César Franck - Piano Works (Stephen Hough)

Information

Composer: César Franck

• (01) Prélude, Choral et Fugue, M. 21
• (04) Prélude, Aria et Final, M. 23
• (07) 3 Chorals for organ, M. 38-40 (arr. Hough)
• (08) Danse lente, M. 22
• (09) Grand Caprice No. 1, M. 13 (Op. 5)
• (10) Les Plaintes d'une poupée, M. 20

Stephen Hough, piano
Date: 1997
Label: Hyperion
http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_CDA66918

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Review

Only the most exalted comparisons will do for Stephen Hough’s latest disc, and even they are struggling to compete. Not that his predecessors had a level playing-field. Recorded in 1929 and 1932, presumably with little or no chance of retakes, Cortot offers a characteristic mixture of inspiration and approximation. In the Prelude, choral et fugue Richter on Melodiya is massively authoritative and daring (hear his drawing together of thematic threads towards the end), but the 1956 Russian recording is very fuzzy; his Philips account, of uncertain date, is live and has other heart-stopping moments (for instance the first arpeggiated entry of the “Choral”), but the thin-toned instrument is a penance to listen to.

To say that it is only the trappings of modern recording that enable Hough to stand shoulder to shoulder with these giants would be to underestimate his achievement. Of course a beautifully regulated Steinway and a near-ideal acoustic are a help. But Hough himself has a dream-ticket combination of virtues – astonishing agility, a faultless ear for texture, fine-tuned stylistic sensibility and an exceptional understanding of harmonic and structural tensions. He acknowledges all Franck’s nuances, notated and implied, without ever disturbing the broader flow; he gives full rein to the heroic Lisztian cascades, without ever tipping over into melodrama. Perahia (Sony Classical) and Cherkassky (Nimbus) – two of my favourite pianists – are among the Franck exponents on CD who are comfortably surpassed. The only hint of a nit I could pick would be that the fortissimo arpeggiations in the “Choral” (track 2, from 4'03'') don’t ring as resonantly as they might. I can’t imagine the calm at the end of the “Aria” being better judged.

In their very different ways the almost comical bravura of the Grand caprice and the salon charm of the Danse lente and Les plaintes d’une poupee are extremely difficult to bring off. Yet anyone who has followed Hough’s recording career will know that this sort of thing is meat and drink to him. As for his own transcription of the A minor Chorale, which stirred fond memories of my own organ-playing days, the unavoidable adjective is ‘awesome’.

Stephen Hough’s recent Hyperion issues have given him a lot to live up to. This recital triumphantly does that. His own booklet-essay couches information, insight and anecdote in clear, elegant prose. It would surely qualify for the Gramophone Award for insert-notes, if such a thing existed.

-- Gramophone [4/1997]

More reviews:

BBC Music Magazine PERFORMANCE: ***** / SOUND: *****

http://www.allmusic.com/album/c%C3%A9sar-franck-piano-music-mw0001817819

http://www.amazon.com/Piano-Music-Cesar-Franck/dp/B000002ZYU

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César Franck (10 December 1822 – 8 November 1890) was a composer, pianist, organist, and music teacher who worked in Paris during his adult life. As an organist he was particularly noted for his skill in improvisation. Franck is considered by many the greatest composer of organ music after Bach. Franck exerted a significant influence on music. He helped to renew and reinvigorate chamber music and developed the use of cyclic form. He became professor at the Paris Conservatoire in 1872, his pupils included Vincent d'Indy, Ernest Chausson, Louis Vierne, Charles Tournemire, Guillaume Lekeu and Henri Duparc.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C3%A9sar_Franck

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Stephen Hough (born 22 November 1961) is a British-born classical pianist, composer and writer. 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 of them) received multiple awards. As a composer, he has written over 30 published pieces, and often includes his own works in his recitals. As a writer, Hough has written about his homosexuality and its relationship with both his music-making and his religion.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Hough

http://www.stephenhough.com/

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