Benjamin Grosvenor
Share
Benjamin Grosvenor made an impression on audiences as an 11-year-old, becoming the youngest winner of the BBC's Young Musician of the Year in the keyboard division in 2004. His "youngest" distinctions continued to mount as he earned an international reputation performing recitals and as a concerto soloist.
Grosvenor was born on July 8, 1992, in Southend-on-Sea, England. He began playing piano at six, studying with his mother. Following his BBC Young Musician win, he attended the Royal Academy of Music, where he studied with Christopher Elton and Daniel-Ben Pienaar. He was signed to the Decca label in 2011, becoming the label's youngest-ever British musician; he was also the label's first British pianist signed since the 1950s. Grosvenor continued to add to his "youngest" distinctions in 2011 by being the youngest soloist to date to open the BBC Proms concert season. He graduated from the Royal Academy in 2012 with a Queen's Commendation for Excellence; he earned a fellowship at the Academy in 2016. 2016 also saw him earn the first-ever Ronnie and Lawrence Ackman Classical Piano Prize from the New York Philharmonic.
Grosvenor's talents have taken him throughout Europe, the U.S., China, and Japan in solo recitals, chamber ensembles, and as a concerto soloist. He's performed with many major orchestras, including the New York and London Philharmonics, Orquesta Nacional de España, and the Boston, Chicago, and Tokyo Symphonies. As a chamber musician, he regularly collaborates with Hyeyoon Park and Timothy Ridout, among others.
Grosvenor's 2011 debut album featured the music of Chopin, Liszt, and Ravel. He followed this up with Rhapsody in Blue (2012), Dances (2014), and Homages (2016). In 2020, he was joined by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, led by Elim Chan, on a recording of Chopin's piano concertos.
© Keith Finke & Patsy Morita /TiVo
Similar artists
Albums
14
albums sorted by Most acclaimed
From
HI-RES$16.49
CD$13.99
Classical - Released January 1, 2014 | Decca Music Group Ltd.
Hi-Res
Booklet
Distinctions
Diapason d'or de l'année -
Diapason d'or -
Gramophone Record of the Month -
Le Choix de France Musique -
Exceptional Sound Recording
Even at a very young age (he was 22 when this album was released in 2014), British pianist Benjamin Grosvenor had the kind of sound that makes his compatriots roll over and put their paws in the air. It's understated, dry, humorous, and technically unimpeachable. On an album of dances, will some listeners want more oomph in, say, the Chopin Andante spianato and Grande Polonaise Brillante, Op. 22? Sure, but on his own terms Grosvenor is indeed impressive, and not just for his age. The opening Bach Partita No. 4 in D major, BWV 828, is questionable in several ways; the interpretation seems capricious, and, even if you could explain connections conceptually, the work does not feel like it connects to the rest of the program. From there, however, things improve. The smaller works, most of all the Eight valses poéticos of Granados, are marvelously suited to Grosvenor's approach, and the usually splashy Arabesques on Johann Strauss' "By the Beautiful Blue Danube" are brought under control in a delightful way. The Boogie-Woogie Etude of Morton Gould is another effort that may be more satisfying within the U.K. than elsewhere, but for those looking for a savior of British music, Benjamin Grosvenor certainly bears watching.
© TiVo
From
HI-RES$14.99
CD$12.99
Classical - Released February 21, 2020 | Decca Music Group Ltd.
Hi-Res
Distinctions
Diapason d'or -
4F de Télérama -
Le Choix de France Musique -
Choc de Classica
The unconventional character that is Benjamin Grosvenor delivers us a very personal version of these two essential works of the piano repertoire. The first Brit to have signed an exclusive contract with Decca Classics in sixty years, he first made his name in 2004 when he won the Keyboard section of BBC Young Musician of the Year, thus throwing the doors open to an international career. Produced alongside the talented young conductor from Hong Kong Elim Chan, the musical director of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, this new album dedicated to Chopin revisits the young British prodigy’s first musical loves. It was following a very successful concert with Elim Chan that they decided to record the Piano concertos by Chopin together. In this fifth album (for Decca), it’s Grosvenor’s virtuosity and ability to make the instrument sing that allow him to fully express his favourite music. “Chopin was the first composer to whom I felt a strong connection to as a child. I have always been drawn to his music, and his piano concertos are among some of the finest in the repertoire”, he says. Other than his already legendary sound and the expert way he strikes a balance between the different acoustic levels, his vision underlines the dreamy romanticism that delicately envelops the two concertos by the then-20-year-old Polish composer. © François Hudry/QobuzThis album was named "Gramophone Recording of the Year 2020" in the"Concerto" category.
From
HI-RES$17.99
CD$14.99
Film Soundtracks - Released January 1, 2011 | Decca Music Group Ltd.
Hi-Res
Booklet
Distinctions
Diapason d'or de l'année -
Diapason d'or -
Gramophone Editor's Choice -
Hi-Res Audio
From
HI-RES$17.99
CD$14.99
Classical - Released September 1, 2016 | Decca Music Group Ltd.
Hi-Res
Booklet
Distinctions
Diapason d'or -
Le Choix de France Musique -
4 étoiles Classica
From
HI-RES$17.99
CD$14.99
Classical - Released February 19, 2021 | Decca Music Group Ltd.
Hi-Res
Distinctions
Diapason d'or
For his new recital published on the Decca label, Benjamin Grosvenor has chosen Franz Liszt, whose music has followed him since his childhood thanks to his grandfather's initiation. Dedicated to the pianistic monument that is the Sonata in B minor, the English pianist's programme aims to bear witness to the various aspects underlying the Hungarian composer's creation with emblematic compositions (Petrarch's Three Sonnets), original ones (Lullaby), as well as the extraordinary power of re-creation that Liszt distilled in his paraphrases; here we find the Reminiscences of Norma after Bellini and his arrangement of Schubert's Ave Maria.Every concert and every recording of Grosvenor's music is long awaited and desired, so rich is his personality and his extraordinary pianistic mastery. His recent album devoted to the Frédéric Chopin Concertos confirmed the pre-eminence of this pianist within a well-to-do brotherhood.His vision of the famous Liszt Sonata is immediately among the most inspired. Like a bird of prey, Grosvenor knows how to wait for the right moment to pounce on the chords with diabolical precision and contained rage, in a dramatic Mephistophelian tension. At the same time, the fluidity of his piano opens the door to the twentieth century and particularly to Ravel's world so dependent on the Liszt lesson. It is known that Brahms had fallen asleep when Liszt played his Sonata to him after a probably drunken dinner. Nothing probable here with this powerful evocation of life and death. Magisterial! © François Hudry/Qobuz
From
HI-RES$14.99
CD$12.99
Classical - Released January 1, 2013 | Decca Music Group Ltd.
Hi-Res
Booklet
Distinctions
Hi-Res Audio
Following the success of his first Decca release of solo piano music by Chopin, Liszt, and Ravel, Benjamin Grosvenor demonstrates his aptitude in the concerto repertoire on his second CD, Rhapsody in Blue, recorded with James Judd and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. This is a refreshing change from the usual Tchaikovsky or Rachmaninov concertos one hears from young artists eager to impress, and Grosvenor is clever enough to play not only engaging concertos by Saint-Saëns, Ravel, and Gershwin, but to toss in short bon-bons by these composers to sweeten the program. Grosvenor has sometimes described as a Romantic pianist, which suggests anything from excessive sentimentality to headstrong individualism, but this is something of an exaggeration. It is true that Grosvenor has the passion and expressive grandeur for music of the period, notably displayed in Saint-Saëns' grandiose Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, but he also possesses a modern sensibility that is ideal for the lighter textures and piquant expressions found in Ravel's effervescent Piano Concerto in G major and Gershwin's insouciant Rhapsody in Blue (performed here in the original jazz band version arranged by Ferde Grofé). Grosvenor is much more rounded in his tastes and abilities than may be apparent from reviews, but given time, his judgment in programming will be as obvious as his prodigious skills at the keyboard. Decca's reproduction is close-up and vivid, so the piano has real presence, and its volume almost eclipses the orchestra at times.
© TiVo
From
HI-RES$14.99
CD$12.99
Classical - Released January 1, 2013 | Decca Music Group Ltd.
Hi-Res
Distinctions
Hi-Res Audio
For his debut recording on Decca, pianist Benjamin Grosvenor performed music of Frédéric Chopin, Franz Liszt, and Maurice Ravel, demonstrating both a keen awareness of his prodigious abilities and a knack for creating a balanced and interesting program. Chopin's four dynamic Scherzos are interspersed with three Nocturnes (chosen to correspond to the Scherzo's keys), while the remainder of the program is devoted to Liszt's transcriptions of two of Chopin's songs and the nocturne, En rêve, along with Ravel's notoriously difficult Gaspard de la nuit. The Chopin Scherzos are distinctively played with incisive attacks, commanding expression, and bravura speed, which, when taken altogether, make the gentle Nocturnes necessary interludes to leaven the Scherzos' volatile moods. The Liszt portion of the program is even lighter, with a nice mix of lyricism and colorful virtuosic turns, and the sweetness of the music balances the rather unsentimental Chopin interpretations. Less soothing is the dark and haunted music of Ravel's Gaspard de la nuit, which provides Grosvenor his finest moments. If any piece demonstrates this pianist's technical skills and expressive depth, then this tryptich succeeds, for it showcases his talent for weaving fantastic expressions and virtuosic playing into a magical, disturbing, and chilling experience. Even at the beginning of his career, Grosvenor shows maturity and insight, and he offers an admirable album that displays not only what he has achieved thus far, but promises great things ahead. This rising star bears watching and this CD demands repeated listening.
© TiVo
From
CD$12.99
Classical - Released February 21, 2020 | Decca Music Group Ltd.
This 2020 release is among comparatively few in which the orchestral tutti in the Chopin concertos hold their own and enter into a real dialogue with the soloist. It's quite a different approach from that of the single-named pianist Yundi, who conducts his orchestra himself and bends it to his rubato-heavy interpretation. Both are attractive recordings of these concertos, where the orchestral passages are still too often done in a perfunctory way. However, this one by pianist Benjamin Grosvenor is likely to appeal to those hoping for a stirring traditional approach with a good-sized symphony orchestra, not a chamber group. Conductor Elim Chan opens each concerto with substantial, even slightly martial tutti that gives Grosvenor room to introduce high contrasts. His entrances are big, and his second subjects poetic and varied in tempo. Grosvenor truly gets his romantic genius on in the slow movements, which have all kinds of delicate effects. The virtuoso finale of the Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21, the fanciest movement of the set, works a bit better in his hands than that of the Piano Concerto in E minor, Op. 11, but in general, this is a performance the late 19th century would have appreciated and even treasured, and it is one of several phenomena creating a buzz around conductor Chan.
© TiVo
From
CD$14.99
Classical - Released September 1, 2016 | Decca Music Group Ltd.
Booklet
Pianist Benjamin Grosvenor, 24 years old when this album appeared in 2016, has made a splash with his seemingly effortless technical mastery and his ability to put across a feeling of suppressed energy. There are many technical difficulties in these Romantic showpieces, but Grosvenor lets them roll off his fingers without raising the temperature much until the end, in the Liszt Tarantella from the Venezia e Napoli (Venice and Naples) set of Années de pèlerinage. It's an impressive display of control, said to be matched by considerable charisma in live performance. The program, which might have been played a century ago, is almost refreshing for that reason, but it's not totally coherent: the first three "Homages" are to Bach, while the last two are not homages to a person, but to cities, and to a pair of them at that. Still, the individual pieces work well on their own terms. César Franck's Prélude, Choral, et Fugue, FWV 21, benefits greatly from Grosvenor's ability to suggest currents of passion beneath the surface, and the Mendelssohn set of Six Preludes and Fugues, Op. 35, are sharply characterized and infused with an unusual degree of contrast for the collection, which often suffers from over-academic performances. This release showcases a young pianist with the potential to become a star in the time-honored Romantic virtuoso mold.
© TiVo
From
CD$14.99
Classical - Released February 19, 2021 | Decca Music Group Ltd.
From
HI-RES$1.99
CD$1.49
Classical - Released January 8, 2021 | Decca Music Group Ltd.
Hi-Res
From
CD$12.99
Classical - Released January 1, 2012 | Decca Music Group Ltd.
Following the success of his first Decca release of solo piano music by Chopin, Liszt, and Ravel, Benjamin Grosvenor demonstrates his aptitude in the concerto repertoire on his second CD, Rhapsody in Blue, recorded with James Judd and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. This is a refreshing change from the usual Tchaikovsky or Rachmaninov concertos one hears from young artists eager to impress, and Grosvenor is clever enough to play not only engaging concertos by Saint-Saëns, Ravel, and Gershwin, but to toss in short bon-bons by these composers to sweeten the program. Grosvenor has sometimes described as a Romantic pianist, which suggests anything from excessive sentimentality to headstrong individualism, but this is something of an exaggeration. It is true that Grosvenor has the passion and expressive grandeur for music of the period, notably displayed in Saint-Saëns' grandiose Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, but he also possesses a modern sensibility that is ideal for the lighter textures and piquant expressions found in Ravel's effervescent Piano Concerto in G major and Gershwin's insouciant Rhapsody in Blue (performed here in the original jazz band version arranged by Ferde Grofé). Grosvenor is much more rounded in his tastes and abilities than may be apparent from reviews, but given time, his judgment in programming will be as obvious as his prodigious skills at the keyboard. Decca's reproduction is close-up and vivid, so the piano has real presence, and its volume almost eclipses the orchestra at times.
© TiVo
From
CD$14.99
Classical - Released January 1, 2014 | Decca Music Group Ltd.
Even at a very young age (he was 22 when this album was released in 2014), British pianist Benjamin Grosvenor had the kind of sound that makes his compatriots roll over and put their paws in the air. It's understated, dry, humorous, and technically unimpeachable. On an album of dances, will some listeners want more oomph in, say, the Chopin Andante spianato and Grande Polonaise Brillante, Op. 22? Sure, but on his own terms Grosvenor is indeed impressive, and not just for his age. The opening Bach Partita No. 4 in D major, BWV 828, is questionable in several ways; the interpretation seems capricious, and, even if you could explain connections conceptually, the work does not feel like it connects to the rest of the program. From there, however, things improve. The smaller works, most of all the Eight valses poéticos of Granados, are marvelously suited to Grosvenor's approach, and the usually splashy Arabesques on Johann Strauss' "By the Beautiful Blue Danube" are brought under control in a delightful way. The Boogie-Woogie Etude of Morton Gould is another effort that may be more satisfying within the U.K. than elsewhere, but for those looking for a savior of British music, Benjamin Grosvenor certainly bears watching.
© TiVo
From
CD$1.49
Classical - Released January 8, 2021 | Decca Music Group Ltd.
