Benjamin Grosvenor’s ‘rare talent’ displayed in latest CD release
Benjamin Grosvenor’s CD ‘This & That’, including pieces by Kapustin, Scarlatti, Albéniz, Moszkowski and Chopin, has been superbly reviewed by Tim Parry in International Piano Magazine January/February 2010.
International Piano Selection - This & That
‘Focusing mostly on shorter pieces, it is a well-constructed programme, and an excellent showcase for Grosvenor’s virtuosity... it is when you reach Grosvenor’s account of Book I of Iberia that you know you’re dealing with a seasoned artist of the highest calibre. The natural feeling for colour and sonority, the intricately layered sound, the atmospheric tension, the melodic shaping and expert pedalling – these qualities illustrate virtuosity in its fullest sense, as well as superb musicianship.
Throughout Grosvenor plays with awesome control, yet there is nothing schooled about his playing. Repeated notes can shimmer or fire like a machine gun; sonorities range from the caressingly impressionistic to full-throated quasi-orchestral; and he knows when to take his time and when to push the music at full throttle. Indeed, it is hard to know which is the more startling in a pianist still in his mid-teens: the all-encompassing mastery of technique, or the flair and maturity of imagination. He really is a rare talent.’
Praise also comes from the American Record Guide January/February 2010:
‘Not only are his technical abilities mature and amazing, but he is returning to the kind of repertoire that made the ‘Golden Age of Piano Playing’ golden; and he plays it with the electrifying abandon the pieces need.’
