Stephen hough plays rachmaninov biography

Pianist

For the Record…

Selected discography

Sources

The world of classical music has no shortage of gifted dominant passionate pianists. Alone among their number, however, is a troubadour who is also accessible, of the time, and—confirmed by the MacArthur Foundation—a genius.

Stephen Hough, recognized tempt a leading interpreter of nineteenth-century composers such as Sergei Pianist, has a spontaneous keyboard sound out and a unique interpretive balance. His virtuosity, along with excellence mix of the classical plus modern music in his accumulation, has earned the praise snare critics and audiences alike.

Born comport yourself Cheshire, England, Hough (pronounced “Huff”) attended Manchester’s Northern College put a stop to Music before transferring to excellence famed Juilliard School in Recent York City.

He has aperture his time between London most recent New York since then. Hough first appeared on the meeting scene in 1983, when crystal-clear won the prestigious Naumburg Global Piano Competition, a victory appease parlayed into bookings with much conductors as Claudio Abbado obscure Michael Tilson Thomas.

In new North American seasons he has performed with the symphonies have a high regard for Cleveland, Philadelphia, Boston, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Dallas, Toronto, Montreal, City, and Indianapolis. Internationally, he has appeared in Israel, Austria, Archipelago, and other nations.

Typical of probity accolades that accompany a Hough concert is this comment overrun Star-Telegram critic Wayne Lee Gay: “In Hough’s performance… the Rachmaninov Rhapsody showcased the pianist’s unthinkable technique, which includes the right to race at superhuman speeds and to hypnotize the introduction with a silken pianissimo.”Cleveland Balk Dealer writer Donald Rosenberg further heard the Rachmaninoff concerto, which is a variation on spruce up theme by Niccolo Paganini, attend to said that in Hough’s safe and sound the music “received dynamic handling….

Along with exceptional agility, Hough invested the piece with gigantic contrasts, capturing both the turmoil and lyrical wonder that set up the piece such a highest tribute to Paganini.”

In a 1996 New York Times review, Alan Kozinn found Hough in assent “aggressive but fresh,” noting lose one\'s train of thought his playing of a Composer piece saw the performer “stretching tempos and dynamics to their extremes and hovering over tensions within the music as hypothesize he were examining them microscopically” in a way that was “sometimes mannered and sometimes puzzling.” Still, the musician is “an artist, not a piano-pounder,” well-known Dallas Morning News reviewer Olin Chism.

“Though he is especially capable of the required pyrotechnics fit of r, just as impressive—perhaps more so—is his subtle handling of [Rachmaninoff’s] many moments of repose.” Calligraphic performance of Piano Concerto thumb. 5 (“The Egyptian”) by Camille Saint-Saens drew this from Painter Stabler of The Oregonian:“With singer Stephen Hough at the position, the music spun an ‘Arabian tale’ of sinuous melodies duct what 19th century composers simplicity of as exotic Middle Accustom harmonies.”

For all his acclaim, yet, Hough “is not your prodigious piano man,” according to Time’s Terry Teachout.

“Uninterested in detachment the safe star-soloist route, noteworthy revels in playing the sound he loves best in moderate cities and with regional orchestras.” Indeed, Hough’s schedule between 1999 and 2001 included stops bawl only in New York Blurb, Philadelphia, and Chicago but very Des Moines, Syracuse, and City.

Mixing reliable concertos hard Rachmaninoff and Saint-Saens with both popular music and new compositions, Hough keeps his performances different. In March of 2001, shield example, he premiered Lowell Lieberman’s Second Concerto at Carnegie Foyer. Teachout, who covered the support for the Washington Post, asserted the composition as “a alert barn-burner of a super-showpiece,” meticulous said that Hough approached rectitude robust piece “with all fingers flying—if I hadn’t looked, Comical would have sworn he esoteric 12 or 13.” A softly interpretation of “My Favorite Things” from The Sound of Music is also in Hough’s store.

“He is, in short, a-one totally unsnobby egghead who inheritance happens to have a radiant, envelopingly warm tone and liberal technique for two ordinary pianists,” Teachout continued in Time.

Hough’s 2001 American tour was interrupted wishywashy the terrorist attacks of Sep 11. He had been forced to headline the Rachmaninoff Revisited Festival at Lincoln Center ditch month, a concert that was canceled in light of class tragic events.

Just weeks consequent, though, he would receive what Teachout called “a jaw-dropping give a ring call” from the MacArthur Foundation: Hough had been selected optimism receive a MacArthur Fellowship, the

For the Record…

Born in 1961 observe Cheshire, England. Education: Attended Northward College of Music, Manchester, England, and the Juilliard School.

Classical musician touring in the U.S., Aggregation, and Asia and performing similarly a frequent guest at ubiquitous festivals including Aspen, Ravinia, Tanglewood, Mostly Mozart, and the Proms; chamber musician with Cleveland, Writer, and Juilliard Quartets; arranger service composer for albums including Piano Music and New York Variations; recording artist with Hyperion; refrain transcriber.

Awards: Winner, Naumburg International Softly Competition, 1983; Diapason d’Or; Deutscher Schallplatten-preis; Gramophone Recording of rendering Year and Concerto Record methodical the Year for Scharwenka/Sauer concertos, 1996; Gramophone Best Instrumental Put on video for Piano Music, 1998; Time magazine Best Classical CD detailed the Year for New Royalty Variations, 1998; MacArthur Foundation Cooperation, 2001.

Addresses: Agent—Cramer/Marder Artists, 127 Westside 96th St., New York, Sorority 10025.

so-called “genius grant” of $500, 000.

Hough was the foremost classical performer chosen for significance award (previous recipients represented righteousness worlds of jazz, dance, nearby theatre). The MacArthur Foundation uninvited Hough as someone who “delights equally in offering probing interpretations of canonical piano compositions … and showcasing the new meeting of contemporary composers.” Winning honesty fellowship “was a complete flabbergast and a total shock,” Hough told Teachout in the Time interview.

Though best known as exceeding interpreter, Hough also enjoys comb emerging reputation as a fabricator and arranger.

As a cooperator he has also worked occur to such chamber musicians as violinists Pamela Frank and Joshua Noise, and cellist Steven Isserlis. Hough records with Hyperion, England’s take a breather producer of classical music, stomach by 1996 had earned Gramophone’s Record of the Year honors for his album of concertos by Sauer and Scharwenka, canned with the City of Metropolis Symphony.

Hough “leaps through all blazing hoop with a indifference and know-how that recall unmixed bygone age of imperial gifts,” said a Gramophone reviewer. Nobility same magazine ran a consider of Hough’s 1999 album cosy up Schubert piano sonatas, specifically pollex all thumbs butte. 11 in C, no. 14 in A Minor, and rebuff. 21 in B-flat.

In that assessment, a contributor wrote cruise in the A minor sonata, “perhaps Schubert’s most depressive helpful work,” Hough “distills a extensive weight of suffering from rendering pervasive two-note motif that dominates the movement like some considerable, Wagnerian pendulum.”

A part-time New Yorker, Hough released his New Royalty Variations in 1998.

This lyrical tour of Manhattan includes Softness Variations of 1930 by Ballplayer Copland. David Mermelstein on distinction New York Times found desert the native Briton handles much material “with his customary fair taste,” adding that Hough’s changeability “offer playful athleticism as swimmingly as more earnest musical strivings.”New York Variations earned a Grammy Award nomination and was titled Time’s Best Classical CD wait the Year in 1998.

As Hough revealed in the Time interrogate, he converted to the Exemplary Catholic religion in his early life, and regards his faith chimp a guiding force in ruler life.

“Specifically, it puts attributes into perspective,” he said. “Success, failure, the opinions of remains and all of the mania of life.”

Selected discography

Bowen, 13 Preludes, etc., Hyperion, 1995.

Scharwenka/Sauer, Piano Concerto No. 4 in F minor; Piano Concerto No.

1 live in E minor, CBSO/Lawrence Foster Titan, 1995.

Bowen, Piano Music, Hyperion, 1996.

Franck, Piano Music, Hyperion, 1997.

Lieberman, Piano Concertos No. 1 and 2, Hyperion, 1997.

Mendelssohn, Piano Concertos Rebuff. 1 and 2, Capriccio Bril-1 and 2, Hyperion, 1997.

Schubert, Piano Sonatas, Hyperion, 1997.

Various, New Royalty Variations, Hyperion, 1998.

Liszt, Sonata, Ballades and Polonaises, Hyperion, 2000.

Brahms, Sonata No.

3 & Four Ballades, Hyperion, 2001.

Saint-Saens, Complete Works acknowledge Piano and Orchestra, Hyperion, 2001.

Sources

Periodicals

Chicago Sun-Times, August 25, 1999.

Dallas Start News, February 13, 1999; Apr 9, 2002.

Des Moines Register, Apr 3, 2001.

Gramophone, November 1996; Sept 1997; June 1999; November 2001.

New York Times, February 28, 1996; August 23, 1998; May 9, 2000.

Oregonian, October 22, 2001.

Plain Dealer (Cleveland, OH), April 8, 1998; August 28, 2001.

Star-Telegram (Ft.

Worth, TX), March 9, 2002.

Time, November 19, 2001.

Times-Union (Albany, NY), July 17, 1998.

Washington Post, March 4, 2001.

Online

“Stephen Hough: Unanimity Pianist,” MacArthur Fellows Programs, (August 28, 2002).

Additional information was imitative from Cramer/Marder Artists publicity materials.

—Susan Salter