Hélène Mercier
Pianist Hélène Mercier is known for her piano duo work with Louis Lortie, but she also performs widely as a soloist, chamber music player, and accompanist. She has recorded for the Chandos and Warner Classics labels.
Mercier was born in Montreal on February 5, 1960, to François and Lucile Mercier; she is sometimes known by her married name, Hélène Mercier-Arnault. She began studying piano at age six at the Vincent d'Indy School of music in the (then) suburb of Outremont and made rapid progress. At 15, she moved to Austria to attend the Vienna Academy of Music, studying with Dieter Weber. Mercier attended the Juilliard School in New York, where her teacher was Sascha Gorodnitzki, and the Conservatoire de Paris, working with Pierre Sancan, and her musical career has been divided roughly equally between North America and Europe. In 1992, Mercier released her debut album, joining Lortie on an album for music for four hands by Ravel.
As a recitalist and chamber player, Mercier has appeared in major world venues, including the Salle Pleyel in Paris, South Bank Centre in London, and the Berlin Konzerthaus. She has performed as a concerto soloist with orchestras across Canada and beyond, including the Israel Philharmonic (under Zubin Mehta), the Minnesota Orchestra, and the Shanghai Symphony. She is especially active as a duo pianist, performing not only with Lortie but also with such luminaries as Cyprien Katsaris, Boris Berezovsky, and Frank Braley. Mercier is also an enthusiastic chamber player who has accompanied violinist Vladimir Spivakov in performance and on recordings; the pair's recording of works by Chausson earned a Choc award from France's Le Monde de la Musique. Her recordings have been of duo piano repertory, appearing on the Chandos and Warner Classics labels, mostly with Lortie; in 2022, the pair released the album Debussy: Piano Duets on Chandos. Mercier is a Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters in France.
© James Manheim /TiVo
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Discography
15 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Saint-Saëns: Cello Concertos, Le Carnaval des Animaux, Africa & Wedding Cake
Neeme Järvi, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Truls Mørk, Louis Lortie, Hélène Mercier
Symphonies - Released by Chandos on 1 Jan 2016
Gramophone Editor's Choice24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Poulenc: Concertos for Piano
Edward Gardner, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Hélène Mercier, Louis Lortie
Concertos - Released by Chandos on 18 Sep 2015
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Debussy: Piano Duets
Classical - Released by Chandos on 9 Sep 2022
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Rachmaninoff: Piano Duets
Classical - Released by Chandos on 30 Oct 2015
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: 21 Hungarian Dances & 16 Waltzes for Piano Four Hands
Cyprien Katsaris, Hélène Mercier
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 24 Aug 2018
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ravel: Piano Music For 4 Hands
Classical - Released by Chandos on 1 Oct 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: 21 Hungarian Dances & 16 Waltzes for Piano Four Hands
Cyprien Katsaris, Hélène Mercier
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 24 Aug 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Complete Piano Sonatas
Classical - Released by Chandos on 1 Oct 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Duos pour pianos
Chamber Music - Released by Chandos on 1 Mar 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mathieu: Concerto de Québec & Works for 2 Pianos
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 14 Feb 2020
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Sonata in D Major, Andante and Variations in G - Schubert: Fantasie
Chamber Music - Released by Chandos on 1 Mar 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Concert op.21 - Poème op.25
Vladimir Spivakov, Hélène Mercier, Arkadi Fouter, Alexei Lundine, Igor Souliga, Mikhail Milman
Chamber Music - Released by CapriccioNR on 15 Mar 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Ungarische Tänze
Cyprien Katsaris, Hélène Mercier
Classical - Released by Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group on 7 Jul 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 4, 9 & 10
Classical - Released by Chandos on 1 Feb 1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Sonata for 2 Pianos - Schumann: Piano Quintet, Op. 44
Cyprien Katsaris, Hélène Mercier
Chamber Music - Released by Piano 21 on 1 Jan 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo