Hélène Grimaud’s tour with the Vienna Philharmonic and Andris Nelsons ended Sunday afternoon in Vienna.

With three performances of Brahms Piano Concerto no. 2 the opening concert in Munich was heralded by the Münchner Abendzeitung as “sometimes powerfully vibrant, at other times sensitive.” The Münchner Merkur commented “The performance became a fascinating symbolic encounter. The French pianist perfectly achieved the balancing act between expressivity and integration with the orchestra. The transitions between solo and orchestral passages were highly organic, all imaginable nuances revealing themselves.”

The Münchner Merkur added “Hélène Grimaud is a synesthete … the concert seemed to assimilate this – it was not only as finely graded as a black and white drawing but with intoxicating colors – a highly emotional performance.”

The Süddeutsche Zeitung said “Grimaud is on the same wavelength as the sonorously and fully gripped Viennese. She understands the four movements as a personal journey … (which) is appealing and impressive …”

Reviewing the Paris concert kultukompasset.com wrote “Honestly, I had that feeling … that something was going to happen that evening, and I was right … it was like the conductor and pianist were thinking exactly the same, to amaze the audience, and so they did …”

The final concert in Vienna last Sunday was greeted by the Wiener Zeitung with the comment “Thanks to the French pianist Hélène Grimaud the rarely heard Second Piano Concerto … was a completely energetic experience.”