FREDERIC CHOPIN
Chopin: Nocturnes Stephen Hough (piano) [ Hyperion / 2 CD - released 29/Oct/2021 ] Hough's playing is of an enviable freedom and flexibility, his shot-silk pianism endlessly blossoming with colour and nuance...few pianists can approach him as a master of finesse, and he is presented in sumptuous sound." International Piano |
ROBERT SCHUMANN
Schumann: Arabeske, Kreisleriana & Fantasie Stephen Hough (piano) [ Hyperion / CD - released 3/Sep/2021 ] The emotional sweep of these marvellous works, reflecting the vicissitudes of Schumann's complex personal life at the time, calls for a pianist wholly responsive to their fervent Romanticism. The artistry of Stephen Hough proves ideal. |
SCRIABIN / JANACEK
Scriabin / Janacek: Piano Sonatas & Poems Stephen Hough (piano) [ Hyperion / CD - released 1/Dec/2015 ] 'The recorded sound is warm and immediate. A fascinating concept album that genuinely does shine new light on both composers' (Classical Ear) |
LISZT
Annees de pelerinage - Suisse Stephen Hough (piano) [ Hyperion / CD - released 17/Sep/2005 ] "Hough seems to capture the romantic spirit of this cycle so effectively. He masterfully achieves that just balance of lyricism and pyrotechnics so necessary to the successful playing of Liszt's music" (MusicWeb Aug 2005) |
JOHANNES BRAHMS
Brahms: Piano Sonata No 3 in F minor, Op. 5 / Four Ballades, Op. 10 Stephen Hough (piano) [ Hyperion / CD - released 15/May/2001 ] "Hough casts a scattered, multicoloured light as if through stained glass … One could write a complete analytical essay on Hough's breathtakingly illuminating playing of the Second Ballade, but no words could convey the beauty he brings to the... |
CLAUDE DEBUSSY
Debussy: Piano Music (Incls 'Children's Corner' & 'Images') Stephen Hough (piano) [ Hyperion / CD - released 2/May/2018 ] 'Hough himself is an exhibited painter, and his approach to Images resembles that of a visual academic, concerned to explore intellectual nuances' (Pianist) |
FREDERIC CHOPIN
Chopin: Late Masterpieces (Incls Piano Sonata No 3 in B minor, Op 58) Stephen Hough (piano) [ Hyperion / CD - released 20/Apr/2010 ] "A most satisfying paean to Chopin's mature style, elegantly rendered. Excellent piano sound courtesy of engineer Simon Eadon." (Five Stars AudAud.com) |
EDWARD GRIEG
Grieg: Lyric Pieces Stephen Hough (piano) [ Hyperion / CD - released 20/Apr/2015 ] "It's rare for a pianist to reveal familiar repertoire in fresh and newly minted ways without being willful, eccentric, or unorthodox. Not Stephen Hough. His expertly curated collection of Grieg Lyric Pieces abounds with individual touches, yet the i |
FEDERICO MOMPOU
Mompou: Música callada Stephen Hough (piano) [ Hyperion / CD - released 3/Feb/2023 ] "Through minute gradations of dynamics or the fragile sculpting of a phrase, the sparest and simplest of these pieces assume a rare beauty." The Times |
CHAMINADE / GODOWSKY / SCHUBERT / PADEREWSKI / TCHAIKOVSKY / etc
Stephen Hough's New Piano Album Stephen Hough (piano) [ Hyperion / CD - released 8/Nov/2002 ] 'Like any first-class dessert-tray, this one is addictive.' (International Piano Quarterly) |
NEW YORK VARIATIONS
New York Variations (Corigliano, Copland, Weber, Tsontakis) Stephen Hough (piano) [ Hyperion / CD - released 30/Aug/2008 ] 'his playing is unerringly musical in its intentions ... This is a disc of the highest musical and interpretative quality whose appeal lies as much in the quality of the pianism as in the fascinating repertoire' (Hi-Fi News & Record Review) |
FRANZ SCHUBERT
Schubert: Piano Sonatas D664, 769a & 894 Stephen Hough (piano) [ Hyperion / CD - released 1/Apr/2022 ] 'It is his noble humility in the face of greatness and beauty that makes these among the most touching Schubert performances I have ever experienced.' Gramophone Editor's Choice May 2022 |
VARIOUS COMPOSERS
Stephen Hough's Dream Album Stephen Hough (piano) [ Hyperion / CD - released 1/Jun/2018 ] "Witty, wistful, extrovert, introspective and cheeky by turn, this is a masterclass in a certain style of piano-playing, and a dream of an album." Gramophone Editor's Choice July 2018 |
BOWEN / LEIGHTON / REYNOLDS / BRIDGE / etc
Stephen Hough's English Album Stephen Hough (piano) [ Hyperion / CD - released 28/Mar/2002 ] 'Powerful, sympathetic and beautifully recorded, and his fans everywhere will be thrilled' (BBC Music Magazine) |
SOLER / GRANADOS / ALBENIZ / RAVEL / DEBUSSY / etc
Stephen Hough's Spanish Album Stephen Hough (piano) [ Hyperion / CD - released 28/Nov/2006 ] 'Hough has a more intimate stance than many pianists. It's a superb and surprising recital' (BBC Music Disc of the Month December 2006) |
BACH / LISZT / CHOPIN / BUSONI
Vida breve Stephen Hough (piano) [ Hyperion / CD - released 26/Feb/2021 ] Piano Sonatas by Chopin (No 2) and Hough (No 4) are the twin peaks of a typically stimulating recital which-as always from Stephen Hough-spans centuries and styles with assurance. How often do Liszt's 'Funérailles' and Gounod's 'Ave Maria' share the... |
FELIX MENDELSSOHN
Mendelssohn: Piano Concerto No 1 & No 2 / Capriccio Brillant in B minor Op 22; Rondo Brillant in E flat major Op 29 ; etc (The Romantic Piano Concerto Stephen Hough (piano) City of Birmingham Symphony / Lawrence Foster [ Hyperion Romantic Piano Concerto Vol 17 / CD - released 15/Apr/2003 ] 1001 Classical recordings to hear before you die (1801-1850) - 'The soft, stylish arpeggios that open the first work on the disc announce immediately that something special is on the way. Hough is now clearly first recommendation in the concertos'... |
FRANZ XAVER SCHARWENKA / EMIL von SAUER
Scharwenka/Sauer: Piano Concertos Stephen Hough (piano) City of Birmingham Symphony / Lawrence Foster [ Hyperion Romantic Piano Concerto Vol 11 / CD - released 1/Oct/2003 ] GRAMOPHONE EDITOR'S CHOICE / CRITICS' CHOICE |
DVORAK / SCHUMANN
Piano Concertos Stephen Hough (piano), City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Andris Nelsons (conductor) [ Hyperion / CD - released 1/Mar/2016 ] Two more rich piano concertos from the unparalleled Stephen Hough and the CBSO (they've already won Gramophone's Record of the Year award twice). The eminent Andris Nelsons conducts, making his Hyperion debut. Schumann and DvoĆák each wrote just one... |
PYOTR Il'yich TCHAIKOVSKY
Tchaikovsky: Piano Concertos Nos 1 - 3 / Concert Fantasia in G major, Op 56 / etc Stephen Hough (piano) Minnesota Orchestra, Osmo Vanska (conductor) [ Hyperion Romantic Piano Concerto Vol 50 / 2 CD - released 20/Apr/2010 ] "Hough typically refuses to treat it as an overworked warhorse: here it is injected with exhilaration, the bravura tempered with limpid lyricism." The Telegraph, 7th April 2010 **** |