Hélène Grimaud presents her first-ever Bach recording:
Partita for Violin no. 3 BWV 1006
Prelude and Fugue BWV 543
Chaconne in D minor BWV 1004
Concerto for Harpsichord, Strings, and Continuo no.1 BWV 1052
Das Wohltemperierte Clavier (Selection)

Hélène Grimaud, piano
Kammerphilharmonie Bremen

"Hélène Grimaud est une artiste vraiment remarquable, capable de transcender le caractère essentiellement percutant du piano pour créer des mondes magiques de clairs-obscurs sonores et d¿extatiques métaphores vocales." (Record Review / Julian Haylock, International Record Review (London) / 01. December 2008)

"...an intriguing mix of solo Bach...Grimaud is a vigorous, sometimes aggressive Bach player who understands and internalises the kind of rhythmic drive that made Glenn Gould tick ... She spins gorgeously contoured cantabiles in the A minor and E major Book 2 Preludes... the C sharp minor Book 1 Prelude and Fugue radiates nuance, linear dimension and a captivating organic flow that evokes Edwin Fischer and Samuel Feinberg at their most sublime... While Grimaud imbues Busoni′s violin transcription with freewheeling momentum and organ-like sustaining power and resonance, she scales down Liszt′s organ transcription to more intimate, less gothic tonal dimensions, and quite convincingly so at that." (Record Review / Jed Distler, Gramophone (London) / 01. February 2009)

"What you also get is the kind of digital clarity that′s the legacy of Glenn Gould . ...You can listen to this disc and....be completely taken in by it, and want to hear it again." (Record Review / David Patrick Stearns, Philadelphia Inquirer / 15. February 2009)

"... Bach′s message speaks with a penetrating voice... The emotional and technical power of Bach makes this recording a wonderful companion whether you want to listen in complete solitude, or in good company. Helene Grimaud plays with intense thoughtfulness whether she′s playing Bach, or transcriptions by those who admired him. She is a poet at the piano who proves that the music of this composer travels gracefully through time." (Record Review / Minnesota Public Radio / 17. February 2009)

"Unquestionable the most satisfying and imaginative music-making on this disc are the Liszt, Busoni, and Rachmaninoff transcriptions. Grimaud uses the famous Bach-Busoni Chaconne to showcase her brilliant spectrum of instrumental color and variety of touch, creating a compelling, if unconventional performance. The Bach-Rachmaninoff Prelude from the E Major Violin Partita sparkles with bubbling high spirits... an intelligent sophisticate... gifted pianist and sensitive musician... " (Record Review / Patrick Rucker, Fanfare (Tenafly, NJ) / 01. May 2009)