Benjamin Grosvenor in Recital
September 17 – Sydney City Rectial Hall
Details: Rising star Benjamin Grosvenor makes his SSO debut with an elegant and evocative piano recital.
If you were lucky enough to hear the then 20-year-old Grosvenor in Sydney in 2012, you’ll know this is a recital that will highlight his distinctive gifts. The cheerful effervescence of Bach and Mozart calls for clarity and crisp articulation, Chopin’s Barcarolle for lilting grace, and his lyricism and ability to sustain atmosphere will come to the fore in music from France and Spain. Granados – inspired by the paintings of the young Goya – captures the “essence” of Spain in music that’s elegant, moody and richly coloured. Grosvenor has chosen ‘The Flirtations’, a lively take on a popular love song, and the most celebrated piece in the collection: ‘Complaints, or The Maja and the Nightingale.’ The recital ends with Ravel’s Gaspard de la nuit – it is famously virtuosic but what touches the ear and the heart are its evocations of cascading water and spine-tingling hints of the sinister.
