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Decca5
Schumann & Brahms
Benjamin Grosvenor, piano
Decca, 2023
One of the most original and gifted pianists of our time, Benjamin Grosvenor’s playing is marked by its unconventionality, the sudden and extreme changes of colour, a unique management of time. His extremely clear and limpid touch make him a true genius of contemporary piano, and these qualities come to light in an impressive way on this CD.
There is always a light in Grosvenor’s interpretations. Even in a complex and sometimes twisted piece like Kreisleriana, which opens this recording, the young pianist manages to locate a clarity and positivity so rare in other performances of Schumann’s music.
The CD then continues with Romanza No. 2 in F-sharp minor Op. 28. Here melancholy reigns supreme, but there is also a certain lucidity of expression. The third movement of the Grande Sonate No. 3 Op. 14 in F minor, and the variations on an Andantino by Clara Schumann follow. Grosvenor plays the ladder with remarkable emotional breadth and great yearning. This inner intensity is balanced by an arrangement of the Abendlied Op. 85 No. 12, which provides a moment of stasis between very agitated and structurally complex pieces.
The Variations on a Theme by Robert Schumann Op. 20 by Clara Schumann is a work of great technical and compositional complexity; polyphony is the master here, as is also the case in other Variations on a Theme by Robert Schumann, Op. 9 by Brahms.
Variation V is a demonstration of Clara’s virtuosity, as one of the most celebrated pianists of her time. Grosvenor plays this work with a technical clarity of the highest value. The CD closes with the Intermezzi Op. 117 by Brahms. Here, the crystalline touch and the poetic soul of the English pianist reach incredible levels, and the choice of timing and management of agogics are perfect.
This page is also available in / Cette page est également disponible en:
Francais (French)
