The ‘Rhapsody’ has a lean, modern, American feel about it, whereas with Rachmaninoff’s second and third concertos, you feel very much you’re still in old imperial Russia. Stephen Hough Read Quote
Many people who don’t like Rachmaninov’s style consider the ‘Rhapsody’ his masterpiece. It’s written fantastically well for orchestra and piano. He combines a lot of effervescence with a deep, Romantic spirit. Stephen Hough Read Quote
A priest once said to me, ‘Think of a priest going to the altar as you walk out on the stage.’ I would hate to think that anyone thought I was coming to preach. But art and music open up things that you can’t put into words. It’s about bringing joy when you go out there. Stephen Hough Read Quote
If I’m walking along the street, ideas come. Ideas about things that I’m interested in. I’ve jotted them down in the past on bits of paper and then, more recently, on apps in my phone. I’ve always written poetry since I was a kid. Stephen Hough Read Quote
I was very quick; I did nothing but play the piano apart from being at school. I was at home with my mother, saying, ‘Go out and get some fresh air.’ No, I wanted to play the piano all the time I could. I was completely obsessed. Stephen Hough Read Quote
The things I do outside of playing the piano are done out of an inner necessity, not just because I want to try my hand at different things. Stephen Hough Read Quote
I don’t watch television! At least not when I’m traveling. For some reason, I have always found it depressing to watch television in hotel rooms. I try to use that time, as well as time on planes, to write. Stephen Hough Read Quote
The daily glitter of skyscrapers competing with the stars is an unnecessary, unforgivable decadence. Stephen Hough Read Quote
I think it all comes from the same source, really, the writing of music, the writing of words, the playing of music. It’s what drives anyone to be interested in the arts. I think it’s a poetic gene; it’s a wanting to go beyond. Stephen Hough Read Quote
