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Track(s) taken from CDA67267

Valse Enigmatique No 2

composer

Stephen Hough (piano)
Studio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available
CD-Quality:
Studio Master:
CD-Quality:
Studio Master:
Recording details: January 2001
Henry Wood Hall, London, United Kingdom
Produced by Andrew Keener
Engineered by Mike Hatch
Release date: March 2002
Total duration: 2 minutes 20 seconds

Cover artwork: Days Gone By (2001). Anthony Mastromatteo (b?)
Private Collection
 

Reviews

‘Another winner from the ever-imaginative Stephen Hough. In all these pieces Hough's magic is presented in full, clear Hyperion sound’ (Gramophone)

‘Powerful, sympathetic and beautifully recorded, and his fans everywhere will be thrilled’ (BBC Music Magazine)

‘Exquisite presentation … [Hough] is a pianist of such refinement and impeccable technique that he makes everything he plays compellingly interesting … [the Leighton Studies] have a clear awareness of other 20th -century musical styles, including jazz, and there is an element of virtuosity that Hough, of course, delivers brilliantly’ (The Guardian)

‘Hough's performances are magical – scintillating, refined, sensuous in the smaller works, commanding and powerful in Rawsthorne and Leighton. I hope this superb pianist records many more recitals of British music’ (American Record Guide)

‘Hough’s pianism is a constant source of wonder – every chord and phrase perfectly judged’ (Classic FM Magazine)

‘These performances can be regarded as definitive … a CD of revealing personal choices of a master pianist, and one that reveals yet more very worthy British music … strongly recommended’ (Fanfare, USA)

‘[Hough] plays with an astonishing command, great insight and some terrific finesse, in a performance that ranges from the elegant and sensitive to the vigorous and exhilarating’ (Hi-Fi News)

‘I’ve long admired the unfailingly beautiful, carefully honed, paradoxically rich but lean textures and sonorities Stephen Hough cultivates … a style in which patient, sustained utterance came to seem immediate, fervent and idealistic  … Crystal-sharp sound and superb performances; transcendental technique in the service of music that at least sets itself transcendental goals’ (Pianist)

‘Hough plays [Leighton] superbly, with marvellous tonal control in the rugged and spiky passages and also in the quiet harmonic episodes that glow with fierce intensity … enjoyable, excellently performed and beautifully engineered CD’ (International Piano)

‘Hough is one of world’s grandest piano performers, imaginative, graceful, powerful, able to dazzle with both his technique and his mind … a haunting and complex collection’ (Philadelphia Post)

‘This is a treat for lovers of the piano … fascinating stuff’ (Manchester Evening News)

‘Scrupulous, full … bodied, and technically impeccable performances … He revels in the sensuous harmonic felicities that color Stephen Reynolds' pastiches and makes an easy task of York Bowen’s fustian textures’ (Classics Today)
The two Stephen Hough trifles are ‘enigmatic’ in their use of musical notes representing the letters of words—in this case, two people’s names. In addition, the first Valse contains quotes from Mendelssohn and Grieg; and a ‘chinoiserie’ is present and intended in the second. My own initials (‘E flat’ and ‘B’ in German nomenclature) are woven throughout both pieces … but more than that I’m not prepared to divulge!

from notes by Stephen Hough © 2002

Les deux «trifles» de Stephen Hough sont énigmatiques dans l’emploi de notes musicales représentant les lettres de mots—dans le cas présent, deux noms de personnes. En outre, la première Valse contient des citations de Mendelssohn et de Grieg; et une «chinoiserie» est également présente et voulue dans la seconde. Mes propres initiales (Es [mi bémol] et H [si bécarre] selon la nomenclature allemande) sont constamment entrelacées dans les deux pièces … mais c’est tout ce que je suis prêt à dévoiler!

extrait des notes rédigées par Stephen Hough © 2002
Français: Isabelle Battioni

Die beiden Kleinigkeiten von Stephen Hough sind insofern „enigmatisch“, als sie musikalische Noten verwenden, um die Buchstaben bestimmter Worte darzustellen—in diesem Fall geht es um die Namen zweier Menschen. Darüber hinaus zitiert der erste Valse Mendelssohn und Grieg; die im zweiten erkennbare „Chinoiserie“ ist durchaus gewollt. Meine eigenen Initialen („Es“ und „H“) sind in beide Stücke eingeflochten … aber mehr will ich nicht verraten!

aus dem Begleittext von Stephen Hough © 2002
Deutsch: Anne Steeb/Bernd Müller

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