Beethoven: Piano Concerto 4, Piano Sonatas 30, 31/Grimaud

If Hélène Grimaud hasn't yet appeared on your radar screen of today's outstanding artists, do yourself a favor and get to know the amazing work of this young French pianist. As with her previous releases on Teldec, Grimaud hasn't set out to occupy a specialized niche of repertory. Instead, in knockout recordings of Brahms and Rachmaninoff, Grimaud's been staking out the prime territory. Any initial reservations about such works being over-recorded are quickly dispelled by the unique poetry and power her imagination brings to them, above all in this marvelous live performance of what is probably Beethoven's greatest piano concerto. Entire readings of the Fourth collapse due to misjudgment of its brief but microcosmic opening five bars of solo piano; listen to Grimaud's eloquent articulation of the all-important rhythm, given without intrusively subjective fuss. Her balance of lyricism against energetic momentum sets the stage perfectly for what is to follow. Masur–in almost telepathic sympathy with the soloist–brings a grandly expansive sensibility to the first movement that allows for deliciously precise details from the New York Philharmonic, without losing sight of the music's dramatic thrust. The disc also includes two of the late sonatas; Grimaud understands their complex emotional fabric and brings both clarity and intensity to her articulation. Especially beautiful is the variation movement of Opus 109, sensitively shaped and unencumbered with a dubious "mysticism." No matter how well you know this music, Grimaud is the kind of artist who can make you rethink and–most importantly–feel again what is taken for granted.

Thomas May, Amazon.com

Helene Grimaud's Beethoven collection proves, once again, that she may be the finest soloist of her generation. As poetic in many passages as she is brilliant in others, the pianist provides a live reading of the celebrated No. 4 that holds its own with any in the catalogue. Grimaud's mind is a palace–she moves through the score with the complete fluency of Beethoven's spirit, performing the material as if it were written yesterday. The opening five bars of the "Allegro Moderato" are not viewed as a mere prelude–Grimaud knows that the success of the entire concerto can hinge on the precise balance of the composer's rhythmic and melodic elements. Masur follows with a full-scale orchestral tutti, engaging our interest until the pianist returns with her crystal line. At no time does she substitute herself for the author–for Grimaud, Beethoven's text is natural and clear. In the concluding "Rondo", the soloist explodes across the staves with a totality suggesting the endless possibilities of the score. Both of the late sonatas are lovingly rendered, though the E Major Sonata (Op. 109) creates the strongest impression. Consider the sempre legato in the opening exposition, the concentrated sonata form of the fiery "Prestissimo" (Grimaud is particularly strong in the second group recapitulation), or the quiet spirituality conveyed in the theme-and-variations ("Andante molto Cantabile"). Throughout the programme, the pianist plays as if she fully understands what Beethoven meant when wrote that "it's impossible to leave the world until I've brought forth all that is in me … Providence, grant me but one day of pure joy." In this recording, Grimaud grants the listener one full hour of the pure joy Beethoven was referring to. This is a masterpiece.

Kevin Mulhall, Amazon.co.uk

Ludwig van Beethoven:

Piano Concerto No.4 in G major, op.58*
Piano Sonata No.30 in E major, op.109
Piano Sonata No.31 in A flat major, op.110

HÉLÈNE GRIMAUD, piano
New York Philharmonic *
Kurt Masur, conductor *

Recording:
Avery Fisher Hall, New York, 1999 (live)*;
Purchase College, Purchase, New York, 1999.

Download: part 1, part 2, part 3.
Password: gv80