‘This complete set of Chopin Nocturnes … is a sure-fire winner, fit to be placed alongside recordings by giants of the past, such as my particular favourite, Arthur Rubinstein … even if you know the Nocturnes (or think you do), and are well stocked with recordings, make room for this one, augmented as it is by five other charming but spurious nocturnes, once thought to be by Chopin. Some pianists think a Chopin recital is all about them, and their excessive poetic feelings. Hough thinks these Nocturnes, to which Chopin was devoted, are all about the composer. His reticence does Chopin’s genius a huge service, especially when his playing is so refined, and his dynamics and tempi so perfectly judged’ (The Mail on Sunday)

‘In answer to the reasonable question, ‘Who, at this late date, could have something fresh and original to say in the Chopin Nocturnes?’ this new Hyperion release persuasively answers, Stephen Hough does … [his] interpolations are unfailingly stylish and tasteful. His execution of dynamic and agogic indications is always faithful to the score, everywhere apt and effective. Meanwhile, during slightly less than two hours of listening, there are countless moments of heart-stopping beauty. Both its deeply considered, distinctive rethinking of canonic repertory and the sheer poetry of its execution make this a release that neither students of Chopin nor lovers of fine piano-playing will want to miss’ (Gramophone)

‘As a particularly rich discography of the complete Nocturnes reminds us, the great interpreters of this music never confuse the melancholic with the sentimental. Stephen Hough is even more ‘objective’ than most while bringing pianistic poise to everything and breathing with lines that trace their ancestry to the bel canto aria … as anyone who follows the playing of this leading British pianist will know, Hough is fastidious about ornamentation and his attention to decorative detail is one of the hallmarks of this set … Hyperion’s new release offers a fuller-than-usual assortment of the posthumously published Nocturnes and those of dubious authorship, and Hough adds the embellished version of Op 9 No 2 as a perfectly judged encore’ (BBC Music Magazine)» More

‘To Hough, Chopin's Nocturnes are 'some of the finest operatic arias ever written.' He makes us believe it with the bel canto qualities of his playing—the lyrical melodies, the drama, the tenderness, the subtle changes of colour as though we're listening to different voices in each nocturne. Chopin's composed ornamentation is spun with effortless elegance; the rubato, the subtly shifting speeds, feel instinctive’ (BBC Record Review)

‘Like a great singer, Hough 'breathes' Chopin’s Belliniesque melodies with the long phrasing beloved of Wagner, yet he avoids any hint of 'Bellini-of-the-Piano' cliché … his lightness of touch, perfectly controlled rubato, and 'endless cantilena' has an improvisatory quality … Hough at his most personal and best’ (The Times)» More

‘Be clear about one thing: this is not just another recording of Chopin’s Nocturnes. The roll-call of pianists who have recorded these much-loved pieces is long and prestigious, but in comparisons with a dozen of the best this new recording is immediately distinctive … nobody else creates quite this magic … a memorable recording’ (Financial Times)» More

‘Hough’s playing is always insightful, but here he surpasses himself with performances that transport you to the Paris salons where Chopin presented his Nocturnes for the first time, delighting in their characters and indulging his improvisatory instincts’ (Pianist)» More

‘Chopin’s glorious singing melodies take wing under Hough’s fingers in this must-have collection’ (Limelight, Australia)» More

‘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)» More

‘What a joy it is to explore this wonderful music through Stephen Hough's playing. He brings a marvellous flow to the melodies, with speeds generally on the brisker side, happily banishing wayward sentimentality … this goes into my recordings of the year pile. Hough plays with an elegance and suppleness that sounds as natural as breathing, every melodic line played with a weightless touch that belies the percussive nature of the instrument and decorative flourishes very often sounding like a spontaneous creations. I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending this set’ (MusicWeb International)» More

‘Hough … wins me over with his liquid, limpid articulation [in Op 27 No 2]. Again, he has thought at every turn about how a human voice would deliver the melody. In the process, he makes you forget that you’re listening to the operation of a complicated machine: the materiality of the instrument disappears. That illusion is augmented by Hyperion’s recording, which was produced by Rachel Smith and engineered by David Hinitt. The piano is a Yamaha CFX, and it sounds warm and clear but never dry … there is no lack of great accounts of the Nocturnes in the catalogue: the robust elegance of the younger Arthur Rubinstein, the grandeur of Claudio Arrau, the fine-spun melancholy of Ivan Moravec, the vibrant lyricism of Maria João Pires, the unaffected poetry of the late Brazilian Nelson Freire. I have no hesitation about placing Hough in that company. On many moonlit nights, his version will be the one I reach for first’ (The New Yorker, USA)

‘Just about everything about Stephen Hough’s Chopin Nocturne cycle seems ideal. His gorgeous and well-recorded sonority seduces in intimate moments, rising to the music’s dramatic climaxes with emotional force yet never losing clarity or luminosity. He applies rubato with the utmost discretion, taste, and proportion, while largely underlining the composer’s harmonic surprises through shifts of tone color and chord balances … in a catalog crowded with superb Chopin Nocturne cycles, Stephen Hough easily sets reference-worthy standards’ (Classics Today)» More