All alone with her piano on the main stage at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Hélène Grimaud plays with virtuosity and precision without genuinely connecting to the audience around her.
By John Lavitt
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 04/23/23 – Born in Aix-en-Provence, France, Hélène Grimaud is more than just a virtuoso pianist. She has established herself as a committed wildlife conservationist and a human rights activist who writes about her passions. Playing solo on Wednesday, April 19, 2023, at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, she is an outstanding pianist with great control and adaptability. One wishes she also would bring the other sides of her personality to the stage and foster a genuine connection with her audience.
Silent on stage before and after her performance, one might think she did not speak English. However, as the published founder of the Wolf Conservation Center in South Salem, New York, this is not the case. Her biography reads on the Wolf Conservation website, “Hélène’s deep dedication to her musical career, both in performances and recordings, is reflected and reciprocally amplified by the scope and depth of her environmental and literary pursuits.”
As part of the LA Phil’s Colburn Celebrity Recital series, Hélène Grimaud’s deep dedication is an example of the enduring excellence of the series. Her skill and talent are beyond question when she plays complex works by Ludwig Van Beethoven and Johannes Brahms. However, framing the coming performance would provide context when she comes on stage. Thus, it would be beneficial if she guided her audience. However, as my friend, who competed as a classical pianist in her youth, commented, “It feels like she’s the one who needs to be comforted. She seems so distant.”
A clear virtuoso passionate about the music, Grimaud expresses little emotion while playing. Instead, the focus is on machine-like virtuosity, and there is a strange comparison to present-day discussions about the art of artificial intelligence. Although there are moments of grace and elegance, they do not feel like human grace and elegance. Instead, it felt like a flower opening in an empty forest. Yes, it is beautiful, but it is also unseen and without expectation.
In the program, the LA Phil writes, “Through her thoughtful and tenderly expressive music-making, Grimaud deeply touches the emotions of audiences fortunate enough to enjoy her concerts worldwide.” Such a connection was not what occurred on this night. Instead, it felt more like alienated virtuosity in which a supremely talented performer could have played in an empty auditorium.
There is no question that Hélène Grimaud has had a tangible impact on the world of classical music. The French government has honored her with the Ordre National de la Légion d’Honneur, France’s highest decoration at the rank of Chevalier. However, one wishes this Renaissance woman would display her other talents onstage. There is often a sense that classical musicians can just perform and ignore the rest. In today’s world, when separation and alienation are normative realities, more is needed to take performance to the next level of emotional realization and intimate connection.
