Benjamin Grosvenor Awarded NY Philharmonic’s Piano Prize

[John F]

Benjamin Grosvenor Awarded Philharmonic’s New Piano Prize
By MICHAEL COOPER
OCT. 20, 2016

The young British pianist Benjamin Grosvenor, who has been making the leap from child prodigy to a maturing star, has been named the first recipient of a new $30,000 classical piano prize awarded by the New York Philharmonic, the orchestra announced Thursday. Mr. Grosvenor, 24, won the first Ronnie and Lawrence Ackman Classical Piano Prize — which, in addition to the prize money, comes with opportunities to perform with the orchestra. He will play with the Philharmonic in April 2018, the orchestra said.

The prize is the latest sign of recognition for Mr. Grosvenor, who has been making waves among piano lovers. At his Carnegie Hall recital last year he “recalled a distant age of pianism, playing with a judgment far beyond his years and a tone so achingly antique it sounded as if it ought properly to be heard through the crackle and hiss of an old monophonic record,” David Allen wrote in The New York Times. He will return to Carnegie in April to perform Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s.

Mr. Grosvenor, who played with the Philharmonic at a Young People’s Concert in London in 2012, said in a statement that he looked forward to playing his first concerts with the orchestra in New York and “to becoming involved in community music projects in a city that has always treated me like one of its own, and which has such a rich musical history and culture.”

The Ackman Prize was created by Lawrence Ackman, a member of the Philharmonic board, and his wife, Ronnie, a pianist who is a member of the Lincoln Center board.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/21/arts/ ... prize.html

[maestrob]

Well-deserved: Grosvenor stands tall among the latest generation of pianists. I just ordered his latest album, out to rave reviews:



Love his playing, and his ability to master all sorts of repertoire.

[Holden Fourth]

I am usually very skeptical about 'wunderkind' but this guy gets the tick of approval from me. Here is a young pianist who actually has a sound and style of his own and not some technical robot, indistinguishable from all the others you hear on the competition circuit. I always look forward to his upcoming recordings.

[Lance]

Very impressive playing. Already having a glorious career, many good things are ahead for this young man. I, too, have all of his available recordings and am eager to hear more.