Pianist Stephen Hough performed with the Vermont Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Andrew Crust on February 15.
In Monday’s (2/17) Rutland Herald (Vermont), Jim Lowe writes, “Not everyone who bought tickets showed up at Saturday’s Vermont Symphony Orchestra concert … thanks to the biggest snowstorm of the year … but those that did were rewarded some intriguing music. (The VSO ‘plowed’ through the program without intermission so that folks, including the musicians, could get home safely.) The centerpiece … was Sir Stephen Hough’s Piano Concerto ‘The World of Yesterday’ with the composer as soloist…. That ‘The World of Yesterday’ sounds like film music comes as no surprise, as it was written as a concerto for a film that didn’t happen. The flavor also reflects pre-World War II Vienna, the setting of the film, with its rich orchestration and pianistic virtuosity…. Hough delivering his part with his famed virtuosity. The VSO, conducted by Music Director Andrew Crust, [delivered] all the work’s cinematic colors…. Anna Clyne’s ‘Sound and Fury’ … 2019 tone poem … alternated between a wild ride and serene moments. The work demanded an overt orchestral virtuosity, and Crust and the VSO delivered its brilliant colors with flair and excitement…. Another work calling for orchestral virtuosity, this time only the strings, was the 1986 ‘Orawa’ by Polish composer Wojciech Kilar … The VSO strings sounded great.” The program included Mendelssohn’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with Hough.
