Stephen Hough 'Valse Enigmatique'

[williamhu]

Hiya everyone! I've read through the forums here a lot over the years (mainly for the fervent discussions of Medtner, my favourite composer) and now I've finally made myself an account

I thought I'd start off by sharing a recording I've just done (not a super serious performance!) of a super charming and hilarious little piece by Stephen Hough, 'Valse Enigmatique' from his piano album.

It's a stilted romp through over-the-top fragments of Viennese waltz, with a vaguely improvisatory nature to the whole thing. I think it's a fun little unpretentious piece and I hope it makes you smile

[tripletrobot42]

Absolutely made me smile indeed! Thank you so much for sharing! Dude I practice too much serious music. I've been practicing the Beethoven Appasionata for so long that at this point any music that is light and playful and not depressing can sound almost jarring to me! So it's nice to sit back and just chill out, listening to some fun music.

Again, thank you so much!

[pianoman53]

Nice playing!
I met him during a festival we both participated in (he was of course in the professional class, whereas I was in the young one). There he played one of his sonatas, and a Rumba as an encore. It's so stereotypically english to first do something so utterly serious, and then being silly right after.

[williamhu]

Glad you both enjoyed!
@pianoman53, wow, must have been cool to see him play! What festival was this?
And yeah, just judging from the pieces of his I’ve learned or played through, he has a fun sense of humour