Overture Magazine: 2017-2018 Season January-February 2018 | Page 31

STEPHEN HOUGH PERFORMS MENDELSSOHN
for cultural discussion. His first novel, The
Final Retreat, published by Sylph Editions,
will be released in 2018. He has appeared
with most of the major European and
American orchestras and plays recitals
regularly in major halls and concert series
around the world.
During the 2017– 2018 season, Hough
celebrates the centenary of Claude Debussy
with Hyperion Records’ release of his first
all-Debussy recording (Children’s Corner,
Estampes and Images, Books I and II) and
recitals featuring Debussy’s “Claire de lune”
from Suite bergamasque, “La terrasse des
audiences du clair de lune” from Préludes
(Book II) and Images (Books I and II) at
Carnegie Hall in New York, as well as in
Miami, San Francisco, Santa Monica and
Toronto, among other cities. This recital
program also includes Beethoven’s Piano
Sonata No. 23 in F Minor (“Appassionata”)
and Schumann’s Fantasy in C Major.
As an orchestral soloist this season,
Hough performs in North America with
the Dallas, Detroit, New Jersey and
Vancouver symphony orchestras, as well as
with the National Arts Centre Orchestra.
In Europe, he performs with the BBC
National Orchestra of Wales, Filarmonica
Arturo Toscanini, Kammerorchester
Basel, Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale
della Rai, Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra,
and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic,
with which he is the 2017–2018 artist-in-
residence. As a composer, he has written
works for orchestra, choir, chamber
ensemble and solo piano and, this season,
performs his own composition Was mit
den Tränen geschieht (2009) with the Berlin
Philharmonic Wind Quintet on tour in
California and Colorado.
Many of Hough’s over-50 albums have
garnered international prizes including
the Deutscher Schallplattenpreis,
Diapason d’Or, Monde de la Musique,
several Grammy® nominations, and eight
Gramophone Magazine Awards, including
the 1996 and 2003 Record of the Year
Awards and the 2008 Gold Disc Award,
which named his complete Saint-Saëns
piano concertos the best recording of the
past 30 years. He has recorded extensively
for Hyperion, and his most recent release
features Schumann and Dvořák piano
concertos with the City of Birmingham
Symphony Orchestra.
Stephen Hough last appeared with the BSO
in February 2013, performing Liszt's Piano
Concerto No. 2, Hannu Lintu, conductor.
About the Concert
PIANO CONCERTO NO. 1 IN G MINOR
Felix Mendelssohn
Born in Hamburg, Germany, February 3, 1809;
died in Leipzig, Germany, November 4, 1847
Between 1830 and 1832, Felix
Mendelssohn reveled in the privileges
of being young, wealthy and well-
connected, traveling throughout Italy,
Switzerland, Germany and France to put
the final worldly polish on his education.
He was in great social demand wherever
he went, not only for his prodigious
musical gifts