging, falling." Two opening pieces in slow, trickling style might seem risky for some pianists, who would rather grab an audience's attention. Grimaud, by contrast, drew us into this world of water, taking her time on the many rolled chords of Luciano Berio's Wasserklavier, with its allusions to earlier composers' musical descriptions of water. In Tōru Takemitsu's Rain Tree Sketch II, Grimaud continued her exploration of the dripping, pooling qualities of water, the work's luscious chords a tribute to French composer Olivier Messiaen. READ THE FULL Washington Classical Review ARTICLE p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Helvetica; min-height: 12.0px} -
Helene Grimaud & BSO play Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2 / Boston Classical Review
Posted At : November 17, 2016 12:00 AM
Helene Grimaud performed Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 2 with Andris Nelsons and the Boston Symphony Orchestra Tuesday night. The composer's Second Piano Concerto and Third Symphony date from the early 1880s at a time when Brahms became the more private and thoughtful figure captured in the second photograph. As a composer, Brahms had come into his own, and these works are filled with contemplative lines and introspective musical statements. Both pieces were heard Tuesday night at Symphony Hall, where Andris Nelsons and the Boston Symphony Orchestra continued their traversal of Brahms' complete piano concertos and symphonies. The Second Concerto is expansive in scale, largely lacking the impetuous virtuosity of the First. Instead, the work shows Brahms at his delicate finest and brims with mellifluous lines and melodic tenderness. French pianist Hélène Grimaud, who performed as soloist Tuesday night, has called the piece "an elaborate memoir" of Brahms' innermost thoughts. Grimaud is a pianist of extremes. She possesses a sturdy technique and soft, elegant touch where the music calls for it. Yet she isn't afraid to attack the keyboard and draw forceful statements in the fuller sections of the piece. READ THE FULL Boston Classical Review READ New York Times REVIEW -
Helene Grimaud with BSO, at their best with Brahms / MassLive
Posted At : November 12, 2016 12:00 AM
On Saturday at Boston's Symphony Hall, pianist Helene Grimaud and the Boston Symphony Orchestra hit the bullseye. These amazing musicians gave a concert for the ages featuring Brahms and a new composition by Eric Nathan under the direction of conductor Andris Nelsons. Maybe it was the music. Maybe it was their passionate performances. Maybe it's because this week's and next week's concerts featuring Brahms music are being recorded for potential release on the BSO's recording label, BSO Classics. Maybe it was because of some magical, mystical forces floating through the air of Symphony Hall. All I know is Saturday's concert ranks up there as one of the most memorable and pleasurable performances I have ever attended.(Photo by Winslow Townson ) READ THE FULL MassLive REVIEW READ THE Boston Musical Intelligencer p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Helvetica; min-height: 12.0px} -
Helene Grimaud - Water / New York Times review
Posted At : May 7, 2016 12:00 AM
In 2014, the splendid pianist Hélène Grimaud presented "Tears Become…Streams Become," a collaboration with the artist Douglas Gordon at the Park Avenue Armory in which the floor of that vast space was covered with a thin layer of reflective water. Ms. Grimaud, seated at a piano in the center, played an hourlong program of works delving into liquid depths. Recorded live at the Armory, this engrossing album features pieces by Berio, Takemitsu, Fauré, Ravel, Albéniz, Liszt, Janacek and Debussy that explore water's miraculous and merciless qualities. These are interspersed with short, ruminative works composed and recorded by the keyboardist and guitarist Nitin Sawhney, whose music synthesizes diverse cultural influences. Review of - Water by Hélène Grimaud, piano on Deutsche Grammophon by ANTHONY TOMMASINI -
Helene Grimaud on WRTI: Philadelphia
Posted At : May 3, 2016 12:00 AM
Unlocking the secrets in music is a joyful enterprise for pianist Helene Grimaud. Grimaud's latest album for Deutsche Grammophon, produced by Nitin Sawhney, was inspired by her abiding fascination with Nature's most precious gift. Water is set for worldwide release on February 5, 2016 and conveys imaginative responses to everything from mighty oceans and great lakes to raindrops and snowflakes as well as inviting listeners to contemplate the mounting threats to the safety, security and supply of this essential resource. Prior to Water, with inimitable passion and spiritual dedication, Hélène Grimaud climbed the Mount Everest of the romantic piano repertoire, performing The Brahms No. 1 and No. 2 Piano Concertos with Andris Nelsons conducting which will be released as a dual disc by Deutsche Grammophon. Believed to be the first woman pianist of the 21st century to release both the Brahms piano concertos, Grimaud recorded the Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, op. 15 live with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks (Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra) at Munich's Herkulessaal; and the Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major, op. 83 with the Wiener Philharmoniker (Vienna Philharmonic) in Vienna's legendary Musikverein. It is Grimaud's first recording with the Vienna Philharmonic. WRTI: Philadelphia - Susan Lewis has more on Grimaud's approach to music and life. On Sunday, May 8th at 1 PM on WRTI, Helene Grimaud performs Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 2 with The Philadelphia Orchestra. -
Helene Grimaud wades into the deep end with Houston Public Media - Classical Classroom
Posted At : April 12, 2016 12:00 AM
Thirsting for some good music? Pianist and Environmentalist, Hélène Grimaud talks about producing her new CD, "Water" in this Music Works episode. Hélène Grimaud‘s recent release on Deutsche Grammophon, is a true "concept album." Flowing with water themed music from the classical repertoire it also bathes us with new musical bridges and transitions from composer and producer, Nitin Sawhney. "What inspired the idea to record this album is really the fascination that so many composers of the 19th and 20th centuries seem to have had with the element of water," Grimaud states. In this episode, Hélène and Dacia surf through the music selections, and wade through the details of how a project such as this ebbs and flows. They navigate through the process, from a tiny ripple of an idea to a tsunami of musical expression in the final CD release. They also dive into the ecological importance of conservation and Hélène's goal of streaming awareness for safe, clean water around the world. With all of the good music on this show, you might need a bigger boat! Featuring works by nine composers: Berio's Wasserklavier and includes Takemitsu's Rain Tree Sketch II, Fauré's Barcarolle No.5, Ravel's Jeux d'eau, "Almería" from Albéniz's Iberia, Liszt's Les Jeux d'eau à la Villa d'Este, the first movement of Janáček's In the Mists, and Debussy's La cathédrale engloutie. LISTEN TO THE SEGMENT Audio production by Todd "Trickle" Hulslander with splashing about by Dacia Clay and editing by Mark DiClaudio. -
Why Helene Grimaud Flooded the NYC's Park Avenue Armory / WFMT
Posted At : March 10, 2016 12:00 AM
Pianist Hélène Grimaud made a literal splash exploring water music at the Park Avenue Armory, New York during the 2014-15 season. She teamed with artist Douglas Gordon to flood the Armory's 55,000 square foot Drill Hall with 122,000 gallons of water, and played a set of water-inspired music for solo piano in the middle of the peaceful reflecting pool they created. Grimaud recently released an album, Water, that resulted from her performance, titled tears become… streams become… She spoke about this unique artistic collaboration and the music on her album. Composers have been fascinated by water for centuries, and there's a lot of water music that she could have included on the program. In fact, Grimaud's original set list was slightly longer than the final version. It was shortened, she explained, because "We decided to make the actual creation of the installation a part of the program." During the performance, for 20 minutes, water oozed from the floor of the darkened Hall before Grimaud even entered. "It was quite a mesmerizing experience for everyone there, and I think really contributed to putting people in a different place before starting to receive this highly fragile and poetic music. But that meant less music." SEE THE FULL WFMT: Chicago POST -
Liquid Inspiration: Helene Grimaud on the Forces Behind - Water / KING FM
Posted At : March 7, 2016 12:00 AM
Hélène Grimaud's latest album for Deutsche Grammophon, produced by Nitin Sawhney, was inspired by her abiding fascination with Nature's most precious gift. Water conveys imaginative responses to everything from mighty oceans and great lakes to raindrops and snowflakes as well as inviting listeners to contemplate the mounting threats to the safety, security and supply of this essential resource. "What inspired the idea to record this album is really the fascination that so many composers of the 19th and 20th centuries seem to have had with the element of water," Grimaud states. Not only did this sow the seed for a recording, it also grew into a collaboration between the pianist and Turner Prize-winning artist Douglas Gordon. Their site-specific installation tears become… streams become… was created for the Wade Thompson Drill Hall at New York's Park Avenue Armory in December 2014. Described by the New York Times as a "compelling, boldly original work", the project blended elements of art, music and architecture, with Grimaud's water-themed programme located at its core. Gordon transformed the cavernous Drill Hall by slowly flooding its vast floor to create the impression of what he described as an endless "field of water," entirely surrounding the grand piano at which Grimaud performed. Classical KING FM's - Seattle Dave Beck spoke to pianist Hélène Grimaud about the inspirations behind this recording -
Helene Grimaud - Water / WFMT: Featured Release
Posted At : March 6, 2016 12:00 AM
One of the world's most celebrated pianists, renowned for the emotional intensity of her interpretations, Hélène Grimaud presents her latest project, ‘Water.' This is an evocative, experimental, deeply personal album combining Grimaud's s two greatest passions: music and nature. She performs water-themed Romantic and contemporary pieces by composers such as Liszt, Debussy, Ravel and more, who all shared a fascination for water. Ravel: Jeux d'eau (5:10), Albéniz: Iberia (Book II): Almería (10:06) & Sawhney: Water Transition 5 (1:27) from Helene Grimaud: Water on Deutsche Grammophon is a WFMT: Chicago - Featured Release -
Helene Grimaud interview with All Classical Portland
Posted At : March 3, 2016 12:00 AM
John Pitman's CD reviews spotlight recent recordings of classical music. As the music director, John auditions dozens of new releases every month, focusing on titles that stand out in terms of performance, repertoire or recording quality. This installment focuses on pianist Hélène Grimaud. Known almost equally for her environmental concerns as her tremendous musical talent, Grimaud brings both areas of interest together in her new CD, Water (Deutsche Grammophon), the result of a collaboration with composer and producer, Nitin Sawney. Ms. Grimaud, who founded the Wolf Conservation Center in New York in 1996, hopes that people think about the earth's precious resource, which in many parts of the world is extremely difficult to obtain for millions of people. In my conversation with the French pianist, Ms. Grimaud tells me that her starting point, however, was purely musical: Why have so many composers been drawn to water as a source of inspiration? Water has the power to both give – and take – life, if one considers that it can be as ethereal as mist or clouds, to rivers and oceans. Grimaud says she had to work hard to pare dozens of favorite pieces down to a manageable program that touches on many aspects of water in music. The "transitions" created by Sawney, who is well-known around the world for his ability to collaborate with musicians of many different genres, bridge the realm of classical music to the present day, and the world of this art form to the rhythms of the earth (and water). I enjoyed the transitions, as they create this sense of calm and, at the same time, progression through the hour of piano music. Hélène Grimaud's choice of pieces come from French composers (particularly inspired by water, it seems), such as Debussy, Ravel and Fauré; to 20th century greats such as Toru Takemitsu, Leoš Janáček, and Isaac Albéniz. My favorite discovery, thanks to Grimaud, is Luciano Berio's "Wasserklavier" (Water Piano), which sets the perfect tone for the music to follow. The CD concludes with Debussy's powerful prelude, La Cathédrale engloutie (The Engulfed Cathedral), inspired by a legend of a cathedral that, once a year, emerges from the depths of the ocean, to appear only briefly, before submerging again. Keep that image in your mind as you listen to Ms. Grimaud's performance. Water, like music, can exist for only a moment before disappearing, and so both must be treasured. SEE THE All Classical Portland PAGE AND LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW -
Helene Grimaud - Water / KMZT: Los Angeles
Posted At : March 1, 2016 12:00 AM
Hélène Grimaud's latest album for Deutsche Grammophon, produced by Nitin Sawhney, was inspired by her abiding fascination with Nature's most precious gift. Water is set for worldwide release on February 5, 2016 and conveys imaginative responses to everything from mighty oceans and great lakes to raindrops and snowflakes as well as inviting listeners to contemplate the mounting threats to the safety, security and supply of this essential resource. "What inspired the idea to record this album is really the fascination that so many composers of the 19th and 20th centuries seem to have had with the element of water," Grimaud states. Not only did this sow the seed for a recording, it also grew into a collaboration between the pianist and Turner Prize-winning artist Douglas Gordon. Their site-specific installation tears become… streams become… was created for the Wade Thompson Drill Hall at New York's Park Avenue Armory in December 2014. Described by the New York Times as a "compelling, boldly original work", the project blended elements of art, music and architecture, with Grimaud's water-themed programme located at its core. Nick Tyler from K-Mozart in Los Angeles spoke to Grimaud about this project as well as the Wolf Conservation Center. Listen to the attached clip. -
Helene Grimaud - Water / Boston Globe review
Posted At : February 26, 2016 12:00 AM
French pianist Hélène Grimaud and Scottish artist Douglas Gordon collaborated last December in New York for a high-concept recital, "tears become . . . streams become . . .," in which Grimaud presented a mix of watery works on a Steinway grand in the center of a flooded Park Avenue Armory. Eerie and immersive, the experience they created was probably the closest thing possible to hearing Debussy's "The Sunken Cathedral" in an actual sunken cathedral. Grimaud's new Deutsche Grammophon release was recorded during "tears become . . . streams become . . .," and the venue's vast space echoes through every piece, giving the piano's sound an ethereal shimmer. The short 19th- and 20th-century works by composers such as Liszt, Janacek, and Takemitsu evoke the many personalities of water: playful fountains, raging rivers, tranquil showers. Grimaud plays with a keen sensitivity to the music and the setting, letting the ribbons of arpeggios and scales in Ravel's "Jeux d'eau" flow with exquisite grace. Berio's "Wasserklavier" is spacious, individual chords like stones falling into a still pond. READ THE FULL Boston Globe ARTICLE -
Helene Grimaud - Water / New Classical Tracks
Posted At : February 24, 2016 12:00 AM
New Classical Tracks is a Syndicated Feature airing Nationally on Classical 24 & Statewide on Minnesota Public Radio. Listen to Julie Amacher's Feature with Hélène Grimaud. READ THE TRANSCRIPT - Something you probably think about every day is making sure you drink enough water. It's one way to maintain a healthy body. Something you may not think about every day is that your body is made up of about 60 percent water. Water is our most precious resource. That's one reason pianist Hélène Grimaud teamed up with conceptual artist Douglas Gordon last year to perform in a flood of water in the middle of a 55,000-square-foot performance hall. The installation was called "Tears become, Streams become," and was created for the Wade Thompson Drill Hall at New York's Park Avenue Armory. "It was quite a mesmerizing experience," Hélène recalls. "When you hear the first notes of the Berio, I mean, I've played the program in the traditional pure form and I had my doubts about how difficult it was going to be to take the people along for that journey, and it worked beyond my expectations. But it was a very special atmosphere in that hall. And in fact, it wasn't even planned that this would become the sound of the recording. This recording was made initially for archival purposes. And once we listened to it, it was astonishingly good. "Most of the audience was suspended in mid-air, on that balcony, and by the time the floor of the armory was flooded, you couldn't tell," Hélène continues. "You lost all sense of orientation. You could not tell what was the ceiling, what was the floor … the beautiful industrial ceiling was reflected, of course, on the surface of the water. And it was like being in a matrix." I asked Hélène how water became her primary focus for this project, which evolved into her latest recording. "It was something which I always wished to explore," she says. "And it was just the beauty, the poetry of this music which led me to wanting to make a program out of it and a recording. That was the first motivation. "The other sort of grew out of this as a sort of logical, sort of intuitive sort of feeling," Hélène says, "which is once you start to think about water as a source for inspiration and a metaphor, as it was for all these creators and artists who were inspired by it. You of course cannot help but start to look into simply water as a source of life, as the most essential resource that we all depend on." As Hélène started to search for music inspired by water, she quickly realized the list is as deep as the ocean. So how did she narrow it down? "Yeah, that was quite difficult.," Hélène admits. "It took me a long time because there are so many beautiful pieces, and it was so hard to make a choice. And I wanted as many composers represented on the album as possible, and that meant only one excerpt, one piece per composer. And in the end I decided to go with what I considered, in my humble, subjective opinion, the more stylized, the more abstract pieces. They still needed to all merge into one world, one uninterrupted program. So it started with the first note of Wassklavier by Luciano Berio and ended with the last note of the Sunken Cathedral by Debussy without any interruption. But the repertoire is wonderfully poetic and evocative and atmospheric and deals with so many aspects of water and the different incarnations of water, except perhaps for the destructive power of that element which is not represented here. But all of the others are, certainly." The destructive force of water may not be represented in these pieces; however, you will notice that Hélène's approach is often quite forceful. "Actually, I'm happy that you mention it, because it's true. I feel that there was that raw nature of the element that you feel. This is what makes water so fascinating. It is an irresistible force, it is ever changing. It is a driving force of all nature and it is full of paradox because it can be so sweet and so full of violence at the same time. And so when you feel … even in Les Jeux d'eaux for example, the Ravel piece, you have to always feel that power which is lurking. And it is far from just a decorative element. So I'm happy you hear that." For many of these composers, water was their source of inspiration musically - and metaphorically, as in the piece, les Jeux d'eaux à la Villa d'Este by Franz Liszt. "I have a particularly soft spot for the Liszt," Hélène says. "You know the Liszt conceptually because the piece is wonderful but also because of the fact that it starts as this epicurean artifice, as water is a decorative element but then it morphs into water with all of its redemptive qualities and this possibility of rebirth and regeneration and ends in a totally mystical place in Liszt's fashion. So there are many different reasons why I felt so close to all these pieces." Hélène's other partner for this project is composer Nitin Sawhney. His role is to provide the connecting tissue between these pieces. "And what I love about these transitions is that they're so respectful of the original material and so incredibly creative," Hélène says. "Each one is you know a totally different language if you listen to the sounds and the way they're being used, the sounds and the instrumentations. It's quite a beautiful mosaic, which makes the journey even richer and every transition is something which certainly you could consume by itself, just like any of the pieces on the program. But if you take time to listen to it in its entirety, I mean it's just … it's just a wonderful journey and so incredibly varied. It's really mesmerizing." Water, a new recording featuring pianist Hélène Grimaud, who offers you the chance to reflect on one of our most precious resources. -
Helene Grimaud - Water / WRTI feature
Posted At : February 22, 2016 12:00 AM
Quite a few classical composers have found artistic inspiration in one of the planet's most important natural resources. Hélène Grimaud's latest album for Deutsche Grammophon, produced by Nitin Sawhney, was inspired by her abiding fascination with Nature's most precious gift. 'Water' conveys imaginative responses to everything from mighty oceans and great lakes to raindrops and snowflakes as well as inviting listeners to contemplate the mounting threats to the safety, security and supply of this essential resource. WRTI: Philadelphia - Susan Lewis reports on pianist Helene Grimaud's a new recording of a collection and Ms.Grimaud performs Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 2 with The Philadelphia Orchestra at the Kimmel Center's Verizon Hall, March 3rd to 5th. LISTEN TO THE SEGMENT -
Helene Grimaud - Water / NPR: All Things Considered
Posted At : February 17, 2016 12:00 AM
When Franz Liszt wrote The Fountains of the Villa d'Este, he added a Latin quotation from the Gospel of St. John. It says: "But the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up into eternal life." That composition is featured on the newest album by French pianist Helene Grimaud, called Water. Because that's the theme of the album: The pieces she plays are all, somehow, connected to water. Like Luciano Berio's piece Wasserklavier, or "Water Piano." In between the pieces that Grimaud plays on piano - all unaccompanied - there are are transitions composed by Nitin Sawhney, a British Indian musician and producer. Grimaud joined NPR's Robert Siegel to talk about the inspiration behind the project and the best way to listen to it. Hear the radio version at the audio link and read their conversation below. LISTEN TO THE SEGMENT TRANSCRIPT: How do you describe your intent, the intent behind this project, Water? It started, I have to say, simply because of the beauty of this repertoire. There are so many pieces written in the name of water, and with water in mind, as a source of inspiration. But the idea was to also bring it to the forefront of our consciousness as not only a source of inspiration but as a source of life. And not only as a metaphor but as a molecule, which stands for rebirth and regeneration. And if you look at the statistics today they're absolutely scary. One child dies every 90 seconds from a disease contracted by consuming impure water. You know, it's a musical exploration but hopefully also an artistic invitation to a prise de conscience, we say in French, some greater ecological awareness. For you, what's the difference between creating an album that is so strongly thematic and say, recording an album that's two great Beethoven pieces or two great Brahms concertos? [Laughs.] It's a very good question. There is no difference. I mean, they're both equally important and intense. And yes, the conceptual nature of this album made it a particularly wonderful and stimulating adventure. You know, for me, they're all babies I cherish equally, so there is no hierarchy based on the experimental nature of a more conceptual project. One fact of making an album like this is that the album - the selections, the transitions between them - is the form of presentation. That's how we hear this. And yet we live in an age of shuffle mode, and different songs coming to us in all sorts of different orders. In a way, the challenge you face is: Will people just listen to your disc through, start to finish? I certainly hope they will because it is a journey and you have to give that journey a chance. This is very subtle, very fragile, vulnerable music and you need to give it a chance to develop. It's not a program that makes a strong statement from the get-go, so you need to let it take you by the hand. But you have to be open-minded, openhearted for that. Now it can be certainly consumed in any way; I mean, the beauty of these pieces is that they are so fantastic that they stand alone. At the same time, I would find it a shame if one didn't experience the journey from beginning to end, with that overarching structure and line running through. -
Helene Grimaud - Water / WQXR Radio
Posted At : February 16, 2016 12:00 AM
Pianist Hélène Grimaud's new album is all wet. That's not a judgment, it's a simple description. The album is called Water, and Grimaud says the idea for it bubbled up from the frequency of piano music depicting exactly that. "The beauty of that repertoire, and how much of it there is, it made the choice [of works] very, very difficult. But I decided to try and stay with pieces which were less narrative and more abstract, more stylized," she said. The recording - which includes well-known works by Liszt, Ravel and Debussy, as well as lesser-known pieces by Berio, Takemitsu and Janacek - is the product of Grimaud's collaboration with two other artists. With the first, Turner Prize-winning Scottish artist Douglas Gordon, she performed a series of unconventional recitals at New York's Park Avenue Armory in December 2014. Her playing was one element of an art installation called tears become…streams become... . At each performance, water was pumped into an enormous pool erected in the Armory's cavernous drill hall prior to Grimaud's entrance. READ THE FUL WQXR: New York BLOG -
Helene Grimaud's "Water" Expands Language of Classical Piano Recital / Huffington Post
Posted At : February 16, 2016 12:00 AM
In recent years, there have been valiant attempts to revive the tired format of the classical piano recital. Add to the mix French-born pianist Hélène Grimaud whose new Deutsche Grammaphon album, "Water", draws on a recital she gave at New York's Park Avenue Armory in December 2014. In that event, in which she collaborated with artist Douglas Gordon, Grimaud presented a collection of works, mostly late 19th and early 20th century, connected to the theme of water. The hall was slowly transformed as she played by flooding its vast floor to create what Gordon described as an endless "field of water" completely surrounding the piano with Grimaud at its center. READ Hiuffington Post ARTICLE -
Helene Grimaud Fuses Music and Activism on 'Water' / WABE Radio
Posted At : February 15, 2016 12:00 AM
Last winter, pianist Hélène Grimaud had a rather unconventional recital. In collaboration with artist Douglas Gordon, she performed at New York City's Park Avenue Armory, while it was flooded with water. That recital led to her latest album, "Water," which was just released on the Deutsche Grammophon label. The album title references not just the repertoire, all under the theme of water, but also Grimaud's conservation efforts. She opened a wolf conservation center in New York, and in an interview with Lois Reitzes on "City Lights," she said that this album cannot be seen without the environmental impact on water. "You have to look at water as a source of life and the most precious resource that we have," Grimaud said. "I hope that [this project] ... helps create greater awareness on the threats that are menacing water as a resource ... When you look at the statistics of people who don't have access to clean water, it's horrifying." LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW -
Helene Grimaud joins WRCJ: Detroit - The Listening Room
Posted At : February 11, 2016 12:00 AM
Hélène Grimaud's latest album for Deutsche Grammophon, produced by Nitin Sawhney, was inspired by her abiding fascination with Nature's most precious gift. Water is set for worldwide release on February 5, 2016 and conveys imaginative responses to everything from mighty oceans and great lakes to raindrops and snowflakes as well as inviting listeners to contemplate the mounting threats to the safety, security and supply of this essential resource. WRCJ: Detroit - Chris Felcyn spoke to Ms. Grimaud about this latest endeavor as well as her upcoming dates with the DSO. Listen to the attached clip that promos this Sunday's Listening Room -
Helene Grimaud interview with WRUW: Cleveland
Posted At : February 10, 2016 12:00 AM
Hélène Grimaud's latest album for Deutsche Grammophon, produced by Nitin Sawhney, was inspired by her abiding fascination with Nature's most precious gift. Water is set for worldwide release on February 5, 2016 and conveys imaginative responses to everything from mighty oceans and great lakes to raindrops and snowflakes as well as inviting listeners to contemplate the mounting threats to the safety, security and supply of this essential resource. Max & Ted interviewed Hélène yesterday. Listen to the attached file -
Helene Grimaud talks 'Water' with Classical Radio
Posted At : February 9, 2016 12:00 AM
Hélène Grimaud's latest album for Deutsche Grammophon, produced by Nitin Sawhney, was inspired by her abiding fascination with Nature's most precious gift - Water. The set conveys imaginative imagery from mighty oceans and great lakes to raindrops and snowflakes as well as contemplation on the safety, security and supply of this essential resource. "What inspired the idea to record this album is really the fascination that so many composers of the 19th and 20th centuries seem to have had with the element of water," Grimaud says, and in conjunction with this release, yes, she is Helene Grimaud talking 'Water' TODAY Tuesday Feb. 9, Ddiscussing the topic and the music with Local and Syndicated Classical Radio including; NPR, C24, BBC Radio 4, SiriusXM, KMZT Los Angeles, WFMT Chicago, WRUW Cleveland, WRTI Philadelphia, WABE Atlanta, KUHA Houston, KING Seattle, KQAC Portland WRCJ Detroit & Minnesota Public Radio. -
Helene Grimaud - Water / Deutsche Welle video
Posted At : February 5, 2016 12:00 AM
Hélène Grimaud's latest album for Deutsche Grammophon, produced by Nitin Sawhney, was inspired by her abiding fascination with Nature's most precious gift. Water is set for worldwide release on February 5, 2016 and conveys imaginative responses to everything from mighty oceans and great lakes to raindrops and snowflakes as well as inviting listeners to contemplate the mounting threats to the safety, security and supply of this essential resource. "What inspired the idea to record this album is really the fascination that so many composers of the 19th and 20th centuries seem to have had with the element of water," Grimaud states. Not only did this sow the seed for a recording, it also grew into a collaboration between the pianist and Turner Prize-winning artist Douglas Gordon. Their site-specific installation tears become… streams become… was created for the Wade Thompson Drill Hall at New York's Park Avenue Armory in December 2014. Described by the New York Times as a "compelling, boldly original work", the project blended elements of art, music and architecture, with Grimaud's water-themed programme located at its core. Gordon transformed the cavernous Drill Hall by slowly flooding its vast floor to create the impression of what he described as an endless "field of water," entirely surrounding the grand piano at which Grimaud performed. WATCH THE Deutsche Welle VIDEO -
Helene Grimaud - Water / Passion Musique et Culture review
Posted At : February 3, 2016 12:00 AM
The French philosopher Gaston Bachelard (1884-1962), to whom we owe an essay on the poetic imagination entitled Water and Dreams (1942), wrote: "Water is the mistress of the fluid language, of shockless language, continuous language that softens rhythm, which gives a uniform material at different rates." I think he would have been delighted, as much as I was, listening to this wonderful program, dedicated to the theme of water, and built around a concept that brings together not only some jewels from classical piano literature but also electronic soundscapes. This record production should hopefully deserve discussions among all circles passionately fond of aesthetic syncretism which opens up new perspectives and perceptions revitalizing, offering keys to unsuspected poetic imagination. In no way tout opportunism here but rather a happy collaboration between a gifted classical pianist and multi-instrumentalist producer of pop music (Nitin Sawhney), an adventure inspired by a Scottish artist Douglas Gordon exhibition entitled "Tears Become ... Streams Become ... " in the Thompson Drill Hall room of the Park Avenue Armory (New York). Before the disc, Hélène Grimaud participated in this immersive experience where music and art gallery installation worshiped water as source of life and firmed our environmental concern to her. Only after this experience has she decided by her own account "to follow it up by a sound recording." READ THE FULL Passion Musique et Culture REVIEW -
Helene Grimaud - Water / Sinfini Music review
Posted At : January 19, 2016 12:00 AM
Water might be a familiar recital theme, but thank to some creative musical choices it comes up fresh and fascinating in Hélène Grimaud's new album. Even if music inspired by water is anything but a new topic for a piano recital, Hélène Grimaud's approach to it is pleasingly innovative. The idea, it seems, is to build a very personal recital out of this much-loved French pianist's passion for nature in its many forms, and on many levels it succeeds. Famous watery works – including Ravel's Jeux d'eau, Liszt's Jeux d'eaux à la Villa d'Este and Debussy's La cathédrale engloutie, which forms a magnificent conclusion – are interspersed with seven beautifully atmospheric electronic transition pieces created by Nitin Sawhney, binding everything together into a compelling conceptual whole. Recorded live in concert at the Park Avenue Armory in New York, the performance often benefits from an extra sense of concert adrenaline. READ THE FULL Sinfini Music REVIEW -
Helene Grimaud - Water / examiner.com review
Posted At : January 18, 2016 12:00 AM
Into drought-stricken California now receiving the first of El Niño storms - and to the rest of the world as well - comes Hélène Grimaud's new album, "Water" (Deutsche Grammophon CD 00289 479 3426), said to be inspired by the great French pianist's "abiding fascination with nature's most precious gift." In advance of the album's worldwide release, pre-orders are already available. The nine composers represented on the record are Luciano Berio ("Wasserklavier"), Toru Takemitsu("Rain Tree Sketch II"), Gabriel Fauré ("Barcarolle No.5"), Maurice Ravel ("Jeux d'eau"), Isaac Albéniz ("Almería"), Franz Liszt ("Les Jeux d'eau à la Villa d'Este"), Leoš Janácek (the first movement of "In the Mists"), and Claude Debussy ("La cathédrale engloutie"). Grimaud, famous for her intensity and passionate performances, says she has spent two years of planning, preparing, rehearsing, and performing the music on the album. READ THE FULL examiner.com ARTICLE -
Helene Grimaud - Water / Huffington Post
Posted At : January 15, 2016 12:00 AM
In recent years, there have been valiant attempts to revive the tired format of the classical piano recital. You know, the one where the audience sits in reverent hush while soloists, clad in evening dress, display how fast their fingers can move up and down the keyboard and how loud they can play. In recent New York events, both Russian-German pianist Igor Levin and established virtuoso Evgeny Kissin have tried to present works, both known and unknown, in interesting and innovative ways. Add to the mix French-born pianist Hélène Grimaud whose new album, "Water" to be issued Feb. 5 by Deutsche Grammaphon, draws on a recital she gave at New York's Park Avenue Armory in December 2014 (the same venue as that chosen by Levin). In that event, in which she collaborated with artist Douglas Gordon, Grimaud presented a collection of works, mostly late 19th and early 20th century, connected to the theme of water. The hall was slowly transformed as she played by flooding its vast floor to create what Gordon described as an endless "field of water" completely surrounding the piano with Grimaud at its center. READ THE FULL Huffington Post REVIEW -
For Helene Grimaud: Water, Risk and Reward / Forbes
Posted At : April 29, 2015 12:00 AM
Pianist Hélène Grimaud is no stranger to the artistic wager. She is willing to go where others have not in the very traditional classical world of being a concert pianist. I had the fortune to attend Hélène Grimaud's solo recital at Disney Hall in Los Angeles on April 14th. The first half of the recital was based upon an aquatic theme and included works ranging from the contemporary to the romantic and impressionistic. The last half of the program featured Brahm's 2nd Piano Sonata in F-sharp minor. The recital was at once bold, daring, beautiful and intelligent. It is rare today to experience a performance that is like no other. Grimaud's recital was just that. READ THE FULL Forbes REVIEW -
Helene Grimaud's water-themed program at Koerner Hall / Toronto Star
Posted At : April 20, 2015 12:00 AM
Hélène Grimaud water-themed program at Toronto's Koerner Hall Sunday was worthy of two encores for the intriguing pianist. Covering works of Berio, Takemitsu, Fauré, Ravel, Albéniz, Liszt and Debussy, each piece meant to represent elements of water. First half highlights included - Grimaud plunging into Luciano Berio's peaceful "Wasserklavier III" (Water Piano). Without pause was Takemitsu's impressionistic "Rain Tree Sketch II" - a work composed in the memory of Olivier Messiaen (1992). Grimaud showed no signs of the bends, and pulled out high timbres evocative of raindrops and early morning dews. Deeper still, the rubato artist dove down to Fauré's stylized boat song, "Barcarolle No. 5 in F-sharp minor, Op. 66" and hitting the ocean floor with Ravel's 1901 "Jeux d'eau." After the intermission, the French pianist returned with the score that put Brahms on the musical map: "Piano Sonata No. 2 in F-sharp minor." Koerner Hall rose with two ovations and Grimaud obliged with two encores: Debussy's "Pour les Arpèges Composés," and "Poissons d'Or" ("Goldfish"). READ THE FULL Toronto Star ARTICLE -
Caramoor Celebrates 70th Ann. Season w/Helene Grimaud as Artist-in-Residence / WMOT Radio
Posted At : March 20, 2015 12:00 AM
Now celebrating its 70th anniversary season, Caramoor offers a cornucopia of music and more this summer, with seven weeks of orchestral, chamber, jazz, American roots, and family concerts, as well as opera, multiethnic dance, young artist showcases, and sound art, all presented on the historic Caramoor estate: 90 acres of picturesque Italianate architecture and gardens in Katonah, Westchester, just one hour's drive from Manhattan (June 20–Aug 2). The festival demonstrates its forward-thinking approach with a number of world premieres, including a work by Christopher Theofanidis, and string quartets by Patrick Harlin and Aaron Jay Kernis. It welcomes back some of the best-known names from various music genres, including Wynton Marsalis (who last visited in 2008), Peter Oundjian (former Artistic Director) and Gabriel Kahane (who was last at Caramoor in 2012). It also brings back some of the young players whose careers have flourished through the support of the Caramoor family, including the Ariel, Dover and Jasper quartets, and from the roots world Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz, and Aoife O'Donovan, who join together for their "I'm With Her Tour." Collaboration with alumni artists and the community is integral to Caramoor's mission, and this season the festival continues its partnership off-site with the Katonah Museum of Art, as Caramoor@KMA. Incomparable French pianist Hélène Grimaud serves as this season's Artist-in-Residence. READ THE FULL WMOT: Murfreesboro TN ARTICLE -
Michigan's Gilmore Festival presents Helene Grimaud in Piano Masters Series
Posted At : February 18, 2015 12:00 AM
The Gilmore International Keyboard Festival will present internationally renowned pianist Hélène Grimaud in its Piano Masters Series on March 18. Perahia will perform a program of Berio, Takemitsu, Fauré, Ravel, Albeniz, Liszt, Janáček, Debussy & Brahms. Born in 1969 in Aix-en-Provence, Grimaud was accepted into the Conservatoire de Paris at age 13, and in 1987, made her recital debut in Tokyo. That same year, Daniel Barenboim invited her to perform with the Orchestre de Paris, marking the launch of Grimaud's musical career-one highlighted by concerts with most of the world's major orchestras and many celebrated conductors. She has been under exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon since 2002. In what will be Grimaud's first appearance in West Michigan, she has designed a unique program of short pieces inspired by water that features works by Berio, Takemitsu, Liszt, Ravel, Albeniz, Janacek, Fauré, and Debussy. Following intermission, Grimaud will perform Brahms' Sonata No. 2. -
Helene Grimaud | Douglas Gordon - 'Tears Become ... Streams Become' / New York Times
Posted At : December 7, 2014 12:00 AM
The Park Avenue Armory has played host to many ambitious installations in recent years, accommodating motorcycle gangs, massive video screens, multiple orchestras and Hollywood-style soundstages. Now, the artist Douglas Gordon and the musician Hélène Grimaud are flooding the armory's 55,000-square-foot Drill Hall with water for their project "Tears Become ... Streams Become ...," which opens Tuesday. It's an unusual collaboration between a multimedia artist (Mr. Gordon) and a classical pianist (Ms. Grimaud), one that promises to build on Mr. Gordon's previous music-inspired projects, like his film installation "K.364," based on Mozart's "Sinfonio Concertante" in E flat, K.364. READ THE FULL New York Times ARTICLE NEW YORK OBSERVER review -
Helene Grimaud / NPR Deceptive Cadence
Posted At : August 12, 2014 12:00 AM
REPRINT From D.T. Max's New Yorker piece All too frequently, this French pianist is doted on in the media as a wolf-obsessed Manic Pixie Dream Girl for the Carnegie Hall set. But Max, a New Yorker staff writer, gets at something deeper: "Grimaud doesn't sound like most pianists: she is a rubato artist, a reinventor of phrasings, a taker of chances. 'A wrong note that is played out of élan, you hear it differently than one that is played out of fear,' she says. She admires 'the more extreme players ... people who wouldn't be afraid to play their conception to the end.' Her two overriding characteristics are independence and drive, and her performances attempt, whenever possible, to shake up conventional pianistic wisdom." LOOK AT THE FULL LIST -
WRTI: Tune in TODAY for Helene Grimaud on 'The Philadelphia Orchestra in Concert'
Posted At : January 20, 2014 12:00 AM
Tune in TODAY!! Sunday January 26@1p to the Philadelphia Orchestra in Concert on WRTI, Helene Grimaud performs the Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1, with conductor Michael Tilson Thomas subbing for Yannick Nezet-Seguin. READ AND LISTEN -
WNED: Inside the Music Library interviews Helene Grimaud
Posted At : December 15, 2013 12:00 AM
Listen to Ed Simone's interview with pianist Helene Grimaud on WNED's 'Inside the Music Library' TODAY!! Sunday December 15 between 2-4p. The interview with wrap-around to both concerto performances.
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Helene Grimaud plays Soleil Hall in Kita-Kyushu, Japan TONIGHT!!
Posted At : November 23, 2013 12:00 AM
She could be called a Renaissance woman for our times. Hélène Grimaud is not just a deeply passionate and committed musical artist whose pianistic accomplishments play a central role in her life. She is a woman with multiple talents that extend far beyond the instrument she plays with such poetic expression and peerless technical control. The French artist has established herself as a committed wildlife conservationist, a compassionate human rights activist and as a writer. Helene Grimaud will play at Soleil Hall TONIGHT!! Nov. 23rd in Kita-Kyushu, Japan -
Helene Grimaud will play at the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan in Tokyo, Japan TONIGHT!! Nov. 20th
Posted At : November 20, 2013 12:00 AM
Helene Grimaud will play at the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan TONIGHT!! Nov. 20th
The performance will start at 7pm in Tokyo, Japan. -
Helene Grimaud plays the Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall TONIGHT!!
Posted At : November 19, 2013 12:00 AM
Helene Grimaud will play at the Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall TONIGHT!! Nov. 19th
The performance time is TBA in Tokyo, Japan. -
Helene Grimaud interviews with KUAF Fayetteville's Katy Henriksen
Posted At : November 19, 2013 12:00 AM
Grace, passion and precision run throughout Helene Grimaud's new recording of Brahms' two piano concertos for Deutsche Grammophon. Although Grimaud immediately embraced Brahms' 1st (op. 15), as "intimate," discovering it as a child and first recording the concerto in 1997, she reluctantly approached the 2nd out of duty in 2007. Then, in 2011 the piece came "knocking on the door from the inside," as she explained, when her true connection was made. In addition to her career as a musician, Grimaud founded the Wolf Conservation Center in upstate New York, is an active member of Musicians for Human Rights and continues to champion both environmental and human rights causes. When asked about how her role as a musician connects with her role as an activist she explained: "One of the basic precepts of the German Romantic school is that nature is the ultimate muse we do not really invent anything, that we simply rediscover what is already there and that all disciplines take root in a global intuition." For Grimaud it makes a lot of sense to be at once a musician and an activist because they are intrinsically connected. "It's one of the ways one can give back. When you have the privilege of being able to do what you love doing, to live from what you love doing, it's the ultimate luxury," she explains. "So you of course are motivated to give back in any way shape or form you can." SEE THE KUAF PAGE -
Syndicated 'Classical 24' & 'Minnesota Public Radio' will feature Helene Grimaud interview TODAY!!
Posted At : November 13, 2013 12:00 AM
'New Classical Tracks' from PRI: Classical 24 & Minnesota Public Radio will feature Julie Amacher's interview with pianist Hélène Grimaud TODAY!! Wednesday November 13. Clip attached. They will discuss the new Brahms Concertos recordings and musical other topics. -
Helene Grimaud on APM: 'Performance Today' all this week
Posted At : November 11, 2013 12:00 AM
Tune into American Public Media's 'Performance Today' this week for Hélène Grimaud Feature. 4 segments from Fred Child's recent interview with HG will run daily through Thursday Nov. 14. WHERE TO LISTEN -
Helene Grimaud will perform with the Philharmonic of Gasteig in Munich, Germany TONIGHT!! Nov. 11th
Posted At : November 11, 2013 12:00 AM
Helene Grimaud will perform with the Philharmonic of Gasteig TONIGHT!! Nov. 11th
The performance will start at 8pm in Munich, Germany. Helene Grimaud, piano.
Conductor: Andris Nelsons.
As an audience already well-known team, the French pianist Helene Grimaud and the Latvian conductor Andris Nelsons have proven in recent years repeatedly that the chemistry between the console and piano can not be better. A meeting with the Vienna Philharmonic last year enabled the Munich audience with enthusiasm and encouraged the two artists once more to continue cooperation in the future. Their love and strong affinity to Brahms could Helene Grimaud in this last concert already prove. During the coming season it will provide the composer with her new album and numerous concerts in the center. Andris Nelsons is since 2008 the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra as principal conductor before, again and again to new heights and is currently starting out as one of the highest among the young conductor Traded on everyone's lips. Two artists of unbridled passion meet here: the one in the game, the other on the podium. Breaking out of conventions, they are willing to work together to conquer the audience. -
WGTE talks with Pianist Helene Grimaud TODAY!! about her latest release: Brahms: Piano Concertos
Posted At : November 11, 2013 12:00 AM
Pianist Hélène Grimaud talks with WGTE's Brad Cresswell TODAY!! Monday November 11 about her latest release: an exciting new recording of Brahms' two piano concertos. Andris Nelsons conducts both performances, recorded live in concert with the Vienna Philharmonic and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. Listen to the Segment attached -
Part 2 of Helene Grimaud interview with WRCJ: Detroit airs TODAY!!
Posted At : November 10, 2013 12:00 AM
WRCJ: Detroit will air Part 2 of the Chris Felcyn, Hélène Grimaud interview TODAY!! Sunday Nov 10 @11a ET on The Listening Room. There is a clip attached. -
Helene Grimaud will play at Tonhalle Dusseldorf in Dusseldorf, Germany TONIGHT!! Nov. 9th
Posted At : November 9, 2013 12:00 AM
Helene Grimaud will play at Tonhalle Dusseldorf TONIGHT!! Nov. 9th
The performance will start at 8pm in Dusseldorf, Germany. Helene Grimaud , piano Andris Nelsons conductor City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, CBSO Centre Wagner / Brahms / Dvorak Great Hall -
Helene Grimaud interview with KDB Radio in Santa Barbara airs TODAY!!
Posted At : November 5, 2013 12:00 AM
Pianist Hélène Grimaud has done what few have dared try-- record both Brahms Piano Concertos No. 1 (performed live with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra), and No. 2 (performed with the Vienna Philharmonic). It's her personal Everest, after first discovering the romance and drama of No. 1 as a young girl, and combining it with No. 2, a decidedly different and evolved piece. Grimaud discusses the events of Brahms' life in conjunction with these two masterpieces with KDB's Karen Pelland TODAY!!, Tuesday November 5th, as the piece will air at 6am, 8am, and 5pm local time on on 93.7FM in Santa Barbara. Ms Grimaud will perform with the Santa Barbara Symphony on Feb. 15 & 16, 2014. The interview is attached. Please listen -
WRCJ: Detroit will air part 1 of the Helene Grimaud interview TODAY!!
Posted At : November 3, 2013 12:00 AM
WRCJ: Detroit will air Part 1 of the Hélène Grimaud interview TODAY!! Sunday November 3@11a ET on The Listening Room. Chris Felcyn is your host and there is a clip attached. -
Helene Grimaud WRUW: Max & Teddy segment airs TODAY!!
Posted At : October 28, 2013 12:00 AM
Thank you Helene Grimaud. The interview went really well! The segment will air TONIGHT!!, Monday the 28th@5PM ET.
Max & Teddy: WRUW Cleveland -
Helene Grimaud interviews with Classical Radio in the US
Posted At : October 24, 2013 12:00 AM
Helene Grimaud was kind enough to give us an entire day today for radio interviews.(Wed10/23) She did a great job and spoke with stations about the new Brahms recordings and many other interesting things. Nice WRUW: Cleveland 'Max & Teddy' In the Morning show interview below to listen to. Stations included: SiriusXM: Bob Edwards & Symphony Hall
APM: Performance Today/National
MPR/PRI: National & Statewide
KMZT: Los Angeles/Monterey/Carmel
WRTI: Philadelphia
WRUW Cleveland
WRCJ Detroit
WNED Buffalo
New Jersey Net: Statewide
West Virginia PR: Statewide
WGTE Toledo OH
WFSU Gainesville FL
KPR Lawrence KS
WSCL: Salisbury MD
KCME: Colorado Springs CO
KDB Santa Barbara CA -
Helene Grimaud plays Konzerthaus Dortmund: Germany TONIGHT!!
Posted At : October 20, 2013 12:00 AM
Pianistic accomplishments play a central role in Helene Grimaud's life. Her poetic expression and formidable technique are more than impressive to say the least. Ms. Grimaud who is playing Brahms this evening also has a brand new CD out on DG. She is also a committed wildlife conservationist and compassionate human rights activist. Performance this evening / Oct. 20th@8p: Konzerthaus Dortmund with the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra, James Gaffigan conductor. Program includes: Brahms Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 1 in D minor, Op 15
Brahms Symphony No. 4 in E Minor Op 98 -
Helene Grimaud will perform with the Kolner Philharmonic in Koln, Germany TONIGHT!! Oct. 19th
Posted At : October 19, 2013 12:00 AM
Helene Grimaud will perform with the Kolner Philharmonic TONIGHT!! Oct. 19th
The performance will start at 7pm and end around 10pm in Koln, Germany. Summit Richard Wagner Prelude from Tristan and Isolde, WWV 90 (1857-59) Richard Wagner Isolde Liebestod from Tristan and Isolde, WWV 90 (1857-59) Robert Schumann Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in A minor, Op 54 (1841-45)break Johannes Brahms Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op 98 (1884-85) against break 20:55 | End to 22:05 -
Helene Grimaud will play at the Kultur- und Kongresszentrum Liederhalle Stuttgart in Stuttgart, Germany TONIGHT!! Oct. 18th
Posted At : October 18, 2013 12:00 AM
Helene Grimaud will play at the Kultur- und Kongresszentrum Liederhalle Stuttgart TONIGHT!! Oct. 18th
The performance will start at 8pm in Stuttgart, Germany. Master Concert (2) Richard Wagner: Prelude to "Tristan and Isolde" Robert Schumann: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in A minor, Op 54 Brahms: Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op 98 Helene Grimaud | Piano Jukka-Pekka Saraste | Conductor -
From Carnegie Hall to the backwoods, Helene Grimaud is at home / Parade feature
Posted At : October 8, 2013 12:00 AM
From Carnegie Hall to the backwoods, Hélène Grimaud is at home in both worlds. She has a successful career as a classical pianist and she oversees a wolf conservation center in Westchester County, NY. In 1996, Hélène used a portion of her income to create the Wolf Conservation Center, which offers workshops, lectures, drawing classes, and even an overnight "Sleeping with Wolves" program. The grounds of the Wolf Conservation Center are incredibly peaceful and so well cared for that it is easy to see why Hélène has such a sense of calm about her.
READ THE FULL Parade STORY -
Helene Grimaud releases:The Brahms Piano Concertos TODAY!!
Posted At : October 1, 2013 12:00 AM
Hélène Grimaud releases:The Brahms Piano Concertos No. 1 and No. 2, with Andris Nelsons conducting. eleased as a dual disc by Deutsche Grammophon, Grimaud is the first 21st century female pianist to release both the Brahms piano concertos, as she recorded the Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, op. 15 live with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks (Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra) at Munich's Herkulessaal; and the Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major, op. 83 with the Wiener Philharmoniker (Vienna Philharmonic) in Vienna's legendary Musikverein. This is Grimaud's first recording with the Vienna Philharmonic. READ THE PIECE ON WBUR Blog: The Artery:
The star of the recording is Hélène Grimaud, the celebrated French pianist, whose personal flair has evoked comparisons, not always favorable, with Martha Argerich and even Glenn Gould. -
Helene Grimaud plays London's Royal Festival Hall TONIGHT!!
Posted At : September 10, 2013 12:00 AM
Helene Grimaud will perform will Andris Nelsons at the Royal Festival Hall TONIGHT!! Oct. 10th at 7:30 in London Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 15
Hélène Grimaud
Philharmonia Orchestra
Conductor: Hannu Lintu -
Grimaud uses web video to track wolves / USA TODAY interview
Posted At : August 8, 2013 12:00 AM
She could be called a Renaissance woman for our times. Hélène Grimaud is not just a deeply passionate and committed musical artist whose pianistic accomplishments play a central role in her life. She is a woman with multiple talents that extend far beyond the instrument she plays with such poetic expression and peerless technical control. The French artist has established herself as a committed wildlife conservationist, a compassionate human rights activist and as a writer.
Spliting her time between Switzerland and New York Grimaud is set to release: The Brahms Concertos on Deutsche Grammaphone and begins touring Europe and Asia next month. After playing a sold-out concert at the Hollywood Bowl, she met with USA Today to discuss many things including music, using video to track wolves, and her favorits apps. -
Helene Grimaud doesn't sound like most pianists / The New Yorker
Posted At : November 7, 2011 12:00 AM
Hélène Grimaud doesn't sound like most pianists: she is a rubato artist, a reinventor of phrasings, a taker of chances. "A wrong note that is played out of élan, you hear it differently than one that is played out of fear," she says. Her two overriding characteristics are independence and drive, and her performances attempt, whenever possible, to shake up conventional pianistic wisdom. READ D.T. Max's FULL New Yorker ARTICLE