Hélène Grimaud

Hélène Grimaud
On rehearsal at the festival of La Roque-d'Anthéron
Background information
Birth name	Hélène Grimaud
Born	November 7, 1969 (1969-11-07) (age 39) Aix-en-Provence, France
Genre(s)	Classical
Occupation(s)	musician, author
Instrument(s)	Piano
Years active	1986–present
Label(s)	Denon, Erato, Teldec, Deutsche Grammophon
Website	Hélène Grimaud

Hélène Grimaud (born November 7, 1969) is a French pianist.

She was born in Aix-en-Provence, France. She is descended from Sephardi Jews from Corsica on her mother's side and from Berber Jews on her father's side. ^[1][2] Her family changed its name from Grimaldi before she was born. She has described herself as an "extremely agitated" child^[3], having a problem over-focusing; she was a give-her-all-or-none type of child. She discovered the piano at seven. She entered the Conservatoire de Paris in 1982 where she studied with Jacques Rouvier. In 1985 she won first prize at the Conservatory and the Grand Prix du Disque of the Charles Cros Academy for her recording of the Rachmaninov Piano Sonata No. 2. In 1987, she launched her professional career with a solo recital in Paris and a performance with the Orchestre de Paris under Daniel Barenboim.

At 21, Ms. Grimaud moved to Florida, United States and later lived outside New York City. After some time spent in Berlin^[4], she currently resides in Switzerland^[5]. She is known for her passion for wolves, which she studies and raises. She now divides her time between her musical career and the Wolf Conservation Center, which she co-founded with her then-companion, the photographer J. Henry Fair^[6]. She also experiences synesthesia, where one physical sense adds input to another, for example tasting words, or in her case, seeing music as color.

She performed at the Last Night of the BBC Proms in London in September 2008, playing the piano part of Beethoven's Choral Fantasia.

Discography

On Denon

• Rachmaninoff Piano Sonata No. 2 (1986)
• Chopin Ballade No. 1, Liszt Après une Lecture de Dante, Schumann Sonata for Piano (1987)
• Schumann Kreisleriana, Brahms Piano Sonata No. 2 (1989)
• Brahms Piano Sonata No. 3 & 6, Klavierstücke (1992)
• Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2, Ravel Piano Concerto (1993)

Note: The complete Denon recordings have been released in a box by Brilliant Classics.

On Erato

• Schumann Piano Concerto, Richard Strauss Burleske (1995)
• Brahms Piano Pieces Op. 116–119 (1996)
• Gershwin Piano Concerto, Ravel Piano Concerto (1997)
• Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 (1998)

On Teldec

• Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 4, Piano Sonata No. 30, Piano Sonata No. 31 (1999)
• Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2, Prelude Op. 32/12, Etudes-Tableaux Op. 33/1, 2 and 9, Variations on a Theme of Corelli (2001)
• Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 4, Schumann Piano Concerto op. 54 (2003)

On Deutsche Grammophon

• Credo, comprising John Corigliano: Fantasia on an Ostinato, Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 17 "Tempest", Choral Fantasy, Arvo Pärt: Credo (2003)
• Chopin | Rachmaninoff (2005)
• Bartók The Piano Concertos (on the third) (2005)
• Reflection (2006)
• Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 5 "Emperor", Piano Sonata No. 28 (2007)
• Bach Various (2008)

Bibliography

• Variations Sauvages (2003) (published in English as Wild Harmonies)
• Leçons Particulières (2005)

References

External links

• Official Website
• Biographical information
• Wolf Conservation Center