Track Listing

1. Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.5 - The Making of - Hélène Grimaud, Staatskapelle Dresden, Wladimir Jurowski
2. Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.5 - The Making of - Hélène Grimaud, Staatskapelle Dresden, Wladimir Jurowski
3. "Credo" - EPK - Hélène Grimaud, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Arvo Pärt
4. "Credo" - EPK - Hélène Grimaud, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Arvo Pärt
5. Prelude in C major BWV 846 - Hélène Grimaud
6. Picture Gallery / Hélène Grimaud - Hélène Grimaud
7. Discography / Hélène Grimaud - Hélène Grimaud

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #133533 in Music
• Released on: 2007-09-10
• Number of discs: 2
• Format: CD+DVD
• Running time: 22 minutes

Customer Reviews

Fine, powerful new Emperor
Recorded last year in the Lukaskirche with the Dresden Staatskapelle under Vladimir Jurowski.

Both the piano and orchestra are recorded very vividly, there is less distancing of the sound than with say the Sinopoli Bruckner 8 in the same venue. But I like the impact it gives to what is a very fiery performance. The piano sound is excellent and is of a reasonable scale (i.e. not sounding like an elephantine instrument stretching right across the soundstage).

There's nothing earth-shatteringly original in the interpretation (not sure how there could be with this work) but it is played with real power coupled with flair and youthful freshness.

Jurowski does give a slight nod towards period influences with occasionally crisp chords and reduced vibrato, but with the orchestra sounding at full strength and playing powerfully this is barely noticeable.

I must say that listening to the opening tutti I wouldn't have guessed this was Europe's oldest orchestra, steeped in Beethoven - if I had been told it was say the Atlanta SO under Yoel Levi I would probably have believed it: a fine orchestra playing very well, but not particularly identifiable. It's all finely done if (in the opening ritornello) not quite the equal of Rother for Gieseking (in wartime stereo!), or Haitink for Perahia.

The last two movements are perhaps the best, with the slow movement really nicely done with an appealing improvisatory quality, leading to a powerfully driven account of the finale. The detail of the recording really comes into play throughout with subtle instrumental details nicely audible.

The op.101 sonata, superbly recorded in Berlin in 2007, is very well played, in some ways at least as well as the concerto in fact. Tempi are a shade faster than in Uchida's recent version on Philips, and Grimaud plays both the Adagio and Allegro sections of the final movement particularly well.

Not quite a 5 star release, but not far off.

Soulless but sexy album cover!
The first classical music I ever heard was by Beethoven and the Piano Concerto No. 5 in particular. It showed me that classical music so couched in cobwebs could be hard-core and uncompromising.

After school, I tried to track down that recording but found the swamp of different versions a little hard to handle. After about four different versions, I finally found the one that I deem as perfect.

After many years, I thought I would take the plunge and buy this new version by Hélène Grimaud. It seems that all modern classical albums have a sexy bird on the front cover and I keep asking, are the best all so beautiful?

Not so in this case. I found this performance rather uninspiring and the finger work unsubtle, when compared to my favourite pianists.

In my humble opinion Beethoven's music has a lot to do with rhythm. He obviously had great natural rhythm himself and the best exponents of his music exploit that. Hélène Grimaud is lost in this respect and so the performance comes across as mechanical and soulless.

I suppose it is time to say which is my preferred version of Beethoven's 5th Piano Concerto. It is by Wilhelm Kempff and the Berliner Philharmoniker, conducted by Ferdinand Leitner in 1962. No other recording has such an influence on my appreciation of classical music.

Helene Grimaud's take on Beethoven is impressive.
I first heard of Helene Grimaud while I was listening to Classic FM a couple of years ago back in 2007. I thought to myself this sounds very good. And so I happened upon this album and then I played it on my hi-fi and I was grabbed by the opening movements of the Emperor concerto. It's impressive stuff when listened to in its entirety.

Being a companion piece between the piano and orchestra, I did feel at times there is a little bit too much of the piano but with Helene Grimaud tickling the ivories and making the piano sound powerful it doesn't matter. When the orchestra joins in, it's a piece of magic.

Also on this disc is the Piano Sonata No. 28 which is just for the piano and the sound that comes off the keys is something to behold. Grimaud plays this very well and for a first attempt at Beethoven gives both pieces of music great energy and a worthwhile listen. Very nearly a five star performance but not quite.