Stephen Hough Performs Rachmaninoff

Last night I got to hear Stephen Hough, one of my favorite soloists, perform Rachmaninoff, one of my favorite composers, with the Utah Symphony and it was simply amazing!  Before the Rachmaninoff the orchestra played two pieces by Richard Wagner and I really enjoyed them both.  The first was the Overture to Tannhauser, an opera about a Medieval singer and songwriter named Tannhauser who has a virtuous maiden and a goddess vying for his love.  The music portrays his downfall into the profane and then his redemption and I found it, like much of Wagner's music, to be incredibly stirring, especially the themes played by the brass.  Next came Das Rheingold which serves as the prologue to the operas in the Ring cycle.  The piece begins with a long and sustained note from the basses which is then joined by the oboes then the horns and, finally, by the rest of the orchestra as it builds and builds.  This is meant to represent the depths of the Rhine River which hides the gold that is eventually used to make a ring to rule the world and it is quite dramatic.  I loved the sudden climax of this note followed by the introduction of the ring theme played by the woodwinds.  I also loved all of the percussion, especially the use of anvils which represents the enslavement of the Nibelungs, and the four harps which represent the churning of the Rhine in the epic conclusion.  It was so cool!  I would really love to see the Ring cycle someday (it is definitely a bucket list item).  I spent the entire intermission anticipating what was to come because I love Rachmaninoff!  Piano Concerto No. 3 by Sergei Rachmaninoff is considered by many to be the most difficult piano piece in the repertoire but Hough made it look easy with his fingers gliding up and down the keyboard at the speed of light!  I think this piece is incredibly moody and atmospheric and I especially love the main theme, which is introduced by the piano in the first movement and then repeated in variations by the orchestra throughout, because it is so quintessentially Russian.  It is very melancholy but also dignified!  I also love the romantic theme played by the piano in the second movement because it becomes increasingly more passionate and, of course, the conclusion is unbelievably exhilarating!  I loved this performance because Hough was absolutely brilliant and, as always, I highly recommend getting a ticket for the same program tonight (go here for tickets).