For her latest studio album, Hélène Grimaud travels to Salzburg where she creates a fascinating juxtaposition between the eternal W.A. Mozart and the Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov (b. 1937). Hélène has long had a passion for Silvestrov’s music, which some call post-modernist or even neoclassical. “Like Arvo Pärt, Silvestrov’s music is harmonic, which far from being a weakness, is an enlightenment in its own right and very powerful in its simplicity”, says Hélène. 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, Hélène has carefully chosen music by Mozart that fits into an overall dramaturgy: from Mozart’s famous unfinished D minor Fantasy, Hélène transitions seamlessly into the great D minor Concerto, K466 – one of the most popular amongst Mozart’s 27 piano concertos (and one of only two in a minor key). The C minor Fantasy here signals “the end of Mozart” and a new beginning: The Messenger starts with a theme reminiscent of Mozart, 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 emanating from both Mozart’s and Silvestrov’s works. The Messenger, one of Silvestrov’s most performed works, is dedicated to his wife Larissa Bondarenko, who had recently passed away. The Two Dialogues with Postscript that serve here as an epilogue, leave the outcome open, leading the way to Schubert, Wagner and beyond.