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Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Edvard Grieg - Lyric Pieces (Stephen Hough)


Information

Composer: Edvard Grieg
  1. Lyric Pieces, Op. 12: 1. Arietta
  2. Lyric Pieces, Op. 38: 1. Berceuse
  3. Lyric Pieces, Op. 38: 6. Elegy
  4. Lyric Pieces, Op. 43: 1. Butterfly
  5. Lyric Pieces, Op. 43: 2. Solitary traveller
  6. Lyric Pieces, Op. 43: 3. In my native country
  7. Lyric Pieces, Op. 43: 4. Little bird
  8. Lyric Pieces, Op. 43: 5. Erotikon
  9. Lyric Pieces, Op. 43: 6. To spring
  10. Lyric Pieces, Op. 47: 1. Valse-impromptu
  11. Lyric Pieces, Op. 47: 3. Melody
  12. Lyric Pieces, Op. 47: 7. Elegy
  13. Lyric Pieces, Op. 54: 3. March of the trolls
  14. Lyric Pieces, Op. 54: 4. Notturno
  15. Lyric Pieces, Op. 54: 6. Bell ringing
  16. Lyric Pieces, Op. 57: 6. Homesickness
  17. Lyric Pieces, Op. 62: 1. Sylph
  18. Lyric Pieces, Op. 62: 6. Homeward
  19. Lyric Pieces, Op. 65: 1. From early years
  20. Lyric Pieces, Op. 65: 4. Salon
  21. Lyric Pieces, Op. 65: 6. Wedding day at Troldhaugen
  22. Lyric Pieces, Op. 68: 2. Grandmother's minuet
  23. Lyric Pieces, Op. 68: 3. At your feet
  24. Lyric Pieces, Op. 68: 5. At the cradle
  25. Lyric Pieces, Op. 71: 2. Summer's eve
  26. Lyric Pieces, Op. 71: 3. Puck
  27. Lyric Pieces, Op. 71: 7. Remembrances

Stephen Hough, piano
Date: 2015
Label: Hyperion
http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_CDA68070

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Review

ARTISTIC QUALITY: 10 / SOUND QUALITY: 10

It’s rare for a pianist to reveal familiar repertoire in fresh and newly minted ways without being willful, eccentric, or unorthodox. Not Stephen Hough. His expertly curated collection of Grieg Lyric Pieces abounds with individual touches, yet the interpretations couldn’t sound more natural or inevitable.

The pianist plays the Op. 12 No. 1 Arietta faster than usual, allowing the familiar melody to effortlessly float over the bar lines, while the Berceuse lilts with perceptible yet amazingly subtle rubato. Using almost no pedal, Hough strips off a century of sentiment and frilly phrasing from Butterfly (Op. 43 No. 1), and the music really takes off. Note also the Little bird’s precisely calibrated trilled chords.

Hough’s conversational phrase shaping liberates Erotikon and At the cradle from the languid and foursquare performance traditions that have followed these pieces around for decades. He intensifies the Valse-Impromptu’s tart melodic dissonances by way of a firmly projected right-hand legato against the relatively muted and clipped left-hand accompaniment. Many pianists knock off the March of the Trolls at a breakneck pace, yet Hough’s slower, steadier tempo lends itself to greater precision and character in the quick flourishes.

Much as I love to draw out and slobber over Bell ringing’s open fifths as if the music were wandering in from a New Age seminar, I must admit that Hough’s animated understatement and dry-eyed directness is closer to the composer’s mark. The pianist also subjects Wedding Day at Troldhaugen’s thick rolled chords and heavy textures to a welcome slimming and muscle-toning cure. And for a good example of Hough’s exquisite timing and timbral sensitivity, go to the final selection, Remembrances, and listen to the main theme (the aforementioned Arietta in waltz time) when it reiterates a half-step down. That’s just one of many magical, revelatory moments in a gorgeous release that pianophiles and Grieg fans alike will cherish for keeps.

-- Jed Distler, ClassicsToday

More reviews:
http://www.gramophone.co.uk/review/grieg-lyric-pieces-5
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2015/May/Grieg_lyric_CDA68070.htm
http://www.allmusic.com/album/grieg-lyric-pieces-mw0002840464
http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/apr/29/grieg-lyric-pieces-cd-review-stephen-hough
http://www.amazon.com/Grieg-Lyric-pieces-Stephen-Hough/dp/B00UART0U4

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Edvard Grieg (15 June 1843, Bergen – 4 September 1907, Bergen) was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is widely considered one of the leading Romantic era composers, and his music is part of the standard classical repertoire worldwide. His use and development of Norwegian folk music in his own compositions put the music of Norway in the international spectrum. He is the most celebrated person from the city of Bergen, with numerous statues depicting his image, and many cultural entities named after him
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edvard_Grieg

***

Stephen Hough (born 22 November 1961) is a British-born classical pianist, composer and writer. He became an Australian citizen in 2005 and has dual nationality. He has appeared as a soloist with major orchestras, as recitalist on the major stages, and as chamber musician with top musicians. He is also known for his various dazzling recordings of encore pieces and for championing lesser-known composers His recordings (more than 50) received multiple awards. As a writer, he has a blog at the Telegraph newspaper's website.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Hough

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9 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. A version comparable to Gilel's sublime interpretation!
    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  3. A version comparable to Gilel's sublime interpretation!
    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  4. MUCHAS GRACIAS !!! … Merci! Thank you! Obrigado! Спасибо! !ありがう! Arigato! Danke! Dziękuję! Dank je u! Mulţumesc! Teşekkür ederim! Tack! Tack så mycket! Grazie! Kiitos! תודה לך! Takk! Dakujem,ďakujem vám! Hvala! شكراً!shokran! Ευχαριστώ! 감사합니다! Děkuji! Tak skal du have! Dankon! Hvala! Najlepša hvala! Gràcies! Faleminderit! Ačiū! De’koju! Labai ačiū! ขอบคุณ! Shukrīya! بہت) شكريه (bahut)! Cảm ơn cô! Cảm ơn cô nhiều! Благодаря! Þakka þér! Baie dankie! Takk fyri! Sipas dekem! متشکرم! Благодарам! Təşəkkür! Paldies! Pateicos! Tencinu! Terima kasih! Дуже дякую! Спасибі! Баярлалаа! Гялайлаа! Танд их баярлалаа! Terima kasih! ধন্যবাদ (dhonyobād)! Salamat! Trugarez!

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  6. Do you have this recording? http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Harmonia%2BMundi/HMC902174

    Thanks for your good work!

    Jose

    ReplyDelete