Photo: Marco Borggreve
Press
2021
“… we could not fail to be amazed at hearing a performer like Grosvenor, who with exceptional delicacy, precision and sensitivity made us feel the music in our own skin, as if we could see and play it.
His Liszt was an explosion of romantic colour, raucousness and passion, with the mark of the most lyrical exquisiteness.”
- Elsa Álvarez Forges, Núvol, November 2021
“Grosvenor more than competes with Martha Argerich [Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No.3] ... the way he knows how to be caressing and allusive, the incredible clarity of his features and his chords are dazzling, because at the same time his playing is of an eloquence that is impossible to escape”
- Bachtrack, November 2021 ****
“Benjamin Grosvenor shone at the Palau de la Música with Liszt's Sonata in B Minor … he approaches the score boldly, with detail and precision difficult to find in today's generation of piano media stars. A perfect, nuanced touch”
- ABC Espana, November 2021 *****
“Grosvenor seduced us by his sensitivity and good taste, technique and expression merging into a magical whole … never out of control, his technical mastery and virtuosity created a Chopin Sonata No.3 in B minor in which poetic delicacy and passion converged … he possesses musical qualities that promise him a career full of successes.”
- Scherzo, November 2021
“… a revealing interpretation [of Liszt’s B-minor Sonata] with the emphasis firmly on introspection and possibilities … and a ravishingly restrained account of the second of Ginastera’s Danzas Argentinas. The audience wanted more, and Grosvenor relented, and dashed off the third Dance, playing the glissandos for all he was worth. He brought the house down.”
- Colin’s Column, November 2021
“A fine performance of [Beethoven’s First Piano Concerto] which brought the house down.”
- Arcana, November 2021
“... the brilliant Benjamin Grosvenor established a fruitful dialogue with the different sections of the orchestra … The transparency of the harmonies, the spirit, the humour that accompanied certain lines resonated like a knowing smile … a magnificent interpretation”
- Culture 31, October 2021
“Benjamin Grosvenor and Orchester national du Capitole de Toulouse gave Beethoven's first piano concerto a committed reading. Combined with a sonority of incredible beauty, the pianist drew a clear and sovereign image of the Beethovenian universe.”
- Utmisol, October 2021
“Grosvenor, almost motionless, sitting upright in his seat, plays in his world a work that has no history yet, devoid of any tradition ... The Liszt Sonata in B becomes a great religious work of beatitude ... pianistically immaculate, with unimaginable grace and lightness ... Grosvenor is an alien who tells us about a world he is the only one to inhabit but whose beauties he shares with us.”
- Bachtrack, October 2021 *****
“We could appreciate the good harmony that exists between the members of this quartet … Grosvenor knew how to excel in the Allegro ma non troppo and to stand as the undisputed leader in a Scherzo in which the piano seems to battle against strings ... Kian Soltani offered a honeyed opening solo with a velvety sweet timbre that became a honeyed duet with Park's input … Timothy Ridout stood out with a deeply emotional and romantic sound.”
- Codalario, October 2021
“It could be said that it was a concert with a lot of electricity. Grosvenor performed with virtuosity and strength, which was never gratuitous … Hyeyoon Park is a virtuoso with great strength and great musicality … Ridout showed a supportive power that showed his great musicianship … Soltani is a cellist who makes the instrument sing and shout, as appropriate not only to the work, but to the group's approach… the concert was a joy, a resounding success.”
- Scherzo, October 2021
“Mahler's Quartet immediately highlights the harmony that binds the four musicians: the performance is intense and emotionally charged … in Schumann's Quartet in E flat major there is a brilliance, a virtuosity that also leaves room for musicality … the technical authority with which these moments of captivating fury are brought to life is dazzling … The presence of an excellent pianist like Grosvenor proves to be a significant resource in Strauss Quartet in C minor … A remarkable evening”
- L'Ape Musicale, October 2021
“a well-nigh perfect account of Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major … stunning virtuoso playing. Grosvenor made light of the technical demands of the music, he and the orchestra creating an exceptionally satisfying whole.”
- Bachtrack, September 2021 *****
“With Benjamin Grosvenor the soloist, Beethoven's Piano Concerto No 4 unfolded in softly hypnotic caresses; the Hallé sound plush and refined, Grosvenor’s pearly, even tone beguiling at almost perpetual pianissimo.”
- The Times, September 2021
“Grosvenor’s ever-gracious virtuosity was muscular, capitalising fully on the sensitivity of touch of a modern grand piano.”
- The Guardian, September 2021 ****
“[Grosvenor’s] account of the Piano Concerto No 4 went straight to its heart: notably, he and Elder made the slow movement into an almost operatic musing on the nature of loneliness … Grosvenor’s unflappable virtuoso encore, Liszt’s concert étude “Gnomenreigen”, was the evening’s most memorable moment.”
- The i paper, September 2021
“Grosvenor demonstrated the qualities which have marked him out as a front-line artist: crystalline articulation, sparkle and brilliance in colouring, bravura control in rapid passagework. In the concerto he and Elder established a fine partnership, engaging in a real dialogue between individual voices.”
- Bachtrack, September 2021
“Benjamin Grosvenor’s performance of Beethoven’s Fourth Concerto was a revelation, a performance of maturity beyond his years. The idea of linking it to the second half symphony by utilising Saint-Saëns’s cadenzas was inspired … Saint-Saëns via Grosvenor’s superbly articulated playing took us to another world … This was pianistic control of the very first order … What with Grosvenor breathing fresh magic into his every gesture and line, plus the novelty of those cadenzas, this was like hearing the music anew.”
- Seen and Heard, September 2021
“the young British pianist Benjamin Grosvenor was as an apt soloist in Liszt's 2nd Piano Concerto … The close-up shots of the virtuoso hands hard at work vividly underscored that this piece has a lot of notes spread very widely over the keyboard to make an impression and provoke wonder at this fine motor nimbleness ... Nagano was able to relax quickly and leave the orchestra to its own devices in an anti-authoritarian manner. Things ran smoothly, the accompanying solos came flawlessly, Grosvenor mastered one hurdle after the other and listened attentively, gentlemanly almost, where he had to submit or even subordinate himself. Only now and then, and very conciliatory too, did he let the keyboard lion off the chain for a moment.”
- Hamburger Abendblatt, August 2021
“From the first notes of Petrarch's Sonnets, the tone is set, that of a disciplined, elegant reading of incredible precision. The intrinsic virtuosity in Liszt finds in Benjamin Grosvenor an ideal interpreter who makes musical every trait, even the most virtuoso … Here is a great virtuoso musician of the future”
- Classique News, August 2021
“Benjamin Grosvenor is known for his interpretations of Franz Liszt. He gives Petrarch's Sonnets an introspective, virtuoso and transparent vision. It is in the Sonata in B minor that the pianist lets go: violence and lightning, alternate with meditations and prayers, in a magnificently varied, restless and inspired card of the heart and the romantic soul ... an excellent evening.”
- Res Musica, August 2021
“Forgotten the extreme difficulty of these works, everything becomes evident under the fingers of the pianist, mystery, throbbing repetitions, subtle weaving of harmonies and registers, have the precision of etching and the delicate poetry of chiaroscuro.”
- Journal Zibeline, August 2021
“Grosvenor (we do not even speak of his crazy richness of sound, of the relentless technical precision that he deploys) offers something never heard … here is the most brilliant piece of the Ravelian piano: Gaspard de la nuit. It's this admirably elusive Ondine, this Le Gibet, where you had never heard that little pivot note that Grosvenor tirelessly sounds in the middle of a sound torrent. Finally Scarbo: an extremely brilliant piece, of an unnamed difficulty to achieve, whose evil wickedness Grosvenor accentuates in an orgiastic piano demonstration but with a sometimes childish grace that leaves you speechless.”
- France Info, August 2021
“a recital of extraordinary musical coherence ... Liszt's immense B minor Sonata shows us an extraordinary artist who takes the audience wherever he wants. Under Grosvenor's fingers this sonata is a veritable theatre ... But purely instrumental virtuosity is never an end in itself, and is anchored in a vision and a continuous flow that always leaves room for song and melody ... Grosvenor fascinates as much by the ease with which he frees himself from Lisztian overtones as he does by his acute sense of narrative.”
- Bachtrack, July 2021 *****
“The high point of the weekend was Benjamin Grosvenor … Chopin Sonata No. 3 is the scene of a pianistic and musical feat … You have to pinch yourself to believe what the British artist is doing with the Finale, an epic carrying waves of passion with a grandeur, urgency and panache such that one could not imagine a more ideal interpretation ... A miracle in the field, worthy of the richest hours of the festival.”
- Diapason, June 2021
“The RSNO recently recorded Chopin’s piano concertos with Elim Chan and Benjamin Grosvenor, so reuniting this team for his First Piano Concerto was always going to be a winner. They know this music intimately, but it’s a testament to how well they collaborate that this performance managed to sound as fresh and spontaneous as if they were playing it for the first time.”
- The Times, June 2021 ****
“[Grosvenor’s] impact is monumental in this performance … he asserts himself immediately, and from that martial first statement fluid melodies gush like water from a spring, always driven yet thoughtfully crafted. Immaculate finger work colours Chopin’s filigree ornamentation, adding to the enthralling intensity of the performance.”
- Vox Carnyx, June 2021
“Grosvenor’s opening chords were majestic and eloquent ... his playing sparkling and charming with marvellous ornamentation in the slow movement Larghetto. The E major Rondo – Vivace was superbly performed with the orchestra showing themselves on top form with glittering woodwind and gorgeous brass playing bringing the piece to a brilliant finale.”
- Seen and Heard, June 2021
“a perfectly balanced recital … [Grosvenor’s] playing is elegant, worked and respectful”
- Classique Mais Pas, June 2021
“… these two performances presented some of the finest Schumann playing I have encountered in a long time. Schumann’s writing is notoriously elusive, and Grosvenor seems to have its full measure at a time when his technical powers are at their height. His contribution to Clara Schumann’s Three Romances was similarly masterly, although now more restrained, matching Hyeyoon Park’s eloquent violin … the rapport between the two is magical.”
- Seen and Heard, May 2021
“The sheer naturalness of Grosvenor’s playing gilds the experience of listening to him at every moment. One enjoys it the way one enjoys the sight of a dolphin swimming, or a master of Chinese calligraphy executing a character with three quick but perfect strokes”
- The Telegraph, April 2021 *****
“a showcase of hot brilliance … This thoughtful, unshowy pianist has a subtlety, muscle, and an impishness to his performance”
- The i Newspaper, April 2021 ****
“Black magic and golden-age gorgeousness … The British pianist's recital beautifully evokes romanticism in isolation”
- The Arts Desk, April 2021 ****
“as the pianist’s hands swept over the keys, it was easy to understand how this young musician has captivated the musical world. His impressive skill, interpretative style and unique tonal sensitivity were on full display in a challenging program of Romantic and 20th-century music … Most impressive was the extraordinary variety of tonal effects, colors, and rhythmic intensity that he drew from the Steinway … A heart-stopping tumble of sounds and finding the intelligence that both guides and motivates: that is the gift of this impeccable artist”
- Bachtrack, April 2021 *****
“This immaculately filmed recital re-launched the Barbican’s live music series, with a programme of Liszt, Chopin and Ravel showcasing Grosvenor’s technical brilliance”
- The Guardian, April 2021 ****
“A glorious recital … the glow from Grosvenor's playing was enough to illuminate the hall”
- Seen and Heard, April 2021
“Grosvenor's approach to all of the pieces showed a masterly understanding of their construction and their idiom, and while there was plenty of musical gesture, none of it – even the obviously saccharine arrangement of Ave Maria – felt in the slightest overblown; this was all about the composers, not the performer.”
- Music OMH, April 2021