Search - Hélène Grimaud :: Water

On this release, Helene performs all water-themed, romantic and contemporary classical pieces by composers such as Liszt, Debussy, Ravel and more, who all shared a fascination for Water.

In addition to these traditional evocations of rivers, lakes, seas, snowflakes, and raindrops, the album also reflects a contemporary perspective on water and the lack thereof. These elements are woven into the album narrative through musical Water Transitions ambient soundscapes composed, recorded and produced by Nitin Sawhney, a celebrated world-class producer, songwriter, DJ, multi-instrumentalist, orchestral composer and cultural pioneer.

Reaffirming her role as one of classical music s most captivating performers, combined with her sense of commitment to the ecological and humanitarian challenges of our day, this project underscores Grimaud s contention that - there are two significant measures of a society: how we support culture and how we treat our environment.

Being a project with three distinct levels of creative aspiration: artistic, inventive, and activist, this album explores the theme of water through:

Musical evocations of water in its various forms (lakes, oceans, waves, fountains, snowflakes...)

An acoustic stream so called Water Transitions, weaving the classical repertoire together within a journey through nature, produced by Nitin Sawhney.

Raising awareness for the critical situation of water in our modern world: pollution and threats to biodiversity, sanitation and clean drinking water, irrigation, mass aridization and drought.

Reflections on Water / Comments by Hélène Grimaud

Berio: Wasserklavier
Sweet sadness reflecting the impermanence of the human condition as incarnated by water.

Takemitsu: Rain Tree Sketch II
Light breeze blowing through the leaves of the Rain Tree, like the whisper of a prayer, part interrogation to the sky, part invocation.

Fauré: Barcarolle no.5
Gentle journey between the world of childhood experiences and the imaginary world of chivalresque adventures.

Ravel: Jeux d'eaux
The poetic and playful nature of a water divinity in its unbridled expression.

Albeniz: Almeria
The torrid languor of a coastal landscape where the underlying sensuality and passion of its land and inhabitants find only relief in the soothing, pulsating rhythm of its most vital element.

Liszt: Les jeux d'eau à la Villa d'Este
The crossing between water as a decorative presence and its mystical dimension through its transformative powers and ultimately redemptive quality.

Janacek: In the mists 1
A nostalgic state of mind imbued in mystery during the act of storytelling.

Debussy: La cathédrale engloutie
The prophetic nature and daunting specter of a lost temple of beliefs turned haunted kingdom.