On a very fine autumn evening last Saturday, the full capacity recital room at Breinton turned into one substantial and imaginative exhibition. The pictorial, graphic and illuminating account of Benjamin Grosvenor’s Pictures at an Exhibition pinned the audience to their seats throughout, yet somehow escorted us from one picture to another, going through various promenades in a different mood each, sometimes briskly encouraging us, other times cautiously leading us, or gently guiding us hand in hand. Be it the light-footed comical chicks, heavy bodied cattle battling through mud, hauntingly poignant castle, bustling chaos of the marketplace, and Baba Yaga plotting something sinister, each atmospheric circumstance and appearing creature’s movements were depicted vividly by Benjamin’s acute precision and expertly nuanced voicing. All was mightily expressed by his magnificent range of tones and sonority and skill to project them onto the audience. The ultimate climax came when the majestic view of the Great Gate of Kiev emerged right in front of our eyes (we really felt like it) – full eruption of imagination and bursting colours. It was orchestrated with an unapologetic usage of the pedal and power together with precise control, creating the sounds which vibrated the core of our body and mind. Absolute silence remained as if to soak up the last chord completely till it disappeared into the air, then a thunderous applause.
Brahms’ Three Intermezzo with which Benjamin opened the recital were intimate and poetic, and I think this is where Benjamin shows his true nature which established him as an unshakable status as a pianist, admired globally. His expressive sounds were so subtle, tender and touching, and they brought out the irresistible beauty and autumnal sensation.
With Schuman’s Fantasy, the monumental Romantic work by the composer, we go through emotional turmoil and complexity. Benjamin’s impressive range of tones, sonority, texture and resonance expressed the intensely urged emotion and declaration of love, while his subtle rubato added extra maturity and a bit of swings. In places, his effective usage of pedaling, sustaining the lower register chords while playing melodies that went with them as if they were being memory-foamed, created such blissful moments. I thought the transmission from the 2nd to 3rd movement was glorious, shifting from the passionate explosion of love into longing and caring.
Following the Brahms and Schumann was Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, completely switching the vibe.
The encore was Bach’s Prelude transcribed by Siloti. Simply eternal. How we wished to sit there and listen longer…….