Customer Reviews

Hélène Grimaud ~ Chopin · Schumann · Liszt

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I didn't acquire this disc expecting much, as Grimaud always struck me (both in concert and on disc) as being a bit too gentle in touch for the likes of Liszt or Schumann. I was quite wrong in my guess, as Grimaud turns in one of the most refreshing, most convincing performances among recent recordings of these works. She brings clarity and dynamism to her reading, infusing the work (especially the Liszt and Chopin) with an unmistakable passion. Highly recommended.

Like the first reviewer, I was stunned with the maturity and impact of the then eighteen year old Helene Grimaud in what I believe is her debut recording. Whether you are new to or experienced with the the Chopin G minor ballade, you are in for a thrill!!! This is highly articulate but powerful, passionate playing which belies the artist's youth. In addition, the engineering and miking of the recording render a near perfect piano sound of demonstration quality which I frequently use to audition new stereo equipment. There is a thrilling and visceral quality on this recording which when combined with the excellent musical selections and brilliant playing, make this an indispensable CD. The Liszt and Schumann are of the same quality but it is the Chopin which grabs you and won't let go. This is the first recording of the Ballade which satisfies me after hearing the Rubinstein for so many years...(not to say there may not be others I have not heard.) The brilliant Denon sonics make this my favorite. Buy this CD if you can still find it, its from 1987!

At the age of eighteen Helen Grimaud demonstrated that she had much technical range and emotional depth to play convincingly these works by Chopin, Liszt and Schumann. Her performance of Chopin's Ballade in G minor is especially noteworthy, played with much empathy for the score (It's a pity she hasn't recorded all of Chopin's Ballades and Nocturnes.). It's easily the most memorable recording of this work I've heard, and still a first-rate account inspite of its age. The Liszt and Schumann pieces are just as splendid too. Denon's sound quality is exemplary, on par to what one would expect in late 1980's digital sound from the likes of Deutsche Grammophon and EMI. I believe this recording was Grimaud's debut, and one worth acquiring, not only for her fans, but also others interested in splendid performances of several works by Chopin, Liszt and Schumann.

First of all, Grimaud was only 16(!) when she recorded this, not 18 as was stated elsewhere. Taking that into account, makes the playing heard on this disc all the more imrpessive. The denon sound is flawless, and you can hear every note played cleanly and without any fear: very stunning technique. My favorite is the Chopain balalde on this disc, played extraordinarly well by Grimaud: passionate and fiery. I;m not realy a fan of the schumann, so I can't say much for that. the lizt is really diabolical, and isn't my fabvorite music to listen to, but Grimaud's performance of it seems to be a force to reckon with. Remember: she was only 16 when she recorded this, but she plays like a master on this disc.

Genius! I couldn't find another word to qualify this pianist. Since Chopin's Ballade #1 version of legendary pianist Wilhelm Backhaus, I really haven't heard no other conception like this. There's no hurry where it shouldn't be, and there is enough fury where required. Add to this a real sensitivity all the way, proper of a criterion from an older pianist, rarely encountered in such a young person by the time of this recording. For me, there is always the right tempo, dynamics, technique. Besides, it is interesting to find three romantics on the same CD, yet all of them very different to each other: Chopin, Liszt, Schumann... I strongly recommend this for all music lovers. Plus, I would invite everybody to acquire Grimaud's other recordings, including Schumann's Concerto, and Strauss's Burleske. Not to forget Grimaud's Gershwin Concerto, nor Beethoven's 4th. Brilliantly accomplished!

for an 18-year-old, Grimaud shows amazing potential here, particularly in the sweep and power of her playing. I can't agree with the breathless reviewers who find her G minor Ballade the 'best ever." As a performance it's strongest in the faster sections, where Grimaud generates considerable excitement. Yet the slower lyrical parts are a bit generic and unformed artistically, as one would expect. the best indication of the big career to come is her confidence. there's not a hesitant measure in the whole performance. If I had been more moved, I would sing her praises more loudly. also, there's a certain baldness and bluntness in her touch that would become,for me, irritating as Grimaud moved into the big time. Her fans find this an indication that she is the next Argerich. We'll see.

by far my favorite solo pieces of Liszt's come from the Annees de pelerinage books, and grimaud has tackled a famous work in Apres une lecture de Dante, into which Liszt poured a variety of moods and technical demands. As with the Chopin, she is confident, direct, and a bit blunt. The fireworks appeal to her temperament more than the reflective aspects of what is, in essence, a tone poem for orchestra reduced to the scale of a powerful piano rhapsody. the confidence is breathtaking for a late adolescent, but Grimaud misses the nobility that Liszt intended -- one should never get too carried away by his showmanship.

We come to the recitals centerpiece, Schumann's Sonata no. 1, itself a kind of rhapsody barely contained within the discipline of a sonata. It has no Lisztian bombast to pad it out, and the pianist must devise a way to keep our interest through the discursive parts and also convincingly supply an overall coherence. Here I think Grimaud does beautifully; she has just the right instincts for music that is youthful in its ardency and ebullience -- I felt the joy in Schumann's writing form beginning to end. the second movement, marked Aria, sings with the sublime simplicity of the best parts of Kinderszenen. The Scherzo is marked with a word I've never seen before, Allegrissimo. It romps along in a style reminiscent of Carnaval,and Grimaud gives it a festive feeling, aavoiding any hint of heaviness implied in the fistfuls of chords. the finale feels peculiar in its manic rush from a martial opening to a brief patch of imitation Bach to a rather formless effusiveness. But for Schumann, the ultimate artistic source was fantasy, and along with Chopin, he raised romantic fantasy to its highest expression in piano music. In a way,Grimaud's style with this composer was better in her younger years, before she became aggressive and idiosyncratic, two temptations when playing Schumann's most ambitious works.

Without the Schumann sonata, I would have wavered about giving this CD highest marks, but it certainly clenched the case.

Helene Grimaud is one of a number of very fine French pianists to emerge recently, and she has been quite productive so far in her short career. Her recent CDs have been critized for a lack of depth, but she has a certain powerful quality to her which can be quite engaging, and this is already evident in this, her debut recording. This disc was recorded at the age of 17, shortly after she won the First Prize at the conservatory of Aix-en-Provence. In spite of her youth, this is already playing of a high level, displaying an unusual level of understanding and maturity for one so young. It is not perfect, though.

The Chopin Ballade starts the CD off well with a fine display of power and agility. Her scales lack a little bit of polish, but the more complex passages which contain chords come off fine. The playing certainly has a good deal of impact, and the sound is pleasingly full and rich. The only issue I have is the pacing. Perhaps her initial tempo is too fast, because the sensation of gathering steam that makes this piece so effective is missing. Driven by her artistic instincts, Grimaud compensates for this lack of contrast by increasing the volume, which makes a few intense passages border on the harsh and sacrifices the suspense of the slower "heartbeat" sections.

The Liszt "Dante" Sonata may seem like a mere virtuoso showpiece to some, but it is actually an emotionally complex work inspired by one of the definitive authors of the Renaissance period, Dante (author of The Inferno). It can be very hard to grasp, and I don't blame Grimaud for not making the most of the contrasts - very few people can. Unfortunately, the harshness which was quite slight and unintrusive in the Chopin is multiplied a hundredfold here. Liszt calls for a few differnt levels of forte and fortissimo, but Grimaud only has one. Each individual section has its cohesiveness in and of itself, particularly the slow sections which are played with a disarming simplicity, but the overall narrative is lost.

The Schumann F-sharp minor sonata is one of the greatest, and strangest, sonatas in the standard repertoire. The first movement is the best, a portentious introduction followed by a sonata-allegro movement in fandango rhythm which has an infectious and engaging style to it. The second is a luscious Arioso, marked 'espressivo ma senza passione,' which has a 'cello solo among the 'vocal' portions. The third is a light-hearted, enjoyable scherzo with two very strange trios. Finally, the long finale uses mainly chordal writing and ends with a puzzling anticlimax. Grimaud has the Schumannian spirit of adventure, and she understands how all the pieces fit together. However, these qualities are undermined somewhat by a sense of rhythm which is sometimes slack, sometimes too mechanical, and never "dancey" enough. And just as in the Liszt (and each recording since), Grimaud tends to play too harshly.

I had the same problem of a harsh, hollow sound, so I have an insight into what may be happening here. I was always able to play loud and fast, and I was tackling Liszt Rhapsodies and Chopin Polonaises within just a few years of taking up the piano. I never came close to straining myself even as I played to the hilt. But on the flip side, my sound was harsh to the point of being absolutely unbearable to trained ears. The problem stemmed from the way I used my arm. If I wanted to play loudly, I would lock my hand, wrist, and shoulder and force downward from my elbow. It's a very strong joint, and nearly indestructible in terms of moving up and down, so it does the job well. But since the rest of the arm is locked, movement is restricted, and it is easily distinguishable in the sound. It took a lot of effort, both on my part and my instructor's, to ease me up. It took 2 years of struggling, in fact, to correct my playing after 14 years of bad habits. Now it takes a lot more effort and concentration to play passionately, but the sound is golden and rounded. If an equally talented instructor had taken Grimaud, as enormously talented as she obviously was at the age of 17, she would rank among the greats, no question.

Miss Grimaud played the three pieces here very well, especially the Chopin. I like her early recordings at Denon when she was young and full of energy. This label seems to have given up its classical department and therefore Miss Grimaud's early discs are worth collecting. Congratulation to her having joined a bigger label recently.