What about Grimaud?

[Ecthelion]

Do you like recordings of Helène Grimaud? I only have the recordings of the Gershwin and Ravel concerti. I really like them! Is there someone who knows the "Credo" or the beethoven sonata recordings (op. 109, op. 110)?

regards, Ecthelion

[alkanite]

I have the Schumann concerto.  I like her more as time goes on.  Saw her play Mozart concerto #20 a couple years back and really enjoyed it.  She was signing CDs after and, wanting to appear like I knew something, I asked her if she had played Alkan's cadenza for that piece.  She said no, I said you should try, she said I'll check it out, and then I get home and realize Alkan never wrote a cadenza for that concerto.

(Sigh).  

I really hope I never see Helene Grimaud again.

[Ecthelion]

I've got a CD with Ravel/Gershwin Concerti of her ,also signed after she performed them live. It was wonderful! I guess her new Rach 2 recording is very good no? I haven't listened to it yet but perhaps I would have to.

Regards, Ecthelion

[dj]

ya know, all i've heard from her is the tail end of the third bartok concerto on a radio broadcast of her recent concert with the detroit symphony orchestra, but from what i heard, she played quite crisply and very passionately....and then the concerto ended so not much more i can offer. sorry....btw, i've never seen her but people on this forum tend 2 think she's quite attractive  

[alkanite]

Moderately attractive.  But full of life.  Come to think it, I also saw her play Brahms concerto #2.  She can't weigh more than 100 pounds.  How she generated the power to play that I'll never know.  But she did come off her bench for just about every chord.  Pretty insane.

[anda]

oh, common, helene grimaud   she looks good, i'll give her that, but playing... i heard rachmaninov - 2nd, some preludes and some etudes-tableaux... awful!

as for weight, you probably weight a lot if you wonder how anyone under 100 pounds can play! a big ample sound has NOTHING to do with personal weight - it has to do with arm technique!

[alkanite]

Notice I was speaking of the Brahms in particular.  

Many of my young students generate considerable power with well executed arm weight.  But lets get realistic here.  I recently saw Bronfman (a rather large man) play Prokofiev's 2nd concerto.  Now, I'm not a huge fan of sheer bombastity, but that 1st movement cadenza was HUGE!  Our precious Helene could not dream of generating that kind of sound.  So though I am near the top of proponents of arm weight, there are limits.  

So yes, I was pleasantly surprised to see an elfin female play the Brahms 2nd concerto, as she did.

[ravel]

hey i also heard the prok 2nd by bronfman, tso,
tsound check rocks, got like the front row seat,
i think the performance was spectacular, i have heard it now twice live, first time by volodos and now by bronfman, i think both were just awesome.

[anda]

Notice I was speaking of the Brahms in particular.  

Many of my young students generate considerable power with well executed arm weight.  But lets get realistic here.  I recently saw Bronfman (a rather large man) play Prokofiev's 2nd concerto.  Now, I'm not a huge fan of sheer bombastity, but that 1st movement cadenza was HUGE!  Our precious Helene could not dream of generating that kind of sound.  So though I am near the top of proponents of arm weight, there are limits.  

So yes, I was pleasantly surprised to see an elfin female play the Brahms 2nd concerto, as she did.

ok, i never heard brahms (but based on what i did hear, i don't think i want to...

as for big ample sound - helene grimaud is far from using all the abilities of the arm, so that's not exactly a "reference point"