Piano

FRANZ LISZT
Années de pèlerinage,
 première année: Suisse

JOHANN NEPOMUK HUMMEL
Sonata in F-sharp minor, Op. 81


FRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN
Impromptu in F-sharp minor, Op. 36
Impromptu in G-flat Major, Op. 51
Ballade in A-flat Major, Op. 47
Ballade in F minor, Op. 52

Stephen Hough has emerged as a unique presence on the international concert scene. From highly acclaimed performances of standard repertoire, in recital and with the world's finest orchestras, to his interest in discovering unusual and neglected works, he combines the imagination and pianistic colour of the past with the scholarship of the present, illuminating the very essence of the music he plays. He has been honoured with the award of one of the 2001 MacArthur Fellowships and thereby joins a group which is described by the MacArthur Foundation as comprising "original and creative people of all ages and groups across a wide array of human endeavors linked together by their individual commitments to discovering and advancing knowledge and to improving society." Stephen divides his time between homes in the UK and USA.

Since winning first prize in the Naumburg International Piano Competition in 1983 he has appeared regularly with most of the major American orchestras and with numerous European orchestras under conductors including Abbado, Ashkenazy, Dohnányi, Dutoit, Gergiev, Jarvi, Levine, Oramo, Rattle, Salonen, Slatkin, Tilson Thomas and Vanska.

He gives recitals regularly in major halls and series all over the world, and has been a frequent guest at many Festivals including Aspen, Ravinia, Tanglewood, Blossom, Hollywood Bowl, Mostly Mozart, Edinburgh, Salzburg and the BBC Proms.  

He has an extensive catalogue of recordings, many of which have won international prizes such as the Diapason d'Or, the Deutscher Schallplattenpreis, Classic CD and Gramophone Awards. In 1996 his Hyperion CD of concertos by Scharwenka and Sauer with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Lawrence Foster was awarded both Gramophone Magazine's 'Concerto Record of the Year' as well as their overall 'Recording of the Year'. In 1997 recordings of Mendelssohn's complete works for piano and orchestra, Liebermann concertos, and Mompou's solo piano music (a Diapason d'Or and Gramophone Award winner), and his 1998 release "New York Variations" (chosen as Best Classical CD of the Year by TIME magazine and including the first recordings of John Corigliano's Etude Fantasy and George Tsontakis' epic "Ghost Variations") have further reinforced his status as an artist of the utmost distinction and individuality. More recent solo releases of Schubert, Brahms and Liszt have won high praise - including a 2002 Grammy nomination (Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (without Orchestra)) for the Liszt Sonata, Ballades and Polonaises. Hyperion's Autumn 2001 release of the complete Saint Saens Piano Concertos with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra/Sakari Oramo has already been internationally acclaimed, winning the Diapason d'Or and a Choc from Monde de la Musique. Stephen is also a keen writer and has provided many of the liner notes for his recordings. These essays have received high praise and have been singled out by several critics as exemplary.

As a chamber musician Stephen collaborates on a regular basis with friends such as Steven Isserlis, Joshua Bell, Pamela Frank, Tabea Zimmermann and Michael Collins. He has also performed with the Cleveland, Emerson and Juilliard Quartets, recording the complete sonatas of Beethoven and Brahms with the latter's former first violinist Robert Mann.