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Stephen Hough performs major works by Schumann and Chopin, paired with the works of English composers... including himself.

Pianist, composer and polymath Stephen Hough joined The Prince Consort for an evening of intriguing and startling gems, and a world première of Hough’s own witty, intricate, intimate and beautifully arresting art songs.

Stephen Hough's Barbican concert was carefully constructed to reveal every side of his personality - artistic, creative and philosophical.  

A world première of Gabriel Jackson's The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ proved an exciting event for those one hundred or so people who made the effort last Friday evening to attend the opening concert of the fifth Merton College Passiontide Festival.

There are very few musicians who could lay claim to a MacArthur Fellowship, and even fewer pianists, but then it seems that Stephen Hough is no ordinary pianist: writer, composer and recognised polymath, Mr Hough’s phenomenal playing skills still find time to shine alongside his many other extraordinary talents, and his performance at this recital was no exception.

Two encores, a virtuoso and a cracking orchestra. This concert truly celebrated the best of British music and musicians, as the first concert in St George’s “Best of British” concert season. The scene was set with an array of red, white and blue amongst the orchestra in several forms: bow ties, flags, ribbons and other accessories.

In an age where most performers dedicate their whole life to music, Stephen Hough is a remarkable exception. Something of a Renaissance man, not only is he one of the world's foremost concert pianists, but he also paints, composes, writes poetry and blogs. This evening's programme on the theme of 'strange sonatas' was framed by two of the best-known works by Beethoven and Liszt.