Melancholy and hope. Hélène Grimaud explores a fascinating dialogue between the musical worlds of Mozart and Silvestrov. For her new studio album, Hélène traveled to Salzburg where she created a captivating juxtaposition between the timeless W. A. Mozart and the Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov. Hélène has a long-standing passion for Silvestrov's music, which some describe as postmodernist or even a precursor of neo-classicism.
To select the works for this album, Hélène carefully chose Mozart pieces that fit into an overall dramatic narrative: from Mozart's famous and unfinished Fantasy in D minor, Hélène purely transitions to the Concerto in D minor, K. 466 – one of the most popular among Mozart's 27 concertos (and one of only two in a minor key). The Fantasy in C minor then signals 'the end of Mozart' and a new beginning: The Messenger starts a theme that evokes Mozart's work, and like a messenger, creates a connection between the present and the world that existed before. Melancholy and hope, sadness and exuberance can be felt in the works of both Mozart and Silvestrov. This is particularly true in The Messenger, one of Silvestrov's most frequently performed works, which is dedicated to his recently deceased wife, Larissa Bondarenko. The two dialogues with Postscript, which serve as an epilogue here, give this echo an open conclusion, paving the way for Schubert, Wagner, and beyond.
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