Frédéric Chopin - Nocturnes (Stephen Hough)

Information

Composer: Frédéric Chopin

CD1

1. Nocturne in B flat minor, Op. 9 No. 1
2. Nocturne in E flat major, Op. 9 No. 2
3. Nocturne in B major, Op. 9 No. 3
4. Nocturne in F major, Op. 15 No. 1
5. Nocturne in F sharp major, Op. 15 No. 2
6. Nocturne in G minor, Op. 15 No. 3
7. Nocturne in C sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 1
8. Nocturne in D flat major, Op. 27 No. 2
9. Nocturne in B major, Op. 32 No. 1
10. Nocturne in A flat major, Op. 32 No. 2
11. Nocturne in G minor, Op. 37 No. 1
12. Nocturne in G major, Op. 37 No. 2

CD2

1. Nocturne in C minor, Op. 48 No. 1
2. Nocturne in F sharp minor, Op. 48 No. 2
3. Nocturne in F minor, Op. 55 No. 1
4. Nocturne in E flat major, Op. 55 No. 2
5. Nocturne in B major, Op. 62 No. 1
6. Nocturne in E major, Op. 62 No. 2
7. Lento con gran espressione in C sharp minor 'Nocturne', KKIVa/16
8. Nocturne in E minor, Op. 72 No. 1
9. Nocturne in C minor, KKIVb/8
10. Larghetto in C sharp minor 'Nocturne oublié', KKAnh.Ia/6
11. Nocturne in E flat major, Op. 9 No. 2b

Stephen Hough, piano

Date: 2021

Label: Hyperion

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Review

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. The way in which the pianist floats soft cantabile legato lines often gives the illusion of more sustain pedal than is actually employed.

Telling examples of this occur in the agitated build-ups of Op. 15 No. 1 and Op. 27 No. 1, as well as in Op. 62 No. 1’s long chains of trills and Op. 37 No. 2’s feathery double notes. At the same time, Hough achieves a wider than usual scope of characterization by means of varied articulations and accentuations. In the F-sharp Op. 15 No. 2 Nocturne, for example, the central section’s suavely dispatched right-hand figurations contrast to Hough’s more angular shaping of the left-hand accompaniment. Op. 15 No. 3’s melodic lines take sophisticated shape as they move over the bar lines at Hough’s convincingly brisk tempo. Unlike Jan Lisiecki’s sectionalized reading of Op. 48 No. 1, Hough’s fluent cohesion is all of a piece, and truly sounds like a performance.

To sum up, Hough consistently conveys a perfect balance of intelligence and instinct, as well as imagination without contrivance. In addition to the standard 21 Nocturnes (including the posthumously published C-sharp minor and C minor pieces), Hough presents a piece in C-sharp minor of anonymous authorship published in Russia under Chopin’s name, plus an additional performance of the famous E-flat Op. 9 No. 2 Nocturne that incorporates authentic ornamented textual variants. Even in a catalog crowded with superb Chopin Nocturne cycles, Stephen Hough easily sets reference-worthy standards.

— Jed Distler

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Frédéric Chopin (1 March 1810 – 17 October 1849) was a Polish Romantic composer and virtuoso pianist. A prodigy from Warsaw, he moved to Paris at 21, where he spent the rest of his short life. Although often in poor health, he produced a remarkable body of piano-centered works, including nocturnes, mazurkas, waltzes, polonaises, études and two piano concertos. His music, which is known for technical brilliance and innovative harmony, helped shape musical nationalism and late-Romantic style. Chopin's iconic status, dramatic life, and early death made him one of the enduring symbols of the Romantic era.

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Stephen Hough (born 22 November 1961) is a British-born classical pianist, composer and writer. He studied at Chetham's School of Music and the Royal Northern College of Music, and also holds a master's degree from the Juilliard School. A prominent soloist, he is also a composer and transcriber, and often includes his own works in his recitals. Hough has recorded more than 60 albums, and is known for championing lesser-known composers. As a teacher, he is a visiting professor of piano at the Royal Academy of Music, and the International Chair of Piano Studies at the Royal Northern College of Music.

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