Schumann & Brahms Benjamin Grosvenor

• Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856): Kreisleriana, Op. 16:
• 1 Schumann: Kreisleriana, Op. 16: I. Äußerst bewegt 02:49
• 2 Schumann: Kreisleriana, Op. 16: II. Sehr innig und nicht zu rasch 09:57
• 3 Schumann: Kreisleriana, Op. 16: III. Sehr aufgeregt 04:49
• 4 Schumann: Kreisleriana, Op. 16: IV. Sehr langsam 03:48
• 5 Schumann: Kreisleriana, Op. 16: V. Sehr lebhaft 03:23
• 6 Schumann: Kreisleriana, Op. 16: VI. Sehr langsam 04:31
• 7 Schumann: Kreisleriana, Op. 16: VII. Sehr rasch 02:24
• 8 Schumann: Kreisleriana, Op. 16: VIII. Schnell und spielend 03:30
• 3 Romanzen, Op. 28:
• 9 Schumann: 3 Romanzen, Op. 28: No. 2 in F-Sharp Major (Einfach) 03:46
• Blumenstück, Op. 19:
• 10 Schumann: Blumenstück, Op. 19 07:17
• Piano Sonata No. 3 in F Minor, Op. 14: III. Quasi variazioni (Andantino de Clara Wieck):
• 11 Schumann: Piano Sonata No. 3 in F Minor, Op. 14: III. Quasi variazioni (Andantino de Clara Wieck): Theme 00:49
• 12 Schumann: Piano Sonata No. 3 in F Minor, Op. 14: III. Quasi variazioni (Andantino de Clara Wieck): Var. I 00:53
• 13 Schumann: Piano Sonata No. 3 in F Minor, Op. 14: III. Quasi variazioni (Andantino de Clara Wieck): Var. II 01:40
• 14 Schumann: Piano Sonata No. 3 in F Minor, Op. 14: III. Quasi variazioni (Andantino de Clara Wieck): Var. III 00:58
• 15 Schumann: Piano Sonata No. 3 in F Minor, Op. 14: III. Quasi variazioni (Andantino de Clara Wieck): Var. IV 03:20
• Abendlied, Op. 85 No. 12 (Arr. Grosvenor):
• 16 Schumann: Abendlied, Op. 85 No. 12 (Arr. Grosvenor) 03:25
• Clara Schumann (1819 - 1896): Variations on a Theme by Robert Schumann, Op. 20:
• 17 Schumann: Variations on a Theme by Robert Schumann, Op. 20: Theme 01:10
• 18 Schumann: Variations on a Theme by Robert Schumann, Op. 20: Var. I 00:52
• 19 Schumann: Variations on a Theme by Robert Schumann, Op. 20: Var. II 00:56
• 20 Schumann: Variations on a Theme by Robert Schumann, Op. 20: Var. III 01:14
• 21 Schumann: Variations on a Theme by Robert Schumann, Op. 20: Var. IV 00:58
• 22 Schumann: Variations on a Theme by Robert Schumann, Op. 20: Var. V 01:00
• 23 Schumann: Variations on a Theme by Robert Schumann, Op. 20: Var. VI 01:11
• 24 Schumann: Variations on a Theme by Robert Schumann, Op. 20: Var. VII 04:12
• Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897): Intermezzi, Op. 117:
• 25 Brahms: Intermezzi, Op. 117: No. 1 in E-Flat Major 05:14
• 26 Brahms: Intermezzi, Op. 117: No. 2 in B-Flat Minor 04:54
• 27 Brahms: Intermezzi, Op. 117: No. 3 in C-Sharp Minor 06:23
• Total Runtime 01:25:23

Info for Schumann & Brahms

The acclaimed British pianist, Benjamin Grosvenor, still only 30 and yet a well-established favourite of critics and audiences around the globe, takes Robert Schumann’s haunting Kreisleriana as his starting point in his new album, Schumann & Brahms. This eight-movement work portrays the mercurial personality of the fictional Johannes Kreisler, created by E. T. A. Hoffmann: Kreisler’s highs and lows, and his dreamy nature, clearly mirror Schumann’s own tragic manic-depressive tendencies. Grosvenor responds to the composer’s autobiographical honesty with playing of sublime tenderness, dazzling variety, and imaginative empathy.

He accompanies the work with the melancholic Variations on a Theme by Robert Schumann by Schumann’s beloved wife Clara (who, incidentally, stated that she was much disturbed by the visions conjured up in Kreisleriana). Further kaleidoscopic variety is provided by Robert’s Blumenstück, and Quasi Variazione: Andantino de Clara Wieck. The recital also includes Brahms’ Three Intermezzi, autumnal works which shed a fascinating light on the complicated relationship which existed between Robert, Clara and Brahms himself. Grosvenor’s own arrangement of Robert’s Abendlied completes the programme.

The recording is Benjamin Grosvenor’s seventh for Decca since 2011, when he became the youngest musician - and also the first British pianist in more than sixty years - to sign to the label. Since then he has won inter alia several Gramophone Awards, and the prestigious Diapason d’Or de l’année. After a spectacular win, at the age of just 11, in the keyboard section of the BBC Young Musician competition, he went on to become the youngest soloist ever to appear at the opening night of the BBC Proms in 2011.

Benjamin Grosvenor, piano

Benjamin Grosvenor - Piano
Nineteen year old British pianist Benjamin Grosvenor is internationally recognized for his electrifying performances and penetrating interpretations. An exquisite technique and ingenious flair for tonal colour are the hallmarks which make Benjamin Grosvenor one of the most sought-after young pianists in the world. His virtuosic command over the most strenuous technical complexities never compromises the formidable depth and intelligence of his interpretations. Described by some as a ‘Golden Age’ pianist (American Record Guide) and one ‘almost from another age’ (The Times), Benjamin is renowned for his distinctive sound, described as ‘poetic and gently ironic, brilliant yet clear-minded, intelligent but not without humour, all translated through a beautifully clear and singing touch’ (The Independent).

Benjamin first came to prominence as the outstanding winner of the Keyboard Final of the 2004 BBC Young Musician Competition at the age of eleven. Since then, Benjamin has become an internationally regarded pianist performing concerti with orchestras including the London Philharmonic, Tokyo Symphony, and Brazilian Symphony in venues such as the Royal Festival Hall, Barbican, Muza Kawasaki and Carnegie Hall (at the age of thirteen). In 2011, having just turned nineteen, Benjamin performed with the BBC Symphony Orchestra on the First Night of the BBC Proms to a sold-out Royal Albert Hall. His performance of Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 2 dazzled critics, with The Times commenting on ‘the clarity and poetry of his panache, the airy grace of his arpeggios, the lack of flash buckles and bows'. Benjamin works with numerous esteemed conductors including Vladimir Ashkenazy, Jiří Bělohlávek and Vladimir Jurowski.

An accomplished recitalist, Benjamin performs to acclaim across the world. A regular at the Wigmore Hall in London, he has also made recital debuts at venues including the Victoria Hall in Singapore and the Philia Hall in Tokyo. In the USA, Benjamin has appeared at the Gilmore Festival and is a favourite in Saint Paul at the Chopin Society in Minnesota. Benjamin has recently given a highly successful fifteen-concert tour across Germany, for which he was labelled a ‘piano visionary’ by the Süddeutschen Zeitung. Benjamin continues to work chamber music collaborations into his busy schedule and enjoys working with other members of the BBC New Generation Artists scheme, of which he is a member during 2010-2012. Highlights of this season include engagements with the RAI Torino and Semyon Bychkov, Singapore Symphony and Okko Kamu, an extensive tour to North America including appearances in Washington and New York, and recital debuts in Berlin and Prague. In 2011/12 Benjamin is Associate Artist with Orchestra of the Swan.

In 2011 Benjamin signed to Decca Classics, and in doing so has become the youngest British musician ever to sign to the label, and the first British pianist to sign to the label in almost 60 years. His first recording for Decca includes Chopin’s Four Scherzi and Ravel’s Gaspard de la Nuit. Critics have marvelled at Benjamin’s musical character as displayed in this recording; ‘Grosvenor, you can tell, is a Romantic pianist, almost from another age. He doesn't deconstruct, or stand at a distance. He jumps inside the music's soul’ (The Times) and ‘Grosvenor's balance of oratory and ornament, gesture and poetry – evident, too, in Ravel's Gaspard de la nuit – are moving as well as impressive’ (The Observer). Benjamin’s previous recordings include Chopin rarities for the 200th anniversary edition of Chopin’s complete works (EMI, 2010) in which he was lauded for his ‘sensitivity of touch, general musicality and affection for the music’ (BBC Music Magazine) and a debut solo recording ‘This and That’ (Bowers & Wilkins Society of Sound/EMI, 2008), in response to which Bryce Morrison remarked that ‘even the most outlandish difficulties are tossed aside not just as child’s play but with a seemingly endless poetic finesse and resource’ (Gramophone). During his brief but sensational career to date, Benjamin has been featured in two BBC television documentaries, and his performances have been broadcast widely across the world.

The youngest of five brothers, Benjamin Grosvenor began playing the piano aged 6. He currently studies with Christopher Elton at the Royal Academy of Music on an affiliated scholarship and has also studied with Leif Ove Andsnes, Stephen Hough, and Arnaldo Cohen amongst others.

This album contains no booklet.