COMPOSERS: ChopinRachmaninov
LABELS: DG
ALBUM TITLE: Helene Grimaud
WORKS: Piano Works
PERFORMER: Helene Grimaud
CATALOGUE NO: 477 5325
Although there are plenty of recordings
of the second piano sonatas of both
these composers in the catalogue, it’s
surprising that until now no pianist
had the imaginative idea of coupling
them. Yet the connections between the two sonatas are obvious. Apart
from sharing a common central
tonality, both inhabit similarly
turbulent emotional worlds offering
in the process considerable challenges
for the interpreter especially in terms
of maintaining structural coherence.
For the most part, Hélène Grimaud
rises to these challenges admirably.
Like Argerich, she is a charismatic
performer, responding instinctively to
the ebb and flow of Chopin’s writing.
In this respect, although everything
seems perfectly controlled, there’s
also an almost spontaneous sense of
forward momentum which one would
normally experience in a live concert.
This works particularly well in the
first two movements of the Chopin,
while in the finale, Grimaud’s
judicious use of the pedal enhances
the feeling of suppressed desperation
that underlines the music.
The Rachmaninov is likely to be
more controversial on account of
Grimaud’s decision to create her own
performing version of the work based
on the composer’s truncated 1931
revision, but also incorporating quite
extensive passages from the original
1913 composition (Horowitz pursued
a similar path without encountering
any objections from Rachmaninov
himself). In any case the expansions
seem entirely plausible, serving in
fact to strengthen the logical flow
of the music. The performance and
recording, too, are highly persuasive,
though in the last resort I don’t
experience quite the same level of
high-octane adrenaline as in Simon
Trp?eski’s astonishing performance of
the 1931 version for EMI (see Disc of
the Month review, p56). Erik Levi
