Stephen Hough plays Rameau in New York

Stephen Hough plays three short Rameau pieces at the opening gala of the 2005 Mostly Mozart Festival (taken from "Live from Lincoln Center" broadcast on PBS).

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Stephen
• Hough
• Rameau
• PBS
• Lincoln
• Center
• Mostly
• Mozart
• piano
• pianist
• Gigue
• Tambourin
• Sarabande
• New
• York
• Avery
• Fisher

[fredrikhildebrand]

He plays the gigue in a very strange way, though, I think. It would be quite impossible to dance a gigue to this music, with it being this slow. It's very beautiful played, but the way he's doing it, it's not quite a gigue anymore. Though maybe it says something like très lentement in the score, I don't know, but I doubt it, to be honest.

Very well played, though. Extremely beautiful.

[shela2]

Lovely Playing ...I keep coming home to this gem...

[elfpix]

Totally misses the point, like Gould.

Listen to Casadesus if you want to hear this music played on the piano. He knew how to play his music, even though he was 6 generations removed from the tradition.

[LazlosPlane]

@fredrikhildebrand It always astounds me when I hear these kinds of comments, about how it would be difficult or "impossible" to dance whatever dance the composer is displaying. These pieces, like the movements of a Bach Suite, are not supposed to be brought to the dance hall or to the court, although many can. They are KEYBOARD pieces IN THE STYLE OF those dances. Yes, composers take some freedom with traditional tempos at times. Good Lord!

[d3o1r0i3n1a989]

Can anybody give the titles of these pieces?:)

[MadelieneG]

what's the name of that rameau piece with all of the percussion and so on, it's quite fast, vivace maybe, and it ends with a big percussion hit.

: \ that's the best way I can describe it.

[thecatsman]

This was indeed expressive playing of beautiful music, but I find it sad that purism could get in the way of FrostPegasus' enjoyment of great music. I love baroque music on the 'proper' instruments as well, and there is the added interest of wondering how close to the sounds of the time it comes. But this is an intellectual activity, and music can transcend all this - if it is allowed to.

[georgerannie]

Wonderful playing!!

[The4747Mark]

Expressive, thoughtful, and beautiful playing of these wonderful pieces. What a marvelous selection for a New York concert! As a pianist I studied and played Rameau for years with great satisfaction and reward. I believe his work transposes well to the modern piano, similar to Scarlatti, without his distinctive voice or unique style being lost. And the genius of Rameau is thrilling like none other. It would be a shame for pianists to miss it.

[LazlosPlane]

@fredrikhildebrand I think that even in Rameau's time that instrumental pieces were named AFTER dance forms and not necessarily appropriate for the dance but for listening in the Salon, or Court, and the listener would have the dance simply suggested by the piece. Yes, of course it would be impossible to truly dance a Gigue to this piece. But that's not what it was intended for.

IMO