Making her debut at the LAC, the acclaimed pianist Hélène Grimaud presents a programme built entirely around the final sonatas of Beethoven and Schubert. Two masterpieces at opposite ends of the spectrum, two distinct yet complementary forms of farewell entrusted to one of the great figures of the contemporary piano world – a performer capable of combining poetic intensity, formal control and depth of vision.

One of the most influential pianists on the international scene, Hélène Grimaud has built a distinguished career, marked by collaborations with the world’s leading orchestras, recitals in major concert halls and a discography that has won numerous awards. Making her debut at the LAC, she presents ‘The Last Testament’, a programme that brings together the final sonatas of Beethoven and Schubert.
Sonata Op. 111, the last in Beethoven’s catalogue, concentrates extreme formal and spiritual tension into just two movements. The first movement retains the dramatic energy of late Beethoven, whilst the final Arietta opens up a space for meditation and transcendence that has marked the history of the sonata.
Schubert’s D 960, composed in September 1828, a few months before his death, occupies a more relaxed dimension. Whilst a comparison with Beethoven remains inevitable, here the tone becomes more contemplative and lyrical, built upon a broad structure and continuous cantabile.
Taken together, the two works outline a dual pianistic legacy: on the one hand, Beethoven’s visionary intensity; on the other, Schubert’s lyrical breadth.