Concerto, sonatine et partita pour piano

Description

The latest addition to Stephen Hough’s vast Hyperion catalogue – an album of Hough’s Piano Concerto, Sonatina and Partita – is another fruitful partnership between the composer-pianist and the label. The concerto’s subtitle, “The World of Yesterday,” works on more than one level, evoking the history of the piano concerto form as well as the title of Stefan Zweig’s eponymous memoir, itself a nostalgic reflection on the cultural milieu of early 20th-century Vienna. As Hough writes in his characteristic booklet note, the piano concerto was the public face of composer-pianists of the past, their calling card: it need hardly be added that his own contribution marks an important addition to the genre. Recorded in May last year, this performance documents the UK premiere of the work with Sir Mark Elder and The Hallé providing exemplary support; and the inclusion of two concise works for solo piano completes Hyperion’s very special March release.