Interview with Hélène Grimaud

[vlhorowitz]

Hi, Everyone,

Hope you're all having a good week. Here is latest interview with Hélène Grimaud, who performs in San Francisco Wednesday evening. We had the opportunity to ask her about her teacher, Pierre Barbizet, the advantages of mental practice, and, perhaps of interest, her thoughts on the late maestro, Claudio Abbado.

https://www.examiner.com/article/interview-with-pianist-h-l-ne-grimaud

As always, thank you all for reading

PS: If you missed it, here is our interview with Marc-André Hamelin: https://www.examiner.com/article/interview-with-pianist-marc-andr-hamelin

[awesom_o]

The one with Hamelin was way cooler! The one with that Bruce fellow was good too.

If you don't mind my asking, why did you choose to do an interview with Helene Grimaud?

[klaviertraum]

The one with Hamelin was way cooler! The one with that Bruce fellow was good too.

If you don't mind my asking, why did you choose to do an interview with Helene Grimaud?

Hélène Grimaud is a good pianist. She may not be a favorite, but has interesting thoughts on music and life in general. She is a rare French who speak a flawless English and has a strong connection to Brahms (and to the German repertoire) rather than to Debussy, Fauré, Ravel, etc.

I saw her also surrounded by a pack of wolves all asking to be caressed, touched by her as though they were German Shepherd puppies (she is a founder of the Wolf Conservation Center in the US) 

       

[gvans]

Hélène Grimaud is a good pianist. She may not be a favorite, but has interesting thoughts on music and life in general. She is a rare French who speak a flawless English and has a strong connection to Brahms (and to the German repertoire) rather than to Debussy, Fauré, Ravel, etc.

I saw her also surrounded by a pack of wolves all asking to be caressed, touched by her as though they were German Shepherd puppies (she is a founder of the Wolf Conservation Center in the US) 

       

I agree. An interesting person and a fine pianist. Also, she plays the Rach 2nd well and has an interest in chamber music.

[minor9th]

I recently saw her play the daylights out of Brahms' Concerto No.1! Her new recording of both concertos is wonderful, too.

[gvans]

A fascinating interview. Her thoughts on studying the score away from the piano are especially intriguing--and a good idea for all pianists. The more I read of her and listen to her play, the more I am impressed by her intellect and abilities.

I would also recommend an article about Grimaud published in 2011 in the New Yorker:

https://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/11/07/111107fa_fact_max

[ahinton]

I would also recommend an article about Grimaud published in 2011 in the New Yorker:
https://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/11/07/111107fa_fact_max

The fact that it contains a paragraph that reads
Grimaud, who is forty-two, has blue eyes and motile sandy-brown hair. At a recent performance, her hair was up for the Mozart, down for the Liszt, and back up for the encore, a transcription of Gluck's "Dance of the Blessed Spirits". On album covers, her hair telegraphs a mood. It is pinned up in a Clara Schumann-like bun for a Brahms recording, and on the cover of "Credo" — a CD of Beethoven and a pair of mystic-minded modern composers—it is tucked behind her ears, in wan, heroin-chic strands. Ordinarily, her hair is shaggy, with too-busy-to-blow-dry bangs.
somehow contrives to say it all, sadly; Grimaud's OK but nothing so very special, I think - though she surely deserves a better standard of journalistic "representation" than the kind illustrated above?...

Best,

Alistair

[gvans]

Alistair, you obviously don't read the New Yorker much. When they do a profile, they describe the profilee in detail: clothing, hair, home life, a million details that make an individual come alive. Believe it or not, your quote, taken out of context, is merely good writing, and not necessarily sexist.

The article also contains quotes like this:

"Grimaud doesn’t sound like most pianists: she is a rubato artist, a reinventor of phrasings, a taker of chances. “A wrong note that is played out of élan, you hear it differently than one that is played out of fear,” she says. She admires “the more extreme players . . . people who wouldn’t be afraid to play their conception to the end.” Her two overriding characteristics are independence and drive, and her performances attempt, whenever possible, to shake up conventional pianistic wisdom. Brian Levine, the executive director of the Glenn Gould Foundation, sees in Grimaud a resemblance to Gould: “She has this willingness to take a piece of music apart and free herself from the general body of practice that has grown up around it.” Grimaud also tries to move her audience. Emmanuel Pahud, a flautist who has played recitals with her, says, “She is a deep romantic who—probably the German language is more suitable—goes where the belly’s hurting.”


When you say she's only OK as a pianist, hmmm. I can only say she plays way better than me, and (most probably, since I've never heard your playing in the Audition Room) way better than you. Do I smell sour grapes? She's also quite young, and has many piano years ahead of her in which to mature.

All best wishes to you,

Glenn

[ahinton]

Alistair, you obviously don't read the New Yorker much. When they do a profile, they describe the profilee in detail: clothing, hair, home life, a million details that make an individual come alive. Believe it or not, your quote, taken out of context, is merely good writing, and not necessarily sexist.

The article also contains quotes like this:

"Grimaud doesn’t sound like most pianists: she is a rubato artist, a reinventor of phrasings, a taker of chances. “A wrong note that is played out of élan, you hear it differently than one that is played out of fear,” she says. She admires “the more extreme players . . . people who wouldn’t be afraid to play their conception to the end.” Her two overriding characteristics are independence and drive, and her performances attempt, whenever possible, to shake up conventional pianistic wisdom. Brian Levine, the executive director of the Glenn Gould Foundation, sees in Grimaud a resemblance to Gould: “She has this willingness to take a piece of music apart and free herself from the general body of practice that has grown up around it.” Grimaud also tries to move her audience. Emmanuel Pahud, a flautist who has played recitals with her, says, “She is a deep romantic who—probably the German language is more suitable—goes where the belly’s hurting.”

I did not suggest that the extract that I quoted was necessarily "sexist" per se, intentionally or otherwise - just not great journalism. The above extract that you quote redeems it only partially, I think. I just find that she just doesn't excite me particularly - that's all.

When you say she's only OK as a pianist, hmmm. I can only say she plays way better than me, and (most probably, since I've never heard your playing in the Audition Room) way better than you. Do I smell sour grapes?

Not from me, you don't! - not least because the reason that you'll have heard none of my playing in the Audition Room (or indeed elsewhere, for that matter) is that I am not a pianist! - so, no grapes, sour, wrathful or indeed at all!

She's also quite young, and has many piano years ahead of her in which to mature.

Sure. So are/have quite a few other pianists!

All best wishes to you

And to you!

Alistair