Hough to Return to SFP for Solo Recital

Stephen Hough at the piano (photograph by Sim Canetty-Clarke, courtesy of SFP)

Pianist Stephen Hough (now Sir Stephen Hough) is no stranger to San Francisco. Indeed, when I was just beginning to exercise my writing chops, I remember having the opportunity to observe one of his master classes at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Nevertheless, I have to confess that my thoughts about him have run both hot and cold over the course of his past visits. According to my records, his last visit took place this past March, when he shared the stage with the Esmé Quartet for a San Francisco Performances (SFP) recital. The “main attraction” of that program was Johannes Brahms’ Opus 34 piano quintet in F minor, when I wrote the following about his performance of that music:

Hough’s face was constantly buried in his tablet, almost entirely as if he was unaware of his four colleagues; and, sadly, those colleagues tended to fumble their way through the intricacies of Brahms’ counterpoint.

Hough will return to SFP at the beginning of this coming February. This time he will be a solo recitalist, meaning that “playing well with others” will not longer be a factor. Each of half of his program will conclude with a major piano sonata. The intermission will be preceded by Franz Liszt’s S. 178, his only piano sonata, composed as a single movement, whose duration is usually about half an hour. The final work on the program will be another sonata in B minor, this time Frédéric Chopin’s four-movement Opus 58, the last of the three sonatas he composed (the first having been published posthumously).

Each of these formidable undertakings will be preceded by shorter offerings. The Liszt sonata will be preceded by three pieces by Cécile Chaminade, who happened to be born in 1857, the year when S. 178 was first performed. (This was after Liszt’s death in 1853.) The pieces that Hough has selected are “Automne,” “Autre Fois,” and “Les Sylvains.” The intermission will be followed by Hough’s own “Sonatina Nostalgica,” the final movement from his Partita and Sonatina Nostalgica.

This performance will begin on Tuesday, February 4, at 7:30 p.m., in Herbst Theatre, located at 401 Van Ness Avenue on the southwest corner of McAllister Street. Ticket prices are $85 (premium Orchestra and front and center Dress Circle), $75 (remainder of Orchestra, all Side Boxes, and center rear Dress Circle), and $65 (remaining Dress Circle and Balcony); and they may be purchased through an SFP secure Web page. Single tickets may also be purchased by calling 415-392-2545.