Zach Top Hough: Piano Concerto, Sonatina & Partita

Polymath Sir Stephen Hough has a growing reputation as a composer of chamber, choral and above all solo piano music with four sonatas and a constellation of dazzling arrangements to his name. This album presents the premiere recording of his first piano concerto, recorded by the pianist with The Halle under Sir Mark Elder. Its subtitle 'The world of yesterday' deliberately places the work in a broader context of the pianist-virtuosi of yesteryear who composed and performed their own piano concertos as they toured the world. Federico Mompou: Musica callada (CDA68362): "Hough is the ideal guide......his performance is one of perfectly judged understatement." BBC Music Magazine. Franz Schubert: Piano Sonatas (CDA68370): "What a joy it is to bask in Stephen Hought's musicianship." The Sunday Times Gramophone Editor's Choice: 'The soloist rarely rests after the orchestral introduction, and the piano-writing is dazzlingly intricate, often contrapuntal and rarely merely decorative. [] In all three works, the richness of Hough's ideas and their working out handsomely repays repeated listening.' 'this concerto proves not only an ideal vehicle for Hough's protean pianism (not to mention exemplary support from Mark Elder and the Hallé), but a challenging yet entertaining proposition for other pianists.' International Piano 'a sophisticated, entertaining Piano Concerto that avoids pastiche yet cleverly evokes lost musical words. [] It all leads to an exhilarating finale, a tarantella appassionata which sends the strings soaring, the woodwind fluttering, the piano into Rachmaninov territory and males the world of yesterday sound like a riot. It's great fun.' BBC Music Magazine (5 stars)