Search
Special Offers
Awards
Online Payment
Visit us
Presto News - 18th July 2011Benjamin Grosvenor |
 Last Friday pianist Benjamin Grosvenor became the Proms’ opening night’s youngest ever soloist, playing the Second Piano Concerto of Franz Liszt. Earlier this year the nineteen year old also became the youngest British musician ever to sign a contract with the record label Decca, and the first British pianist on the label since the likes of Clifford Curzon, Moura Lympany and Peter Katin in the 1940s and 50s.  Benjamin Grosvenor He first rose to prominence when he won the piano section of the BBC Young Musician of the Year 2004 at the age of 11. I still remember him playing the Ravel G major Concerto in the final (which was ultimately won by violinist Nicola Benedetti). It wasn’t his technique that impressed me (although that was obviously pretty good), but his astonishingly mature and musical performance – something so rare from someone so young, and it was immediately clear he was destined for great things. Sensibly he has taken his time to develop his playing and his career (he is still studying at the Royal Academy of Music) and his first major recording was released last Monday. It is all solo piano music and features Chopin’s Four Scherzi, Ravel’s Gaspard de la Nuit and shorter pieces by Chopin and Liszt. The Chopin Scherzi are substantial works and are here cleverly interspersed with Nocturnes. It works well, provides good contrast, and shows off many attributes in Grosvenor’s playing. In the Scherzi you can marvel at his rapid passagework, powerful octaves and careful control of balance, while in the Nocturnes he doesn’t over-sentimentalise the music but uses careful pacing and phrasing to make them sound both organic and ‘perfectly formed’. Colours and textures are key when performing Ravel’s music, and his control of tonal colouring is really impressive in his recording of the composer’s Gaspard de la Nuit. You can really hear the tinkling of the water in the opening of the first movement and the tolling bells and deathlike atmosphere in the second. Combined with this is an impressive dynamic range (including some frightening climaxes in the last movement), careful voiced textures and a natural musicianship free from mannerisms or in any way limited by technical considerations. In all, a really impressive debut disc. There are quite a few young technically marvellous pianists around at the moment, but few with such a natural and deep musicianship as this. He still has a little way to go – I think he’ll get bolder and braver in following his musical instincts – but this is definitely an impressive start. As usual you can listen to sound samples and videos via the links below, and I’m spoiling you with the latter this week as I couldn’t decide whether to go for the five-minute introductory video, or the three-minute complete performance of Chopin’s Nocturne in F Sharp, so I’ve given you both! Enjoy!
|
Share
|
 Benjamin Grosvenor: Chopin, Liszt & RavelBenjamin Grosvenor (piano)
|
Chris O'Reilly - chris@prestoclassical.co.uk |
Listen - sound samples available for this item
Watch: A short video trailer and a complete performance of Chopin's Nocturne in F SharpNew Releases18th July 2011 |
This is just the pick of the recent releases. The New Releases and Future Releases pages are always available for browsing all the new and forthcoming releases. |
 Rachmaninov: Piano Sonatas Nos. 1 & 2Leslie Howard (piano)Australian pianist Leslie Howard presents the first recording of this coupling of the two Rachmaninov Piano Sonatas featuring the original 1913 version of the Sonata No. 2, regarded as unplayable by performers of the composer’s time. Following the premier performance, the devastated Rachmaninov radically simplified the work but on this release the Sonata can be enjoyed in its original splendour alongside the mighty Sonata No. 1 of 1907, inspired by a reading of Goethe’s Faust. |
 Bridge - Piano Music Volume 3Mark Bebbington (piano)The third volume in Mark Bebbington’s recording of the complete piano music of Frank Bridge includes his first acknowledged piano piece Berceuse of 1901 and his last, Gargoyle of 1928. This series has been well received; “Bebbington reveals the profound and poetic in Bridge. These are benchmark performances.” BBC Music Magazine |
 Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5Russian National Orchestra, Mikhail PletnevThe second in a new Tchaikovsky Symphonies cycle with these forces, the PentaTone releases by the Russian National Orchestra have received excellent reviews, many winning awards. “... the orchestra is superbly responsive, shaping the love melody with nobility and warmth…” BBC Music Magazine (PTC5186384) |
 Mahler: Symphony No. 3 in D minorMihoko Fujimura (contralto), Bamberger Symphoniker, Jonathan NottJonathan Nott has been the principal conductor of the Bamberger Symphoniker since 2000 and this has been a very successful partnership. Their recording of Mahler’s 9th Symphony (TUDOR7162) won several awards “This is a fine achievement in a towering symphony.” BBC Music Magazine |
 Rimsky-Korsakov, Borodin & Mussorgsky: Orchestral WorksOrchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo, Yakov KreizbergThe Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo under Kreizberg continues their Gramophone Disc of the Month series with a Russian programme. Including captivating pieces performed by the Ballets Russes in 1909, the Comtesse de Noailles remarked at the time: “I realised that a miracle was before me. I was seeing something that had never existed before.” |
 The Complete Delius Songbook Volume 1Mark Stone (baritone) & Stephen Barlow (piano)Celebrating the 150th anniversary of the composer’s birth, this is part one of a two disc series which will comprise the first complete recording of the songs of Frederick Delius. It features a number of world première recordings. Mark Stone and Stephen Barlow’s Butterworth collection (5060192780024) received great critical acclaim “exquisitely performed” Classic FM Magazine. |
 Glazunov: Complete String Quartets Volume 4Utrecht String QuartetThe Utrecht String Quartet continues its complete recording of Glazunov’s string quartets. This series has turned out to be an outstanding success for this engaging Dutch ensemble. Glazunov’s Quartet No. 6 shines with absolute command of form, depth of content and a wealth of tone colours. |
 Wagner (DVD) - Directed by Tony PalmerLaurence Oliver, John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson, Vanessa Redgrave, etcTony Palmer’s epic film was made in 1982/3 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Wagner’s death. Filmed in 200 locations throughout Europe, many where the actual historical events took place, with a team from 19 different countries, the entire production was completed in less than a year. Only now is the film being released on DVD as its director Tony Palmer wishes it to be viewed. Previously it’s been seen in badly edited versions and been made available on DVD (reproduced from poor-quality VHSs) with sub-standard pictures and sound. Finally, here is the restored presentation as it was originally edited by Tony Palmer in its complete 7 hours 46 minutes duration, issued in wide-screen, re-mastered in Hi-Definition. The music, performed by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Sir Georg Solti with singers including Dame Gwyneth Jones and Peter Hofmann, has never sounded better, and the astonishing images of cameramen Vittorio Storaro and Nic Knowland have never looked better. |
Your details will be used only in accordance with our Privacy Policy. |
Copyright © 2002-13 Presto Classical Limited, all rights reserved.