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
Similar artists
Discography
15 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
-
Saint-Saëns: Cello Concertos, Le Carnaval des Animaux, Africa & Wedding Cake
Neeme Järvi, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Truls Mørk, Louis Lortie, Hélène Mercier
Symfonieën - 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
Concertmuziek - Released by Chandos on 16 okt. 2015
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Debussy: Piano Duets
Klassiek - Released by Chandos on 9 sep. 2022
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Rachmaninoff: Piano Duets
Klassiek - Released by Chandos on 30 okt. 2015
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: 21 Hungarian Dances & 16 Waltzes for Piano Four Hands
Cyprien Katsaris, Hélène Mercier
Klassiek - Released by Warner Classics on 24 aug. 2018
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ravel: Piano Music For 4 Hands
Klassiek - Released by Chandos on 1 okt. 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: 21 Hungarian Dances & 16 Waltzes for Piano Four Hands
Cyprien Katsaris, Hélène Mercier
Klassiek - Released by Warner Classics on 24 aug. 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Complete Piano Sonatas
Klassiek - Released by Chandos on 1 okt. 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Duos pour pianos
Kamermuziek - Released by Chandos on 1 mrt. 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mathieu: Concerto de Québec & Works for 2 Pianos
Klassiek - 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
Kamermuziek - Released by Chandos on 1 mrt. 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
Kamermuziek - Released by CapriccioNR on 15 mrt. 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Ungarische Tänze
Cyprien Katsaris, Hélène Mercier
Klassiek - 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
Klassiek - 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
Kamermuziek - Released by Piano 21 on 1 jan. 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo