Hélène Grimaud is not just a deeply passionate and committed musical artist whose pianistic accomplishments play a central role in her life. She is a woman with multiple talents that extend far beyond the instrument she plays with such poetic expression and peerless technical control. The French artist has established herself as a committed wildlife conservationist, a compassionate human rights activist and as a writer.
Grimaud was born in 1969 in Aix-en-Provence and began her piano studies at the local conservatory with Jacqueline Courtin before going on to work with Pierre Barbizet in Marseille. She was accepted into the Paris Conservatoire at just 13 and won first prize in piano performance a mere three years later. She continued to study with György Sándor and Leon Fleisher until, in 1987, she gave her well-received debut recital in Tokyo. That same year, renowned conductor Daniel Barenboim invited her to perform with the Orchestre de Paris: this marked the launch of Grimaud’s musical career, characterised ever since by concerts with most of the world’s major orchestras and many celebrated conductors.
Beethoven completed his Sonata #31 in 1821. Yet the moderate tempo and profound lyrical style of the first movement harkens back to such earlier piano sonatas as the “Moonlight”. The present A-flat Sonata does have multiple themes and a development section. Yet the movement’s message is not so much tied to the intellectual sonata form as it is to an amazing emotional fantasia!
The contrasting middle movement carries the tempo and character a scherzo, yet it is in duple meter (unlike the more expected triple meter of a Beethoven scherzo). Wide contrasts of loud and soft inform the outer sections, while the central section is completely smooth in an almost constant flow of right-hand notes.
In place of a slow movement, Beethoven gives us a lengthy Adagio introduction to the final movement. In it, varied improvisatory ideas lead to an Arioso which at last nourishes our lyrical appetite.
Here is Helene Grimaud to play my favorite sonata for oyu:
