On this stunning recording of the two piano concertos of Johannes Brahms, Stephen Hough is joined by the Mozarteumorchester Salzburg and conductor Mark Wigglesworth in their Hyperion debut. These works are among the greatest in the genre. Separated by twenty-two years and widely differing in their reception (the first was scorned and the second a huge success), they are monumental in scale, impassioned and truly romantic, forward-looking in form and requiring both great virtuosity and intimacy from the pianist. After performing them in concert for many years (to ecstatic acclaim) Hough’s deep connection to these beloved works can now be appreciated and enjoyed by a much wider audience.
– Disc 1 –
1 Piano Concerto No 1 in D minor Op 15 Maestoso [22’53]
2 Piano Concerto No 1 in D minor Op 15 Adagio [13’28]
3 Piano Concerto No 1 in D minor Op 15 Rondo Allegro Non Troppo [12’41]
– Disc 2 –
1 Piano Concerto No 2 in B Flat Major Op 83 Allegro Non Troppo [18’19]
2 Piano Concerto No 2 in B Flat Major Op 83 Allegro Appassionato [9’10]
3 Piano Concerto No 2 in B Flat Major Op 83 Andante [11’52] – Various Performers
4 Piano Concerto No 2 in B Flat Major Op 83 Allegretto Grazioso [9’30]