Helene Grimaud - Messenger

For her latest studio album, Helene travels to Salzburg where she creates a fascinating juxtaposition between the eternalW. A. Mozartand the Ukrainian composerValentin Silvestrov(b. 1937). Helene has long had a passion for Silvestrov'smusic, whichsome call post-modernist or even neoclassical. 'LikeArvo Part, Silvestrov's music is harmonic, which far from being a weakness, is an enlightenment in it's own right and very powerful in it's simplicity', says Helene. The composer's own words hint at why this is for her so intriguing: 'I do not write new music. My music is a response to and an echo of what already exists'. In selecting the music for this album, Helene has carefully chosen music by Mozart that fits into an overall dramaturgy: fromMozart's famous unfinished D minor Fantasy, Helene transitions seamlessly into the great D minor concerto K. 466 - one of the most popular amongst Mozart's 27 concertos (and one of only two in a minor key). The C minor Fantasy here signals 'the end of Mozart' and anew beginning.