Benjamin Grosvenor’s Chicago debut

By Edward Sava-Segal, 22 February 2017

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“a dissonance here, a whiff of rubato there”

Reviewed at Chicago Symphony Center, Chicago on 19 February 2017

Schumann, Arabeske in C major, Op.18

Mozart, Piano Sonata no. 13 in B flat major, "Linz", K333 (K315c)

Beethoven, Piano Sonata no. 14 in C sharp minor "Moonlight", Op.27 no.2

Scriabin, Piano Sonata no. 2 "Sonata Fantasy" in G sharp minor, Op.19

Granados, Goyescas, Op.11 (excerpts)

Liszt, Rhapsodie espagnole, S 254

Moszkowski, Etude in A flat Major, Op.72, no. 11

Kapustin, Etude in E minor, Op.40 no. 3

Benjamin Grosvenor, Piano

Petrenko’s searing Shostakovich overshadows Grosvenor’s Beethoven

Nick Boston, 3rd February

Stylish Beethoven from Benjamin Grosvenor and dramatic Ustvolskaya from Yuriy Yurchuk, but Petrenko and the RPO’s blistering Shostakovich steals the show.

****1

Sinfonia of London makes international debut at the Concertgebouw

Clare Varney, 25th November

British pianist Ben Grosvenor joins the Sinfonia of London in Amsterdam for Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concerto showcasing the very best of British talent

****1

Benjamin Grosvenor plays Pictures at an Exhibition at the Southbank

Roy Westbrook, 24th October

Benjamin Grosvenor tackles pianistic beasts by Chopin, Ravel and Mussorgsky in his Queen Elizabeth Hall recital.

****1

Nail-biting Shostakovich from the BBC National Orchestra of Wales

Dominic Lowe, 15th August

Before a searing performance of Shostakovich's Thirteenth from Ryan Bancroft and his Welsh forces, Benjamin Grosvenor delivers a terrific performance of Ravel's Piano Concerto in G major.

****1

Benjamin Grosvenor’s Ravel sparkles in Montreal

Ian Cochrane, 1st May

The British are coming! An exciting evening of Ravel and Vaughan Williams with conductor Andrew Manze and pianist Benjamin Grosvenor in Montreal.

****1

High voltage Shostakovich 10 from Elim Chan and the BBCSO

Mark Pullinger, 28th February

In the 50th anniversary year of Shostakovich's death, you'll be hard pushed to hear a more thrilling rendition of the Tenth Symphony.

****1

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Edward Sava-Segal

Edward has been living in New York for the last 25 years, one of the reasons being the extraordinarily rich cultural life in this city. He has studied piano and classical music in his early years. He switched later on to computer science and data architecture but he kept an unwavering interest in following the classical music phenomenon here in New York and in his travels. Edward occasionally reviews fine arts events for the most prestigious literary magazine in Romania, his home country.

Benjamin Grosvenor’s Chicago debut: virtuosity as a vehicle for exploring artistic depths