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American in Paris 4
George Gershwin
American in Paris 4
Genres: Jazz, Pop, Classical
 
  •  Track Listings (11) - Disc #1

This is one class act. Helene Grimaud generally prefers the heavy-duty German repertoire and has fought hard not to be typecast as a dainty "French" female pianist. Nevertheless she has expressed a certain affection for...  more »

     
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Amazon.com essential recording
This is one class act. Helene Grimaud generally prefers the heavy-duty German repertoire and has fought hard not to be typecast as a dainty "French" female pianist. Nevertheless she has expressed a certain affection for selected French and non-Germanic works, which is a good thing for us because this is the best performance of the Gershwin concerto we are ever likely to hear. It has style, warmth, and bravura to spare. In fact, everyone concerned treats it like it's the greatest piece of music in the world, and the same positives apply to the Ravel. --David Hurwitz
 

CD Reviews

Quite good but not the absolute best
Justin Weaver | 03/23/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)

"Well... this isn't likely to be a 'popular' review, but it will be honest. First let me say that Helene Grimaud is simply the best pianist I've ever heard recorded. I have her Brahms recordings and find her sense of expression, control of dynamics, and most importantly, warmth, unmatched by any other at the instrument. (The only way to get warmer would be to play the Intermezzi, for example, on a Boesendorfer Imperial...but that's another issue.)In this PARTICULAR recording however, I don't really like what I hear, although the playing is still admirable. The trouble is that Grimaud seems to lack her characteristic dramatic gusto and 'big sound'-- something necessary for playing Brahms. Perhaps she found this mode of playing unsuited to the Gershwin and Ravel-- Ravel, I can understand... that half of the recording is 4 1/2 stars certainly. The Gershwin is more about 3 stars. Zinman and his orchestra outshine Grimaud-- partially Gerswhin's "fault" since his orchestration is so damn coloristic and exciting. Grimaud sounds as if she's playing down at even th big fortes... this might be an acoustic balance problem too. I also find her under tempo-- I understand that for 'modern' recordings it's the in thing to slow down the repertoire and bask in the glorious clarity of the recording... but, if you listen to Gershwin's own interpretation or, better still, OSCAR LEVANT's top-notch interp. of the Concerto, you'll see that Gershwin and his entourage very consciously brushed over notes, used A LOT of rubato, and whizzed through the movements like showoffs. That's the 'jazz spirit' of the piece... Even the slow movement is quite a bit faster in Levant with very tasteful rubato and swing.So, I guess I'm saying... this is the "modern master" recording... very good, but not the best. Pick up the OSCAR LEVANT recording, which you can find here at Amazon, to accompany this recording for the Gerswhin. If you're buying this CD for the Ravel... then you've got nothing to worry about. Grimaud and Zinman are, as I said, 4 1/2 stars there. Thanks for reading."
A Decent Gershwin and a Great Ravel played by Grimaud
John Kwok | New York, NY USA | 04/19/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)

"If you're interested in hearing more of Grimaud's playing then buy this CD. However, her performances of the Gershwin and Ravel concerti aren't definitive. Indeed, her playing of Gershwin seems tentative, as though she admits her lack of comfort with playing jazz music or her unfamiliarity with Gershwin's music. She is almost immediately overshadowed by Zinman's energetic conducting and the vibrant performance he yields from the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Much more successful is her fine performance of Ravel's Piano Concerto, which is as good as her earlier Denon recording with Lopez-Cobos conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. If you're interested in hearing her splendid playing of Ravel's music, along with Rachmaninov's, then you might be better off buying her earlier CD instead."
Grimaud at her Best, Gershwin & Ravel at their best !
goodmusicman | 03/14/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Helene Grimaud is wonderful with her rendition of Gershwin and Ravel. The artists' would be proud and pleased of her interpetion of their works. With each performance Grimaud shows she is one of our generation's best."