"I have found Bechstein pianos to be a pleasure to play. They have a distinctly individual sound, and a rich, varied palette of colours."
Benjamin Grosvenor
British pianist Benjamin Grosvenor is internationally recognized for his electrifying performances and insightful interpretations. His virtuoso command over the most strenuous technical complexities makes him one of the most sought-after young pianists in the world. The youngest of five brothers, he began playing the piano aged six. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music, where he graduated in 2012 with the Queen’s Commendation for Excellence.
He first came to prominence as the winner of the 2004 BBC Young Musician of the Year Award at the age of eleven. Since then, he has become an internationally acclaimed pianist, performing with major orchestras (London Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Philharmonia Orchestra, Leipzig Gewandhausorchester and Tokyo Symphony) and esteemed conductors (Vladimir Ashkenazy, Jiří Bělohlávek, Semyon Bychkov, Sir Mark Elder, Alan Gilbert, Vladimir Jurowski, Andrew Manze, Kent Nagano, François-Xavier Roth, John Storgards and Gabor Takacs-Nagyat) at the world’s most famous venues (Royal Festival Hall, Carnegie Hall and Singapore’s Victoria Hall).
Benjamin Grosvenor has performed repeatedly at the BBC Proms: his first appearance was in 2011 at the sold-out Royal Albert Hall; the following year, he performed with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra directed by Charles Dutoit; and in 2014 he gave two recitals, performing Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with the BBC Philharmonic directed by Gianandrea Noseda. After this performance, The Times stated: “The interpretation by this twenty-two-year-old pianist perfectly matched the description by Chopin himself, who talked of an elegant, flowing and gracious work, full of brilliance and clarity.” B
enjamin Grosvenor also performs as a chamber musician, in particular at the Musée du Louvre (with the Escher String Quartet) and during two festivals, Montréal’s Classical Spree and the International Chamber Music Series (Queen Elizabeth Hall, with the Endellion String Quartet).
The contract he signed with Decca Classics in 2011 is not just exceptional because he is the youngest pianist working with this label, but also because he is the first British artist to do so in almost sixty years.
During his sensational career, the young pianist has received two Gramophone awards (Instrumental Award and Young Artist of the Year), a Classic Brits’ Critics Award, UK Critics’ Circle Award for Exceptional Young Talent and a Diapason d’Or “Jeune Talent” Award. He has also featured in two BBC television documentaries (BBC Breakfast and The Andrew Marr Show), as well as in CNN’s Human to Hero series. Last but not least, Benjamin Grosvenor was recently entrusted with the European promotion of the Celviano Grand Hybrid pianos developed jointly by C. Bechstein and Casio.
Photos: © Valentin Behringer, Gregor Willmes und operaomnia.co.uk
