Stephen wins International Poetry Competition
Click here for more details

Stephen Wins Northwestern's $50K Lane Prize
Stephen is the winner of Northwestern University's $50,000 Jean Gimbel Lane Prize in Piano Performance. The award is given to "pianists who have achieved the highest levels of national and international recognition." Click here for more details

Brahms Piano Quintet Now Available
Stephen with the Takács Quartet release their new recording of the Brahms Piano Quintet. Click here for more details

Tsontakis Recording Now Available
Stephen Hough's recording of Tsontakis' Man of Sorrows with Andrew Litton and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra is now available. Click here for more details

A New Article By Stephen
"Washing Dishes, Chocolate and Erotic Bushes" Click Here for Article

Interview with The Catholic Herald
Stephen talks about his "Missa Mirabilis". Click here for interview To read a review of the "Missa Mirabilis" premiere, click here for "Voices of Thanks" by The Tablet.

"Mass of Innocence and Experience" World Premiere
Stephen's Mass of Innocence and Experience is premiered at Westminster Abbey.
Click here to view leaflet

Spanish Album Released
Stephen Hough's Spanish Album is released - a recital of pieces inspired by Spain. Click here for more details

New Articles By and About Stephen
"Make it up as you go along" (Guardian Unlimited)
"Artistic genius has nothing to do with faith - it's down to God's profligacy" (The Times)
Sounding True (GIG Magazine)

Recording of Mozart & Beethoven Quintets
BIS has released a recording of Stephen playing Mozart and Beethoven Quintets with the Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet.  The Mozart was issued previously (and was praised by the American Record Guide as ‘The best recording of Mozart's Quintet I have ever heard.’); the Beethoven Quintet is released here for the first time.
Click here for album details and notes, or you may purchase this album at Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk

World Premiere of Stephen's Elegy for Cello and Orchestra
Stephen conducts the world premiere of his 'Elegy for Cello and Orchestra' (The Loneliest Wilderness) with Steven Isserlis and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra on March 17th 2007. Click here for more information

New Book
Stephen new book, THE BIBLE AS PRAYER, is published. This book can be purchased at Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk

New Writings
There are 6 new additions to the Writings section, including a new piece entitled "A Few Thoughts on Mozart for Salzburg". Click here for to view all Writings

Stephen Writes Essay for New Book
Stephen has contributed an essay to a controversial new book. Click on the link for more details. Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk

Stephen's New Cello Piece
Stephen's piece 'From The Sea' has just been published by Faber Music in a new volume of children's pieces for cello called FINGERPRINTS. Click here for further details.

Interview in Book
An extensive interview with Stephen appears in the newly published book, 'Making Music in Britain'. Click here for details

Brahms Cello Sonatas
Stephen joins cellist Steven Isserlis in a new recording of the Brahms Cello sonatas.

'[Isserlis's] current recording with Hough displaces all others: at last two musicians have taken this work and delivered a spontaneous stream of musical dialectic that makes perfect sense'. (BBC Music Magazine) Read more in Recordings

Carol at Westminster
Stephen's setting for choir of Rowan William's poem ADVENT CALENDAR was performed on Dec 21, 2005 by the Westminster Cathedral Choir at their annual carol concert. The choir was directed by the Master of Music, Martin Baker, in the presence of the Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor.

New Recording of Liszt Now Available
Stephen returns to the works of Liszt for his latest recording with the complete first book of Années de pèlerinage (Suisse). Following this, Stephen gives listeners a rare treat: Liszt's complete transcriptions from Gounod operas. These three transcriptions include the virtuoso warhorse, the Faust waltz, and two almost completely unknown works. Read more in Recordings

Gramophone Editor's Choice Award for Rachmaninov Recording
Stephen's recording of the complete Rachmaninov concertos with Andrew Litton and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra won the Gramophone Editor's Choice award. Click here to view the complete list of 2005 Gramophone Award Winners.

New Compositions Now Available
Stephen has recently published a number of new compositions. Click here for details

Piano Collection Now Available
Stephen has just released a new piano collection that contains a sampling from each of his solo recordings for Hyperion Records. Also included are two bonus works never before issued, as well as new booklet notes by Stephen discussing each track. Read more in Recordings

Rachmaninov Recording Wins at Classical Brit Awards
Stephen's recent recording of the complete Rachmaninov Piano Concertos won the Critic's prize at the Classical Brit Awards. The awards were presented at Royal Albert Hall and will be broadcast in Britain on May 29.

Essay Available, "Problems Playing the Piano?"
Stephen talks about 3 different areas in which concert pianists can encounter difficulty and discouragement during their careers. View Writings

"A Thoughtful Virtuoso"
Jeannie Williams writes about Stephen Hough on the NY Philharmonic website and discusses his recent Rachmaninov recordings in anticipation of his appearance with Lorin Maazel on Jan 26, 27, and 29. Read the full article

Interview with Stephen Hough
Brandon Srivener interviews Stephen and discusses interpreting Rachmaninov, the English style of playing, and collaborating with Andrew Litton. Read the interview

Rachmaninoff Album Notes & Essay Now Available
The album notes for Stephen's new recording of the Rachmaninoff concertos are now available for viewing in the Writings section. Additionally, Stephen has written an essay on recording the Rachmaninoff concertos which is also available in the Writings section.

New Recording of Rachmaninov Concertos Now Available
Stephen Hough's live recording of Rachmaninov's four piano concertos and the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini is now available for purchase.
Read more in Recordings

David Hurwitz from ClassicsToday.com reviewed this upcoming set and gave it a 10 out of 10 ranking, saying:

'This is the best set of Rachmaninov Piano Concertos ever recorded... the conclusion was inescapable: there never has been a complete cycle at this level of consistent excellence. There's no doubt about it... He [Hough] brings virtuosity, sensitivity, thoughtfulness, and expressive intensity to this music in equal measure, and you will come away not just dazzled by his pianistic prowess, but with a renewed understanding of just how great these works truly are. I can think of no higher praise than that.'
Click here to read the full review

Wes Marshall from SoundStage.com:
'...After two and a half hours of listening, I started pulling out old recordings for comparison's sake: Rubenstein and Reiner, Rachmaninov and Stowkowski, Janis and Dorati, Wild and Horenstein. I am now of the firm belief that Hough and Litton have recorded the definitive set of the Rachmaninov Concertos... My only complaint, and it is insignificant, is that the concertos are live recordings with outbursts of applause at the end that I wish that could have been edited out. Honestly, if I had been in the audience, I would have applauded, too.

This is the 2004 classical recording of the year'
Click here to read the full review

Fanfare Magazine Features Stephen Hough
Recently Fanfare Magazine sat down with Stephen Hough and Dallas Symphony Orchestra conductor Andrew Litton to talk about their latest recording of the Rachmaninov Piano Concertos. This interview is available for download in PDF format.

(Please note: Due to the quality of the PDF, we recommend that you print out the interview if possible. To print. right click the link and select "Print Target".) Click here to view interview

This live recording of the Rachmaninov concertos with Andrew Litton and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra will be released in the UK October 4 and the US later in the month by Hyperion records.

New Multimedia Added
Sample audio clips from Stephen's albums are now available for download. You can find these clips on the Details page for each Album. You will need Windows Media Player to listen.

Chopin Ballades & Scherzos
Stephen Hough's recording of Chopin's Four Ballades & Four Scherzos is now available in both the US and the UK. Read more in Recordings

'These seem to me outstanding performances. The pianist and conductor Charles Halle said that Chopin's own playing was remarkable for its freedom of rhythm, yet sounded entirely natural. That is the ideal, but to play Chopin with the rhythmic subtlety he requires without seeming contrived is a rare gift. Stephen Hough has it in abundance. Listen to how he shapes the opening theme of Ballade No 1: tentative, hesitant, then gradually gaining momentum. Hough is equally at home with the sparkle of the fourth scherzo and the ferocity of the first. He also commands like a master the almost orchestral range of colour these works demand.' (David Cairns, The Sunday Times)

Recording of Schumann Re-released
Stephen Hough's recording of Schumann's "Davidsbündlertänze" and "Fantasie in C" has been re-released on the EMI Classics record label. Read more in Recordings

Hummel Sonatas
Stephen Hough's recent recording features three of Hummel's most compelling solo piano sonatas. Read more in Recordings

Stephen Joins Cellist Steven Isserlis in Rachmaninov & Franck
Stephen Hough joins cellist Steven Isserlis (www.stevenisserlis.com) in this large-scale passionate romantic programme consisting of Sergei Rachmaninov's Sonata for cello and piano in G minor Op 19 and César Franck's Sonata for cello and piano in A major M8.
Read more in Recordings

Stephen Hough writes about the late Vlado Perlemuter
Stephen Hough has written an article on the great French pianist Vlado Perlemuter. Perlemuter studied with Alfred Cortot and worked on Ravel's compositions with the composer himself. Stephen had the opportunity to play for Mr. Perlemuter in master classes at the Royal Northern College of Music. Mr. Perlemuter passed away on September 4, 2002. You can read this article in the "WRITINGS" section.

Stephen's recording of the Liszt Sonata named one of 50 essential CD's
Stephen's recording of the Liszt Sonata, Ballades and Polonaises was named one of the top 50 essential classical albums by NPR's "Performance Today". Click here to view the entire list of 50 and to listen to the feature on Stephen's album (No. 49).

Saint-Saëns Concertos voted Recording of the Year and Concerto Recording of the Year by Gramophone Magazine
"Hough's recording, on the Hyperion label, was one of those discs that had Record of the Year written on it from the moment it arrived for review." Read Full Article

The English Album
This disc, which is very close to Stephen Hough's heart, should be thought of as an addition to his very successful series of 'Piano Albums'. In fact this recital started off with material left over from his New Piano Album. Read more in Recordings