Beethoven - Piano Concerto no. 5, "Emperor"
Beethoven - Piano Sonata no. 28
Grimaud; Staatskapelle Dresden / Jurowski
DG 477 7149 (+ bonus DVD)

Release date September 2007

After its premiere on 11th February 1811 one Viennese critic claimed that the Emperor Concerto 'failed to receive the applause which it deserved'; the writer suggested that this was partly because its 'subjective character' did not accord with the 'objective' nature of the audience and that Beethoven 'never writes for the multitude'. Indeed after reading the accompanying booklet of Hélène Grimaud's latest CD I was firmly placed in the multitudes; entitled 'A Philosopher at the Piano', the essay makes it clear that Grimaud's approach to Beethoven is a deeply sensitive philosophical one, bound up with the struggles the composer had with conventionalism and form. (At this point I had to put the booklet down as feelings of inadequacy began to enter my mind!) In the bonus DVD the young conductor Jurowski (with whom allegedly the pianist has a special chemistry) points out the unusual spontaneity of Grimaud's style and it is immediately obvious that this recording has a unique quality; its vibrancy and brilliance is noticeable from the opening bars, and Grimaud plays with a crystal clear touch which brings an extraordinary clarity to the slow movement in particular. The finale has enormous energy with great attention paid to the dotted thematic material and fantastic contrast of dynamic and articulation which seems, perhaps, to emphasise the internal and external struggles of Beethoven. The Sonata no. 28 in A major was written in 1816 (between the 8th and 9th Symphonies) and, by Grimaud's standards, is a fairly conventional coupling and played with dazzling brilliance and insightful introspection. The DVD inevitably is not much to write home about, but the brief clips of Grimaud performing capture the essence of this extraordinary musician.

Reviewed by Dawn Cooke