Hélène Grimaud is truly captivating. For many years now, the French pianist has been wowing the classical world with her sensual, intense playing, as well as her unfaltering commitment to making the world a better place. Her broad musical repertoire encompasses not only the more recognizable piano works that allow pianists to demonstrate their brilliance on the world’s stages, but also includes contemporary pieces – such as those by Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov. In addition to music, the star pianist has a passion for wolves, which she wants to see saved from extinction. This portrait reveals Hélène Grimaud as a philosophical, contemplative artistic personality, who has uniquely harmonized her shared loves of music and nature – developing a deep sense of humanity in the process.

At a glance:
(00:00) Brahms, Piano Concerto No. 2, first movement (excerpt)
(00:23) On the magic and humanity of performance
(00:56) Debussy, La cathédrale engloutie (The Sunken Cathedral) (excerpt)
(01:20) On the omnipresence of music
(01:57) Brahms, Piano Concerto No. 2, first movement (excerpt)
(02:23) Grimaud and German Romantic music
(03:01) Brahms, Piano Concerto No. 1, third movement (excerpt)
(03:17) Grimaud and Johannes Brahms' music, I
(04:12) Brahms, Piano Concerto No. 1, third movement (excerpt)
(04:25) Grimaud and Johannes Brahms' music, II
(04:55) The concept behind the Wolf Conservation Center
(05:38) Nature as the global mother of inspiration
(06:25) Valentin Silvestrov, Silent Songs (excerpt)
(07:01) Grimaud on Silvestrov's music
(08:11) Grimaud on a personal encounter with Silvestrov
(08:59) Silvestrov on Grimaud as an interpretor of his compositions
(10:10) Grimaud on her driving motivations
(10:53) Mozart, Piano Concerto No. 20, first movement (excerpt)
(11:20) On Mozart, and what makes a Wunderkind
(11:51) Mozart, Piano Concerto No. 20, first movement (excerpt)
(12:12) On crises, and the work on oneself
(12:52) Mozart, Piano Concerto No. 20, first movement (excerpt)
(13:20) On lifelong practicing, and the inexhaustibility of music
(14:00) Mozart, Piano Concerto No. 20, first movement (excerpt)

Born in 1969 in Aix-en-Provence, France, Hélène Grimaud's career has been in every respect extraordinary. Grimaud only began playing the piano at the age of nine, but by 13 was already studying at the Paris Conservatoire, and soon after winning major prizes. In 1987 – barely ten years later – she attracted widespread acclaim for her debut concert in Tokyo. That same year, Daniel Barenboim invited her to perform in concert with the Orchestre de Paris; her breakthrough as a concert pianist. Ever since, Hélène Grimaud has been one of the most sought-after pianists in the world. She has performed with the Berlin Philharmonic under the baton of Claudio Abbado, and with the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Kurt Masur, amongst numerous other notable engagements. In addition to her career as a concert pianist, Grimaud is renowned for her commitment to wolf preservation. In the 1990s, she founded the Wolf Conservation Center – dedicated to the protection of this endangered species – in upstate New York.

© Deutsche Welle, 2023

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