Chopin, Liszt, Ravel

Benjamin Grosvenor (piano) Decca 478 3026 *****

English pianist Benjamin Grovesnor was 11 when he won the keyboard section of the BBC Young Musician of the Year Competition in 2004, and this year became the youngest ever soloist in the opening night of the BBC Proms. Grovesnor has been stirring up superlatives from critics, and his debut recital for Decca makes the reason as clear as his 2009 Dublin appearance with the Ulster Orchestra. He gives the impression of having an old head on young shoulders. And, with an abundance of technique, Grovesnor's playing blends youthful impetuosity and wisdom. His Decca CD traverses Chopin (the four Scherzos interspersed with nocturnes), two Chopin songs arranged by Liszt, Liszt's own late En rêve(another nocturne), and Ravel's Gaspard de la nuit.Grosvenor is a risk-taker, and his interpretative brinkmanship can be invigorating even when it doesn't quite work, leaving you dizzy at the thought of what might have been. See url.ie/4w4k