Benjamin Grosvenor shines in Chopin’s E minor concerto

By Edward Sava-Segal, 10 December 2020

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“vanquishing technical difficulties was not an act of bravado, but one of basking in modesty”

Reviewed at Lighthouse, Poole on 9 December 2020

Mendelssohn, Overture in C major

Chopin, Piano Concerto no. 1 in E minor, Op.11

Granados, Danza de la moza donosa

Haydn, Symphony no. 88 in G major

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra

Gergely Madaras, Conductor

Benjamin Grosvenor, Piano

Sarah Walker, Presenter

Ning Feng’s Korngold is not quite a “Hollywood hit” in Poole

David Truslove, 26th November

Sian Edwards takes the helm of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra in Britten, Korngold and Dvořák, with mixed results.

***11

A Prom of two halves: Mark Wigglesworth and the Bournemouth SO

Leighton Jones, 20th July

The BSO play a trio of 20th-century greats — Ravel and Shostakovich both taking inspiration from the age of jazz, while Walton’s First Symphony provides contrast.

***11

Die Fledermaus at The Grange: Cabaret meets G&S

David Karlin, 20th June

A fine singing cast gives creditable performances in Johann Stauss II's most famous operetta, but Paul Curran's updating of Act 2 to 1930s Berlin takes the fizz out of the Champagne.

***11

Alena Baeva delivers transcendent Berg at The Anvil

David Truslove, 25th January

Polished playing and inspirational performances in Basingstoke that underline the exciting relationship between Mark Wigglesworth and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.

*****

The Rake's Progress at The Grange: richly entertaining

David Karlin, 23rd June

Singing performances are excellent, the staging is well crafted and Stravinsky's eclectic score entertains from start to finish. But it's an evening's opera that doesn't touch the soul.

****1

Voices from the East: a musical marathon with a gripping finish

Peter Quantrill, 19th May

Kirill Karabits and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra present a day of composers from the former Soviet republics with heroic skill and stamina.

****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.