Brahms : Concertos pour piano n° 1 et 2. Grimaud, Nelsons.

Piano International (Jan, 2014)
French pianists generally seem to be drawn to Brahms less than to other Romantic composers. Helene Grimaud is an exception, having recorded the Sonatas Nos 2 and 3, all the shorter works from Op 79 to Op 119, the Cello Sonata No 1 with Sol Gabetta and the Concerto No 1 with Kurt Sanderling.

The Second Concerto gets a very strong performance here, with perfect balance between the piano and the highly responsive Vienna Philharmonic. Grimaud’s opening cadenza is broad and distinctive, and in the movement’s later passages she plays with a wonderful forward thrust. Elsewhere, there is much colour and sublety from all players, and the coda is grand. …