Johannes Brahms - Piano Sonata No. 3; Klavierstücke Op. 118 (Hélène Grimaud)

Information

Composer: Johannes Brahms

• (01-05) Piano Sonata No. 3 in F minor, Op. 5
• (06-11) Klavierstücke, Op. 118

Hélène Grimaud, piano
Date: 1992
Label: Denon

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Review

Born in 1969, the French pianist Helene Grimaud is an artist of skill and sensitivity. I possess and value her recording of Brahms's Second Sonata (9/89), coupled with Schumann's Kreisleriana, which JOC described as having ''a splendid urgency and commitment'', as well as affirming this artist as ''one of the most welcome newcomers to the CD catalogue for many moons''. This account of the Third Sonata is also distinguished. My first reaction was to feel that the recording, made in the same Dutch location as that of the Second Sonata, is a little metallic in sound, but one soon gets used to it and it places the instrument at a sensible distance from the listener so that there is the necessary spaciousness of sonority. In the big first movement Grimaud offers ample breadth, yet does not over-linger as some pianists do with a consequent loss of momentum: thus, with the exposition repeat observed, we are still into the demanding octaves starting the development before five minutes have passed. The passionate urgency of her playing here, as well as in the Scherzo and finale, rightly reminds us that this is a young man's music, yet she also gives the proper weight to the thoughtful and even sombre element which was always part of the composer's personality and dominated much of his later music.

The slower second and fourth movements also come across well enough, but are a touch over-projected compared to Murray Perahia on Sony Classical, who shows still deeper insight into Brahms's world and remains my first choice among several strong contenders in this work. Another performance that is well worth considering, and not only because it comes at super-bargain price, is the recent one by Idil Biret for Naxos ((CD) 8 550352). It has authority, and offers a searching and telling interpretation that has been well recorded, though Perahia has still greater grandeur and range and even better sound.

Grimaud is also compelling in the Six Pieces, Op. 118, not least the passionate First, in A minor. There's much to praise here also. All the same, to live happily with these performances I would ask for a greater intimacy than she gives us: brilliantly as she plays, she suggests concert music rather than the essentially intimate musings that the ageing Brahms surely intended.

-- Christopher Headington, Gramophone

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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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