Stephen Hough: In the Night

The brilliant pianist's nocturnal themed recital. Album of the Weekend, 3-4 May 2014.

The new recital album from this extraordinary pianist takes the listener on a journey through the hours of darkness. Stephen Hough's thoughtful choice of pieces creates a new context for some of the most celebrated works in the piano repertoire including Schumann's troubled 'In der Nacht' from Fantasiestücke, Beethoven's 'Moonlight' Sonata and two Chopin Nocturnes.

Also included is Hough's own Piano Sonata No 2 'notturno luminoso', which he describes as 'about a different kind of night the brightness of a brash city in the hours of darkness; the loneliness of pre-morning; sleeplessness and the dull glow of the alarm clock's unmoving hours; the irrational fears which are only darkened by the harsh glare of a suspended, dusty light bulb. But also suggested are night-time's heightened emotions: its mysticism, its magic, its imaginative possibilities.'

As one would expect, the music is immaculately performed, the whole album a dark and heartfelt experience.