Johannes Brahms - Piano Pieces Op. 116-119 (Hélène Grimaud)

Information

Composer: Johannes Brahms

• (01-07) Fantasien, Op. 116
• (08-10) Drei Intermezzi, Op. 117
• (11-16) Klavierstücke, Op. 118
• (17-20) Klavierstücke, Op. 119

Hélène Grimaud, piano
Date: 1996
Label: Erato

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Review

PERFORMANCE: ***** / SOUND: *****

I have waited a long time for this. Although Brahms’s four sets of late piano pieces are classics, there aren’t many discs with them all together. Wilhelm Kempff’s recording of all Opp. 116 to 119, made in 1963, is still available on DG Galleria and, in its way, it is irreplaceable, mellow and gorgeous. But Grimaud has her own way, which is every bit as valid, and with a spacious, brilliant modern recording, the sound-picture is altogether different from the Kempff disc. Grimaud is like a fine thoroughbred, every nerve aquiver, and she does a good deal to loosen textures, making you aware of what each note contributes. Yet she is also very natural – she doesn’t strain after effect. In the passionate opening Intermezzo of Op. 118, she gets straight to the point. She doesn’t let out the seams between phrases, for there’s no fat on her Brahms. He’s lean, fit and clear-headed, yet not insensitive – quite the reverse. The sad, inward-looking Intermezzo in A minor, Op. 116/2, couldn’t be more tender or haunting, and it’s the melancholy in Brahms which Grimaud often seeks out, even when it lingers behind the marking ‘Grazioso e giocoso’ in the C major Intermezzo, Op. 119/3, one of the most elusive to capture. There are endless riches of thought and feeling in this playing; technically superb, very lightly pedalled, it makes its points by subtlety and noble reserve. An outstanding disc.

-- Adrian Jack, BBC Music Magazine

More reviews:
https://www.gramophone.co.uk/review/brahms-piano-pieces
http://www.amazon.com/Brahms-Piano-Pieces-Op-116/dp/B000005E4I

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Johannes Brahms (7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer and pianist. In his lifetime, Brahms's popularity and influence were considerable. Brahms composed for symphony orchestra, chamber ensembles, piano, organ, and voice and chorus. Many of his works have become staples of the modern concert repertoire. An uncompromising perfectionist, Brahms destroyed some of his works and left others unpublished. Brahms is often considered both a traditionalist and an innovator. His music is firmly rooted in the structures and compositional techniques of the Classical masters, with a highly romantic nature embedded within.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Brahms

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Hélène Grimaud (born 7 November 1969 in Aix-en-Provence, France) is a French classical pianist. In 1982, she was accepted into the Paris Conservatoire and won first prize in piano performance three years later. She continued to study with György Sándor and Leon Fleisher until her debut recital in Tokyo in 1987. Since then, Grimaud has given concerts with most of the world’s major orchestras and many celebrated conductors. Her recordings have been critically acclaimed and awarded numerous accolades. She is also a wildlife conservationist, a human rights activist, and a writer with three published books.

http://helenegrimaud.com/

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