By Pierre Ruhe
Every time English pianist Stephen Hough performs in Atlanta — he seems to play either Spivey Hall or Symphony Hall every year or so — he’s interesting in an unexpected way. Hough (pronounced “huff”) is also a blogger, where his expertise includes “theology, art, hats, puddings…” Here’s a recent sample: “It’s not Mozart, stupid!
By Bryant Manning
On any given night in America, it is likely that one of the hulking Romantic violin concertos is getting its hour in dank school auditoriums, community centers or in the case of this week at Symphony Center, a plush concert hall. In recent weeks in Chicago, the Beethoven, Brahms and Tchaikovsky concertos have received indomitable performances from major ensembles featuring distinguished guest soloists from various Austro-German locales.
But the lesson learned Thursday night Orchestra Hall is that these warhorses don’t require advocacy from abroad to stay fresh, and the best options are often right under our nose.
