Hélène Grimaud / Kammerorchesterbasel

Since they first performed together at the Gstaad Menuhin Festival in July 2013, Hélène Grimaud and the Kammerorchesterbasel have repeated their pleasurable experience. In Basle, and soon in Lyon in a programme which Hélène Grimaud sees as a chamber music concert: “We play without a conductor. The orchestra doesn’t need a conductor for these works. For me, a concerto is nothing more than chamber music on a greater scale. The work is done during the rehearsals.” From Bach to Prokofiev, three centuries of music follow in succession. The modern works are happier than the older ones: Dumbarton Oaks and the “Classical” Symphony are sparkling tributes to musicians of the past, whereas the two concertos in D minor figure among the darkest works of their respective writers, with a rather introspective touch in Bach, and more dramatic in Mozart.