Gershwin, Davis, Cleveland Sym Orch Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue/An American in Paris Genre:Classical This is one class act. Helene Grimaud generally prefers the heavy-duty German repertoire and has fought hard not to be typecast as a dainty "French" female pianist. Nevertheless she has expressed a certain affection for... more » selected French and non-Germanic works, which is a good thing for us because this is the best performance of the Gershwin concerto we are ever likely to hear. It has style, warmth, and bravura to spare. In fact, everyone concerned treats it like it's the greatest piece of music in the world, and the same positives apply to the Ravel. --David Hurwitz« less
This is one class act. Helene Grimaud generally prefers the heavy-duty German repertoire and has fought hard not to be typecast as a dainty "French" female pianist. Nevertheless she has expressed a certain affection for selected French and non-Germanic works, which is a good thing for us because this is the best performance of the Gershwin concerto we are ever likely to hear. It has style, warmth, and bravura to spare. In fact, everyone concerned treats it like it's the greatest piece of music in the world, and the same positives apply to the Ravel. --David Hurwitz
CD Reviews
Quite good but not the absolute best
Justin Weaver | 03/23/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Well... this isn't likely to be a 'popular' review, but it will be honest. First let me say that Helene Grimaud is simply the best pianist I've ever heard recorded. I have her Brahms recordings and find her sense of expression, control of dynamics, and most importantly, warmth, unmatched by any other at the instrument. (The only way to get warmer would be to play the Intermezzi, for example, on a Boesendorfer Imperial...but that's another issue.)In this PARTICULAR recording however, I don't really like what I hear, although the playing is still admirable. The trouble is that Grimaud seems to lack her characteristic dramatic gusto and 'big sound'-- something necessary for playing Brahms. Perhaps she found this mode of playing unsuited to the Gershwin and Ravel-- Ravel, I can understand... that half of the recording is 4 1/2 stars certainly. The Gershwin is more about 3 stars. Zinman and his orchestra outshine Grimaud-- partially Gerswhin's "fault" since his orchestration is so damn coloristic and exciting. Grimaud sounds as if she's playing down at even th big fortes... this might be an acoustic balance problem too. I also find her under tempo-- I understand that for 'modern' recordings it's the in thing to slow down the repertoire and bask in the glorious clarity of the recording... but, if you listen to Gershwin's own interpretation or, better still, OSCAR LEVANT's top-notch interp. of the Concerto, you'll see that Gershwin and his entourage very consciously brushed over notes, used A LOT of rubato, and whizzed through the movements like showoffs. That's the 'jazz spirit' of the piece... Even the slow movement is quite a bit faster in Levant with very tasteful rubato and swing.So, I guess I'm saying... this is the "modern master" recording... very good, but not the best. Pick up the OSCAR LEVANT recording, which you can find here at Amazon, to accompany this recording for the Gerswhin. If you're buying this CD for the Ravel... then you've got nothing to worry about. Grimaud and Zinman are, as I said, 4 1/2 stars there. Thanks for reading."
A Decent Gershwin and a Great Ravel played by Grimaud
John Kwok | New York, NY USA | 04/19/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"If you're interested in hearing more of Grimaud's playing then buy this CD. However, her performances of the Gershwin and Ravel concerti aren't definitive. Indeed, her playing of Gershwin seems tentative, as though she admits her lack of comfort with playing jazz music or her unfamiliarity with Gershwin's music. She is almost immediately overshadowed by Zinman's energetic conducting and the vibrant performance he yields from the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Much more successful is her fine performance of Ravel's Piano Concerto, which is as good as her earlier Denon recording with Lopez-Cobos conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. If you're interested in hearing her splendid playing of Ravel's music, along with Rachmaninov's, then you might be better off buying her earlier CD instead."
Grimaud at her Best, Gershwin & Ravel at their best !
goodmusicman | 03/14/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Helene Grimaud is wonderful with her rendition of Gershwin and Ravel. The artists' would be proud and pleased of her interpetion of their works. With each performance Grimaud shows she is one of our generation's best."
The Ultimate "Romantic" Gershwin and Ravel!
goodmusicman | USA | 04/03/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Helene Grimaud's performance of the Gershwin Piano Concerto with the Baltimore Symphony conducted by David Zinman is the ultimate "Romantic" performance of this work, unlike the "jazzy" approach most people are used to in this concerto. Grimaud brings out the lyrical and melodic elements of the score, making it more tuneful and memorable than other recordings. By "Romantic" I mean both romantic in its usual sense as well as being in the vein of nineteenth century classical music (the Romantic era in music). The concerto sounds less brash and modernist and more like a traditional piano concerto from the late nineteenth or early twentieth century, albeit with a uniquely American or "Gershwin" sound! This "Romantic" approach to the concerto does not, however, come at the expense of excitement: Zinman effectively controls the orchestra, allowing it to build to climaxes of great physical excitement and Grimaud lets loose with fiery playing when it's called for.
Grimaud's playing is certainly not tentative or signifying her discomfort with the jazz elements of the work, as some reviewers here suggested. Her playing is quite deliberate and a quick listen to her super-fast and virtuosic last movement (as well as the first and third movements of the Ravel) reveals her ability to play quite comfortably at faster tempos. Her delicate entry into the first and second movements of the Gershwin are a deliberate effort to reclaim this work as a genuine "classical" piano concerto. Her approach succeeds in this endeavor, making this work a true piano/orchestral "classic", not just a jazzy crossover attempt by a composer only known for non-classical works. Gershwin's best "crossover" work in the piano format is Rhapsody in Blue, anyway, which made the concerto sound like a distant second in that category, in most performances. (For the best jazzy Gershwin Piano Concerto--fast and exciting--as well as the best Rhapsody out there, try the Wild/Fiedler/Boston Pops account, in one of its incarnations [I like the 2001 release the best]). With Grimaud's fervent interpretation, along with the very precise and lively playing of the Baltimore Symphony--everything seems to be done so carefully, including a perfectly placed gong toward the end of the last movement--Gershwin's Piano Concerto has been "redeemed" as the masterpiece concerto that it is.
Grimaud's rendition of the Ravel as well makes the work sound so different than we usually hear it. It's usually taken at a speedy clip, with the orchestra and pianist having a party, making the work sound like a wild romp, a musical circus of sorts (complete with a whip!). Zinman conducts the orchestra in a more serious and mature rendition, while Grimaud savors the latent Romanticism of the work, without neglecting its Ravelian Impressionism or its jazz influences. (Grimaud here surpasses her own earlier account with the Royal Philharmonic). The result is a very satisfying performance, making this concerto stand, together with the Gershwin, as two of the twentieth century's greatest piano concertos. Add sound quality that is crystal clear and detailed throughout, and you have a CD that is very worthy of the title "Amazon.com Essential Recording".
For those looking for "Romantic" and mature recordings of these two concertos, I can think of no finer disc. Way to go Grimaud and company!"
Beautiful Performances
D. A Wend | Buffalo Grove, IL USA | 07/19/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I became interested in this recording from reading "The Collection" in the June 2007 Gramophone. In the article by Jeremy Nicholas, after comparing 30 recordings of Gershwin's Piano concerto, selected this one as his best performance. I first heard Gershwin's concerto played by Earl Wild and the Boston Pops but my favorite has always been the recording made by Oscar Levant and Andre Kostelanetz. This recording differs from other recordings of the concerto by playing the work as a Romantic piano concerto instead of playing up the jazz elements. The concerto was adapted for jazz band by Ferde Grofe, who did the orchestration of Rhapsody in Blue but with his concerto Gershwin was writing within a classical structure rather than the free-form of a rhapsody.
Rather than push the jazz elements this performance by Helene Grimaud and David Zinman takes a less hurried approach, particularly in the first movement. The slower tempos allow more focus on the classical structure; there is no over-emphasis just the musical colors that Gershwin wrote. The slow movement is laid-back with the blues element of the music beautifully played. Here Ms. Grimaud matches the mood of the orchestra with very smooth playing, lingering over the phrases. The Finale is fast and furious with a marvelous rolling of the gong at the end.
The Ravel Concerto is a nice pairing with the Gershwin, especially since they met and admired each other's music. Like the Gershwin, Ravel's Piano Concerto is performed at an easy tempo bringing out the colors of the score. Ms. Grimaud is fantastic throughout and delivers an excellent performance and David Zinman has great sensitivity for the score. The catalogue, however, has many excellent performances and this one does not, for me, displace the highly regarded recording of Zimmerman and Boulez. If you already have a recording of the Ravel G major concerto the reason for buying this disc is the Gershwin.
There is a good balance between soloist and performer and the clarity of the recording allows one to hear many details that were missed before. My only complaint is that at 54:47 there was room for more music; the Ravel Piano Concerto for the Left Hand would seem an obvious choice or what about Gershwin's Second Rhapsody? This is a minor problem that is made up for by two superb performances.
