Track Listing

1. Felix Mendelssohn (1809 1847) Variations sèrieuses Op 54
2. Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770 1827) Piano Sonata No 32 in C minor Op 111 Maestoso - Allegro con brio ed appassionato [8'22] Arietta: Adagio molto, semplice e cantabile
3. Carl Maria Von Weber (1786 1826) Aufforderung zum Tanz Op 65
4. Frédéric Chopin (1810 1849) Waltz in C sharp minor Op 64 No 2
5. Frédéric Chopin (1810 1849) Waltz in A flat major Op 34 No 1
6. Camille Saint-Saêns (1835 1921) Valse nonchalante Op 110
7. Emmanuel Chabrier (1841 1894) Feuillet d'album
8. Claude Debussy (1862 1918) La plus que lente
9. Franz Liszt (1811 1886) Valse oubliée No 1 S215/1
10. Franz Liszt (1811 1886) Mephisto Waltz No 1 'Der Tanz in der Dorfschenke' S514
11. Traditional arranged by Stephen Hough (b1961) Matilda's Waltz

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #16435 in Music
• Released on: 2009-03-02
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .23 pounds
• Running time: 79 minutes

Review
'Here's another winning, imaginatively conceived disc from Britain's finest pianist... It is unexpected and delightful programme-building. Prized for his pianism, Hough is also a superb Mozartian. He lends these Fantasias an almost Beethovenian weight and depth of expression... Hough's playing is dazzling throughout' --(Sunday Times)

Review
'There are all too few pianists with the equivalent of Hough's three Michelin stars... Opening with two of Mozart's solo masterpieces, the ear is welcomed into an intimate, pellucid sound world with a sophistcated grading of dynamics... [Liszt-Busoni Fantasy on Non piu andrai] provides a hair-raising bravura display that deserves to be heard more often. At least, when played like this' --(Gramophone)

CD Description
The selection of works reflects a concert programme which Stephen performed all round the world in the 2007/8 season, with a quirkily-addressed theme of Variations and Waltzes. These appear in many guises: for instance the 'first half' concludes with Beethoven's Piano Sonata No 32 in C minor, with its extraordinary set of variations in the second movement. Then Stephen takes the listener on a whirlwind tour of the waltz, performing some of the triumphs of the genre with his trademark immaculate polish and unerring style. The disc ends with some typical Hough whimsy-as ever, utterly charming and full of surprises.