Stephen Hough

Has anyone heard him play live? I have two of his CDs-' My Favorite Things' and 'Stephen Hough's New Piano Album.' Both are devoted to encore type pieces and each includes several song transcriptions and original pieces by Hough. I think his arrangements are perhaps the most beautiful I've heard, right up there with those by Liszt, Godovsky, Wild, Rachmaninoff etc.(and many of them are far less difficult). I especially love his arrangements of Richsrd Rodger's Hello Young Lovers and My Favorite Things, Londonderry Air(much more beautiful than the famous Grainger transcription!), Kashmiri Song and Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal(by Amy Woodford-Finden), and The Fuchsia Tree(by Roger Quilter). Has anyone out there played any of these arangements? The CDs also have some incredible performances of some delicious encore type pieces I had not previously heard including Paderewski's Nocturne and Melodie in G flat, Schubert/Godovsky Moment Musical in F minor(played better than Cherkassky), Chaminade's Pierrette- Air de ballet and Gabrilovich's Melodie in E. Hough (pronounced Huff) has recently won the Macarthur (genius} award.

Yes! In fact I was lucky enough to *page turn* for him on one of his Australian Musica Viva concerts with Stephen Isserlis. He is an incredible virtuoso and a very nice person, too. I learnt more about playing the piano from watching him for two hours than I did my entire year of lessons for 2001 (I have a much better teacher now!). The concert itself was a phenomenal success, the audience was in a frenzy at the end, and I was on stage for all of it! What an experience!

Rubberband Girl

My former piano teacher played several pieces from his 'Piano Album' in a recent recital. She played Liebermann's Gargoyles, the Hough transcription of 'My Favorite Things' and the Nocturne by Paderewski.

Living in NYC I have been lucky to hear Stephen Hough play quite a few times, both in recital and with orchestra. I try to hear him every time he plays in town,since I am one of his biggest fans!

His arrangements are very beautiful indeed. I played the Londonderry Air a few months ago in a concert. People love that arrangement, because the setting is so full of beautiful surprises. Not all that easy to play, I might add.

Make sure you hunt down his Chandos recording of Hummel concertos. Brilliant. I remember his performance of the A minor Concerto at Mostly Mozart a few summers back was a sensation. Also look for his recording of Scharwneka/Sauer Concertos. A thrilling performance.

To top it all off, he is the nicest person.

I am also quite fond of his recording of Schubert Sonatas on Hyperion.

-T. Silva-