Sydney Symphony Orchestra | Stephen Hough Performs Brahms
May 16, 2025, Sydney Opera House, NSW
If anyone deserves the middle name “versatile” it is Sir Stephen Hough. He is a successful author poet, portrait painter and above all composer – his piano concerto makes very easy listening. In the musical field, it would be quicker to list the prizes he has not won but his successes include the BBC “Young Musician of the Year” and the “Naumburg Piano Competition”. Born in Australia, his mother took him to Cheshire at the age of one. Later in life he returned frequently to his homeland and became a citizen in 2005.
Brahms’ first piano concerto in B minor demands strength, concentration and accuracy and the soloist gave these in spades. Despite this, he appeared very relaxed – very little body movement while the fingers moved vertically reminiscent of typewriting. Even in the outer movement cadenzas he appeared effortless, while he clearly had great rapport with the conductor Elim Chan. Born in Hong Kong, Elim is a familiar figure in the UK as she waved her baton in last year’s “Last Night of the Proms” and will return for this year’s festivities. The combination with the excellence of artists at the peak of their profession and a first-rate orchestra led to a feeling of power and satisfaction.
Before this, we heard six extracts from Prokofiev’ s Romeo and Juliet. The opening “Montagues and Capulets” is of course very well known for its accurate portrayal of the “Plague on both their houses” theme – I always feel jealous of the tuba player’s playful prominent role. Juliet is portrayed as young and skittish while the death of Tybalt is appropriately tragic in the extreme. I wondered why in such a short concert, an hour only, with one programmed work missing, that the whole brilliant work was not included.
I have even been persuaded to see the ballet, in which I concentrate only on the music.
Overall, a great lunchtime entertainment consisting of two of my favourite works performed by the best artists in the world.
