I was particularly interested to see him playing with other musicians, for the reasons you mention, as all the performances I have heard of him so far have been solo (apart from bits of his Ravel concerto for BBCYMOTY, which I don’t think I saw at the time). They were an excellent group, lots of give and take between the performers and a sense of striving towards the same goal.

One always remembers the prodigies who fell away – this seems especially to be the case with child film actors, but less so with musicians (perhaps because ‘naughty salt’ etc. are less prevalent in the world of classical music), though the likes of Terence Judd, whom I have mentioned before here, spring to mind. But it doesn’t automatically follow that someone who burns brightly as a child will burn out once they reach adulthood, and the omens for Grosvenor are good, I think. Let’s hope.

As for Barenboim, I can’t really comment without knowing how he defines ‘prodigy’ – but surely it might be permitted to call e.g. Mozart and Mendelssohn by that name? though I dare say Leopold Mozart was the worst kind of pushy parent…

Interesting post – thank you. Benjamin Grosvenor is a pianist I have avoided after seeing him on Alan Yentob’s ‘Imagination’ prog some years ago, when he came across as a rather unlikeable child-Hobbit. I was struck by his immodesty when he said of (I think) a Chopin Etude, “Horowotz plays it like this” [demo on the piano] “but I prefer to play it like this” [another demo]. I remember thinking what a horrid little know-it -all he appeared, a child of 13 saying such things of a master like Horowitz…. Clearly, coming of age, in both a literal and metaphoric sense, has done him good, judging by your review of his Wigmore appearance. Ensemble playing is good for a young pianist, I think, as it teaches one modesty before others, and one is forced to consider the other players – there is no room for virtuoso histrionics.

My fear about young stars like BG is that the great machine of media and international attention will push them in directions they may not wish to take and, under the pressure of the limelight, they burn out too early. In a way, this happened to Evgeny Kissin, who used to be everywhere, and now, as he nears 40, is very quiet indeed (and possibly very tired!). Great, young talents should be nurtured and brought on carefully – after all, it would be great to think that BG could still be playing, and playing superbly, in his 60s – like John Lill, one of my pianistic heroes from the 1980s, who is still going strong.

By the way, Danny Barenboim once said that there is no such thing as a child prodigy – except in the eyes of the parents! Discuss.

FRAN