Last Tuesday, Benjamin was joined by Kian Soltani, Leon Bosch, Timothy Ridout and Hyeyoon Park at Southbank's Queen Elizabeth Hall to perform Brahms' Piano Quartet No. 1, Schubert's Piano Trio 'Notturno' and the Trout Quintet. Their performance received fantastic reviews in the press - read some of the highlights below.
Bachtrack: “[In Brahms’ First Piano Quartet] Grosvenor’s opening bare octaves set a warmly expressive tone, immediately matched by the string players, promising an assured performance …[In Schubert’s Notturno] Hyeyoon Park and Kian Soltani sang with beautifully matched tones, with Grosvenor’s delicate trills wistfully ephemeral against the final return of that long-lined melody …[Schubert’s Trout Quintet] by the finale, that sense of joy and fun was all-pervading, yet detail was not forgotten, with some beautiful pianissimo string playing, and pinpoint accurate, rapid passagework from Grosvenor, building to the work’s somewhat sudden, understated but ultimately affirming conclusion. Throughout the evening, Grosvenor was never front of stage, literally or figuratively, allowing his assembled colleagues to take most of the limelight. But he is to be heartily congratulated for bringing together such a wonderfully effortless evening of high-class music making.”
The Guardian: "[In Schubert’s Trout Quintet] the tension was thrilling, the scherzo springing into life as if its unmistakable upbeat had been released suddenly from a confined space. Crucial to the mix was Grosvenor, who moved seamlessly from foreground to background, his quicksilver fingers constantly communicating, a luminous tone and beautifully sculpted phrases – a true chamber musician.”
Benjamin now embarks on a European recital tour with violinist Hyeyoon Park, with dates in Malvern, UK (1 June), Biel, Switzerland (3 June), Vienna, Austria (6 June) and Dortmund, Germany (8 June).
Ahead of the tour, Benjamin and Hyeyoon spoke to Sean Rafferty (pictured below) live on BBC Radio 3 In Tune, and performed music by Beethoven and Ravel. Listen back to the performance here until the 30th June.