Benjamin Frith and Heidi Rolfe, four hands piano recital

We are delighted to welcome back Benjamin Frith and Heidi Rolfe to perform an hour of fantastic piano duets - 4 hands at one piano. This promises to be a spectacular evening of piano music in the wonderfully intimate surroundings of the Forsyth piano showroom. Ben and Heidi have become regulars/favourites here at Forsyth's recital series - and this will be their 4th performance here since our 'post lockdown' recitals started in 2021.

• John Field - ‘Variations on a Russian Air’ H.10
• Rimsky Korsakov - ‘Scheherazade’

Benjamin Frith

“Prodigy anong prodigies” was how British artist Benjamin Frith was described when winning the British National Concerto Competition, aged just fourteen. Since then, he has been a first prize winner in the Rubinstein Masters Competition, a prize winner in the Mozart Memorial Competition (London) and was awarded top prize in the Busoni International Piano Competition.Benjamin has established himself as an international concert artist with his American and Edinburgh Festival debuts being met with rave reviews. He has worked with many of the world’s leading conductors and orchestras; these include the Berlin Symphony Orchestra, Zubin Mehta with the Israel Philharmonic, Matthias Bamert with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Barry Wordsworth with the BBC Philharmonic and the Polish National Radio Orchestra.His exciting and diverse repertoire ranges from Bach to Tippett and includes over fifty concertos. In addition to giving numerous radio broadcasts, he has released over 25 commerical recordings, including a cycle of John Field Concertos and Mendelssohn piano works. Five of his discs are included in the Gramophone Best CD Guide 2000.For many years Benjemin has enjoyed exploring the wonderful piano duo repertoire with his wife Heidi in recitals throughout the UK. Complete performances of Holst’s Planets Suite in its little know four hand version (as seen here at Forsyths in 2022), Schubertiads and partnerships such as Fanny and Felix Mendelssohn have formed many of their programmes. Double Piano Concerto dates have included the Poulenc with the English Pro Musica. They have also collaborated with the C.B.S.O players in many symphonic chamber arrangements. Benjamin and Heidi recently gave a complete Piano Duo Day at the Wigmore Hall where they performed four hand and two piano repertoire together.

Heidi Rolfe

After time spent riding racehorses, both in the UK and abroad, Heidi returned to continue her musical studies. Graduating with a Masters degree in Piano Performance, Heidi was singled out for many concerto performances and was awarded the gift of a Grand Piano. Throughout her education she was privileged to work with eminent pianists including the legendary Andre Gavrilov and take musical guidance from the late Dame Fanny Waterman.Her varied repertoire includes works by female composers and much contemporary music; an interest in combining music and drama has led to award winning performances, broadcast by the BBC. Heidi played and tutored works by Gyorgy Kurtag at the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival where she also gave the World Premiere of Tarot Conway’s Premiere Piano Concerto; other festival appearances include the Bradfield, Corbridge and Deal Festivals.
Heidi enjoys a busy career as a music educator. In addition to teaching at Sheffield University, Heidi is a Main Panel Examiner for ABRSM, is a published composer of many educational works and counts amongst her pupils competition prize-winners who have gone on to enjoy a musical career.

Host or Publisher Forsyth Brothers Limited