Introduction Rachmaninov Piano Concerto 2 from The BPSO on Vimeo.
We’re delighted that Benjamin Frith is joining us to perform Rachmaninoff’s fabulous Piano Concerto No. 2 at the Proms Night Spectacular at Symphony Hall, Birmingham. To buy your tickets click here.
Life student of Dame Fanny Waterman, Benjamin Frith embarked on his career by winning the Dudley National Concerto Competition, aged fourteen, performing Saint-Saen’s 2nd Piano Concerto, subsequently making his Young Musician’s recital debut at the Harrogate International Festival. His many awards culminated in joint top prize at the Busoni International Piano Competition in Bolzano, then in 1989, the Gold Medal at the Artur Rubinstein Piano Master’s Competition, where he was also awarded the Chamber Music Prize.
Many engagements with world renowned orchestras followed, such as IPO (Mehta), Warsaw Philharmonic (Atzmon), the Hallé under John Wilson and Sir Mark Elder with recital tours from India, Kazakhstan, Israel and Egypt to the Far East and North America. He soon made recording contracts with ASV, then with Naxos, dor whom he made a best-selling John Field Concerto Cycle with the Royal Northern Sinfonia, recently reissued with the complete Nocturnes and Sonatas. His solo recording of Schumann’s highly personal Davidsbündlertänze op. 6 received the top recommendation on Radio Three’s programme, CD Review.
During the latter half of his career there has been a concentration on the chamber repertoire, principally as pianist in the Gould Piano Trio, which has made regular tours to North America being described recently in the Washington Post as ‘near musical perfection.’ The trio has performed the complete cycles of Schubert, Beethoven and Dvořák at London’s Wigmore Hall. He has also performed the enterprising Frith Piano Quartet and recently been guest pianist of the Nash Ensemble together with previous appearances alongside the Lindsay, Elias, Emperor, Endellion, Chilingirian, Wihan and
Dante quartets. Frith’s recording of C.V.Stanford’s 2nd Piano Concerto with BBCNOW coupled with his Dante Rhapsodies for solo piano was warmly received by BBC Music Magazine and chosen by the Gramophone’s critic, Jeremy Dibble, as his ‘Disc of the Year 2016‘.
In 2019 Frith returned to China and Japan for recital tours, giving Masterclasses in this emerging and exciting pianistic environment. Recent concerto appearances included Beethoven’s Emperor with Manchester Camerata at Selby Abbey. In 2020 he will take the cycle of Mendelssohn’s
Songs Without Words to Japan. Benjamin Frith is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.
Tickets to our exciting concert are available here.