This isn't officially
labelled as part of Hyperion's "Romantic
Piano Concerto" series, but we can
logically consider it an extension
thereof, as Stephen Hough has previously
contributed estimable performances
of both standard and unfamiliar repertoire
to the series.
Hough has carved
himself so prominent a niche as an
"intellectual" artist - his performances
are not arid or overanalyzed, but
rather thoughtful and probing - that
it's easy to forget about his sheer
virtuoso technical chops. Certainly
he brings his own point of view to
bear on this music from the start,
dispatching the C minor's introductory
chords as a peremptory, almost perfunctory,
introduction, where many other soloists
strain for ominous breadth. But his
interpretative ingenuity mostly makes
itself felt in subtler yet more meaningful
ways.
Even if Rachmaninov
hadn't written his concertos specifically
for himself to perform, his compositional
style reflected his own pianistic
technical strengths in its demands
for power and fluency. Most pianists
tend to favor one or the other of
these attributes: thus, we remember
Ashkenazy (Decca, and a D minor for
RCA), for example, primarily for his
dexterity - though he musters plenty
of strength behind it - and Horowitz
(the EMI D minor in mono, the RCA
in stereo) primarily for power and
brilliance. Hough, in contrast, fuses
both qualities in equal measure:
not only does he take all the passagework,
whether linear or chordal, in stride,
but he projects it all with a large,
powerful tone. The various cadenzas
dazzle by their unique combination
of speed and strength; the opening
of the D minor's finale is a bubbling
cauldron on the verge of erupting,
a manner Hough maintains through the
jagged chordal "preview" of the second
theme.
Nor are these mere
technical exegeses that simply project
all the notes indiscriminately, in
the manner of Weissenberg's C minor
(EMI). Hough has the control -- the
true virtuosity - to find and project
musical shapes within the demanding
figurations. In the second theme of
the C minor's first movement, for
example, Hough conveys the harmonic
progressions lurking within the rippling
left-hand accompaniment; you actually
"hear the chords," which makes the
theme itself sound more substantial.
Only in the cadenza-like passage of
the C minor's Adagio sostenuto
does Hough settle for an impressive
but empty flourish but then he seems,
oddly, less attuned to this movement
overall. Otherwise, these are simply
staggering performances, the more
so for being recorded in concert.
The Dallas Symphony
is not my idea of a front-line orchestra
and Andrew Litton does not impress
me. He does however keep his forces
in good order, and in the C minor
Concerto, at least, Rachmaninov's
scoring - assigning melodies to massed
strings in octaves, alternating this
with full-throated brass chording
- minimizes the ensemble's weaknesses.
In the D minor, which more frequently
deploys the strings in discrete sections,
they sound underpowered. The engineers
might have given the woodwinds greater
prominence in the C minor's first-movement
development, but they couldn't have
improved the principal flute's breathy,
unsupported tone in the slow movement,
which rather critically lets the side
down. As seems to be the case on so
many current recordings, however,
the principal clarinet is shiny and
expressive.
Hough's indelible
pianism earns this disc a library
niche, but you'll probably be wanting
something with stronger orchestral
backing as well. In the C minor, it's
hard to beat Rubinstein (RCA), whether
on the earlier recording with Reiner's
firm, dignified support, or on the
later one with Ormandy offering a
rich-toned Philadelphia backdrop.
There's also the Ashkenazy/Previn
(Decca) with its stunning finale.
The D minor poses tougher choices
- many performances are serviceable,
few stand out. Mogilevsky's (Melodiya)
is well worth seeking out, in whatever
format; so, for the jaded, is the
wayward but intelligent collaboration
of Tamas Vásàry and
Yuri Ahronovich (DG). Of more conventional
accounts, that of Kocsis (Philips)
will serve well.
Stephen Francis
Vasta
Stephen Hough (piano) 
