Hélène Grimaud applies her virtuoso strength and particular sense of expression to
Chopin and
Rachmaninov in this 2005 recording.
Chopin's Sonata No. 2 seems to paint the picture of an energetic hero, who is tragically mourned at death in the third movement Marche funèbre. As
Grimaud sees it,
Rachmaninov's Piano Sonata No. 2 is also about life and death. These are not pretty piano pieces, and in her hands the main thrust of them is the vitality -- and often the grand size -- of the Romantic spirit that is found in life and, at least here, continues after death in a transformed state. The conclusion of the program with
Chopin's Barcarolle and Berceuse -- played by
Grimaud with a unique, but not unpleasant, way of phrasing the music -- follows that idea of transcendence of spirit.