The Well-Tempered Ear

Classical music: Musicians need silence, says pianist Stephen Hough, who also praises the rise of artists and audiences for Western classical music in Asia

By Jacob Stockinger

Pianist Stephen Hough is rightly described as a polymath, a Renaissance Man who is a world-class performer, composer, painter, novelist and blogger.

Little wonder that Hough was the first musician to win a MacArthur Fellowship or “genius grant.”

The virtuosic Hough (below) wowed local audiences here a couple of months ago when he performed the dazzling Piano Concerto No. 5 “Egyptian” by Camille Saint-Saens with the Madison Symphony Orchestra.

Recently, he gave an interview in which he talked about the importance of silence to musicians.

Along the way, he also remarked on and lauded the “thrilling” rise of Western classical music – shown in audiences as well as the huge numbers and high quality of professional performing artists, amateurs and students – in Asia.

Hough also talked about the role of composing for performers, why it is a valuable skill and whether the performer-composer tradition is returning. (You can hear Stephen Hough perform his own Piano Sonata No. 3 “Trinitas” in the YouTube video at the bottom.)

The Ear found Stephen Hough’s interview engaging and informative, and hopes you do too.

Here is a link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carlos-gardels/musicians-silence-stephen-hough_b_9626456.html