The New Criterion

Helene Grimaud, piano
Carnegie Hall, New York.
November 8, 2006

The French pianist Hélène Grimaud hails from Aix-en-Provence, and her relationship to time—nurtured in a town where following the sun from café to café is the generally accepted way to spend one’s Saturday afternoons—may explain why her Carnegie Hall recital debut began at twenty past the hour. Her Mediterranean pace may also account for why this internationally established pianist took until the age of thirty-seven to make her debut, though a more tangible factor may be Grimaud’s dedication to wolves, namely, her Wolf Conservation Center in South Salem, New York.

Grimaud did ultimately make an entrance, strolling confidently onto the stage in a T-shirt, headband, and a pair of culottes, as though heading to the living room for a light practice—or a slumber party.

Th ...

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