Stephen Hough donates new Beethoven release to Help Musicians UK
mainThe pianist is about to release the 5 Beethoven concertos on Hyperion, with Hannu Lintu and the Finnish radio orchestra.
He’s donating his royalties to needy musicians, here
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Good man. Bless him!
Bravo – good for him !
A thoughtful, wonderful pianist and a warm human being. Thanks Maestro.
He’s a peach. With a long history of philanthropy, I believe.
A splendid thing to do!
A great pianist and a lovely man. What a star. Help Musicians is providing financial relief to tens of thousands of musicians, but also mental health support and other vital services.
A great cause. An interesting orchestra for these works with a superb conductor.
I was at cocerts May 2019 – I never forget the atmosphere and power of music and artists Hough and Lintu and RSO. ♥
What is the release date, I would like to buy this. I have seen Stephen play on several occasions he even signed his book for me when I was ill last year. Buying these CDs would add a little contribution.
Hello, Guy. The release date is Friday May 1st.
I do hope that Hyperion is weathering the medical and economic storm. Keep up the excellent work in artists and repertoire!!
I’ll tell you a little story about Stephen Hough, if I may. I went to the proms last summer to hear Martha Argerich with the West Eastern Divan. I had a copy of Mr Hough’s book in my bag because I took it to read on the train.
At the interval I heard a voice I recognised from the box next to where I was, I turned around and it was him. Unfortunately I embarrassed myself at this point because I tapped him on the shoulder when he may have talking to a friend (which I instantly regretted!), and asked him to sign my (his!) book. He was an absolute gent, amused at the coincidence of me having the book on me, graciously signed it and made me feel he was as thrilled to meet me as I was to meet him.
A kind and generous man, as well as a fabulous pianist.
I once bumped into Domingo with a biography of Pavarotti in my bag. I am still sorry I didn’t cheat him into signing it.
Kudos to SH for his generosity, but did we really need an umpteenth set of Beethoven piano concerti?
o reason not the need
our basest beggars are in the poorest things superfluous
allow not nature more than nature neds,
man’s life’s as cheap as a beast’s
so fine a pianist can be commended for waiting until he was 58 to record a cycle and such great music can bear almost endless interpretations from such thoughtful artists, surely?
We may not *need* it……….but we may well be the richer for it! Personally, during *lockdown* I’m discovering that there may not be enough recordings of it!
I know of people who collect complete sets of Beethoven piano concertos, just for the fun of it, without listening to them.
If a new set has to be produced, it should add something to the existing mountain, like the set with a fortepiano and period instruments by the Koelner Akademie:
https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8676352–beethoven-the-piano-concertos#reviews
https://www.facebook.com/BISrecordsofficial/videos/out-today-ludwig-van-beethoven-the-piano-concertoswith-ronald-brautigam-fortepia/698697450613062/
I just bought the set and it has certainly helped me very much in achieving a better understanding of the works. I am perhaps a younger listener (early thirties) and some of the acclaimed recordings of past decades felt to me a little harder to grasp and frankly a little intimidating. Therefore I really appreciate the clarity of this very lucid interpretation. I have also heard the Brautigam set you mention and loved it: you are right in saying the musical insights it offers definitely make it stand out from the ”existing mountain”.
AFAIK, Hyperion is one of the last labels not to offer their releases to streaming services such as Idagio or Spotify. So purchasing this collection is the only way to listen.
This is a wonderful way of supporting needy musicians. Hyperion’s offerings are downloadable, so you don’t need to bother with shipping or physical media.
Stephen and I go way back to our Juilliard days. He has always been a first rate musician and a first rate person.
Bravo. I’ll buy the set just for that reason