Helene Grimaud - Credo (2003/2014) [BDRip, FLAC Stereo 24bit/96kHz]

This surprising program is a joy through and through. It begins with a 1985 work by John Corigliano (Fantasia on an Ostinato) that uses the slow-movement theme from Beethovens Seventh Symphony and then later flies off into wonderfully emotion-filled directions. Next come Beethovens Tempest sonata, played with just the right drama, and his fabulous Choral Fantasy, op. 80, which is part sonata, part study for the 9th symphony. Pianist Grimaud plays the Fantasy with alternating delicacy and power, and the disc ends with Arvo Parts Credo, scored for piano solo, mixed chorus, and orchestra. This last piece is rich and complex, and in some ways encompasses the previous works emotions and textures; those who think of Part as the quiet, holy minimalist, are in for a treat, and perhaps shock. Grimaud is simply magnificent regardless of the century or style; the beauty of her tone is surpassed only by its expressiveness. Esa Pekka Salonen leads the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Choir handsomely. This is a very special disc, a must for your collection.

This surprising program is a joy through and through. It begins with a 1985 work by John Corigliano (Fantasia on an Ostinato) that uses the slow-movement theme from Beethovens Seventh Symphony and then later flies off into wonderfully emotion-filled directions. Next come Beethovens Tempest sonata, played with just the right drama, and his fabulous Choral Fantasy, op. 80, which is part sonata, part study for the 9th symphony. Pianist Grimaud plays the Fantasy with alternating delicacy and power, and the disc ends with Arvo Parts Credo, scored for piano solo, mixed chorus, and orchestra. This last piece is rich and complex, and in some ways encompasses the previous works emotions and textures; those who think of Part as the quiet, holy minimalist, are in for a treat, and perhaps shock. Grimaud is simply magnificent regardless of the century or style; the beauty of her tone is surpassed only by its expressiveness. Esa Pekka Salonen leads the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Choir handsomely. This is a very special disc, a must for your collection.

Credo by Hélène Grimaud is one of the most effectively sequenced discs ever released. The movement from the hazy postmodernism of John Corigliano's Fantasia on an Ostinato for solo piano and the passionate Romanticism of Beethoven's Tempest Sonata for solo piano, then on through the Enlightenment ecstasy of Beethoven's Choral Fantasia for piano solo, orchestra, and chorus, and culminating in the nihilist excesses of Arvo Pärt's massive Credo for piano solo, orchestra, and chorus, is musically and dramatically overwhelming. Individually, the effectiveness of her performances is debatable. Is her Corigliano Fantasia melancholy and pensive or slightly narcissistic? Is her Beethoven Tempest individualistically radical or almost eccentric? Is her Beethoven Choral Fantasia with Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Swedish Radio Choir brilliantly postmodern or just strange? And is Grimaud and Salonen's Pärt Credo anything but a metaphor for life itself: mostly boring, sometimes unbearable, and occasionally very beautiful? Taken all together as a single aesthetic act, Grimaud's Credo is nevertheless completely compelling while it's happening, and what more can one ask of a work of art? Deutsche Grammophon's sound has never been more translucent and immediate.

Tracklist:

01 - John Corigliano: Fantasia On An Ostinato For Solo Piano
02 - Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor, Op.31 No.2 'The Tempest', Largo - Allegro
03 - Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor, Op.31 No.2 'The Tempest', Adagio
04 - Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor, Op.31 No.2 'The Tempest', Allegretto
05 - Beethoven: Fantasia For Piano, Chorus And Orchestra In C minor, Op.80 'Choral Fantasy', Adagio
06 - Beethoven: Fantasia For Piano, Chorus And Orchestra In C minor, Op.80 'Choral Fantasy', Finale
07 - Arvo Pärt: 'Credo' For Piano, Mixed Choir And Orchestra


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