Benjamin Grosvenor returns to Chicago Symphony Center
This Sunday, British virtuoso Benjamin Grosvenor returns to Chicago Symphony Center to make his solo recital debut as part of the prestigious SCP Piano Series.
Following appearances in Santa Fe and at Duke University, Benjamin takes to Chicago’s stage with a programme including the US premiere of Faustian Pact by celebrated composer Brett Dean, written for and premiered by the British pianist at the Lucerne Piano Festival in January.
The commission sits naturally alongside Liszt’s B minor sonata, and Dean remarks on a previous performance: “Benjamin Grosvenor, performing Liszt’s extraordinary B minor Sonata, has been an eye-, ear- and mind-opening experience.” Benjamin gives the work its UK premiere at the Wigmore Hall this April. Following his critically-acclaimed debut with the Chicago Symphony and conductor Paavo Jaarvi in Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 back in 2022 and on the promise that “audiences can look forward to future outings from the young British star” (Chicago Classical Review) Benjamin’s programme is completed with two of Chopin’s most commanding solo works — Ballade in G minor No. 1 and the Sonata in B flat minor.
Hailed “Pianist-Sorcerer” (Rondomagazin), Benjamin recently made his debut at the Berlin Philharmonie with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and their Music Director Robin Ticciati to unanimous and widespread critical acclaim, and later this spring looks forward to Prokofiev’s Third Piano Concerto with the Gürzenich-Orchester Köln and conductor Elim Chan, and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and conductor Kazuki Yamada.