What a romantic evening.


You'll seldom find a performance that more ably expresses the essence of the romantic ideal than what Hough offered at the Ordway Center on Tuesday night, Nov. 20. His Schubert Club solo recital employed the youthful visions of Frederic Chopin, Johannes Brahms and Robert Schumann to visit a broad range of moods and spirits upon an enthusiastic audience. Complementing those composers' works with a new sonata of his own, Hough exhibited exceptional emotional range, exquisite technique and a storyteller's skill for making each movement an engrossing short story.



The romantics clearly influenced Hough's Second Sonata, which bears the title, "Notturno luminoso." Co-commissioned by the Schubert Club, it was premiered last month, but was given a riveting reprise at the Ordway. It's an uneasy confluence of anxious fear and dark foreboding, a nocturne built around night terrors and urban alienation. While Hough gave magnificent voice to the romantics, this work expanded the palette to employ some very contemporary colors.

All of Hough's interpretations had a "big picture" feel, as if he were acting as psychologist for the composers, bringing ideas and insights into play that were often astoundingly original. Never were his skills more admirable than on Schumann's gallery of 23 distinctly different characters, "Carnaval." Employing dramatic mood shifts from one movement to the next, Hough nevertheless made the connections clear.


Rob Hubbard can be reached at rhubbard@pioneerpress.com.