Decca Classics is thrilled to announceĀ Chopin: Piano Sonatas Nos. 2 & 3, the new album by internationally renowned British pianist Benjamin Grosvenor, due for release on 23rd May 2025. This will be Grosvenorās ninth recording with Decca since his historic signing in 2011, when he became the youngest British musicianāand the first British pianist in over sixty yearsāto join the label. Since then, Grosvenor has been recognised byĀ GramophoneĀ as one of the 50 greatest pianists ever recorded.
This album celebrates Chopinās genius with two of his most profound and contrasting works: theĀ Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minorĀ and theĀ Piano Sonata No. 3 in B minor. ComposedĀ five yearsĀ apart, theseĀ masterpieces showcase the range of Chopinās emotional and musical brilliance.
Grosvenor comments, āThe broodingĀ Second SonataĀ is widely known for its Funeral March, but it also shows Chopin as a trailblazer, with theĀ Finale: PrestoĀ hinting at modernism. It stands out in Chopinās work as something truly unique.ā By contrast, theĀ Third Sonata, written at the height of Chopinās career in 1844, blends dazzling piano technique with beautiful, flowing melodies, showing the composer at his most refined and expressive.
To complement the sonatas, Grosvenor selected a number of shorter works. He explains, āTo balance the sonatas, I included his Ballade No. 1, which helped establish Chopinās reputation in Paris in 1835.ā This celebrated piece, known as one of Chopinās greatest works, is full of drama and storytelling. Dedicated to Baron Nathaniel von Stockhausen in 1836, Robert Schumann called it āthe piece that shows the most genius,ā a view shared by Chopin, who described it as his favorite composition. The Ballade is prefaced by the tenderĀ Berceuse. Grosvenor shares, āAmong the weightier works on this album, I included the Berceuse to offer a moment of calm. Itās a beautiful piece written in the same year as the Third Sonata, with work on it beginning during a romantic summer at Nohant. In just a few years, Chopin had established himself as one of the greatest composers for the piano.ā Finally, before the third sonata, we hear two of Chopinās most mature and richly spun Nocturnes: the expressive No. 1 in F Minor and the lyrical No. 2 in E-flat Major, both written shortly before the Third Sonata. This latest release follows Grosvenorās much-lauded 2020 recording of the Chopin piano concerti with Elim Chan and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, which received the Gramophone Concerto Award and aĀ Diapason dāOr de lāAnnĆ©e.Ā DiapasonĀ described it as āa version to rank among the best, and confirmation of an extraordinary artist.ā
Grosvenor continues to garner widespread acclaim. Recent highlights include performances at the Berlin Philharmonie with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, at Chicago Symphony Center, and the BBC Proms. 2025 brings further exciting performances, including debuts with the Bamberg Symphony and NHK Symphony Orchestras, and performances with the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Karina Canellakis. Grosvenor will also return to the Montreal, Seattle, Bern, Dallas, and BBC Orchestras, as well as the Royal Northern Sinfonia, Leeds International Piano Festival, and Berliner Klavierfestival as part of a European recital tour. In February 2025, he will be a featured artist at the ThĆ©Ć¢tre des Champs-ĆlysĆ©es in Paris, performing both concerto and solo recital programmes.
This album promises to be a landmark addition to Grosvenorās celebrated discography and a compelling tribute to the enduring legacy of Chopin.
Live dates:
ā¢ 28 February 2025 ā Barbican, London, UK (BBC Symphony Orchestra)
ā¢ 16 March 2025 ā Benenden School, Kent, UK (Solo Recital)
ā¢ 17 March 2025 ā Cambridge Music Festival, Cambridge, UK (Solo Recital)
