Composer: Alban Berg, Arnold Schoenberg, George Tsontakis, Anton Webern
Performer: Stephen Hough
Orchestra: Dallas Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Andrew Litton
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Hyperion
Catalogue: CDA67564
Release: 2007
Size: 182 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: cover
Tsontakis: Man of Sorrows
01. I. Ecce homo
02. II. Es muss sein(?) – Labyrinthus
03. III. Lacrymosa: Stabat Mater
04. IV. Gethsemane: Shards
05. V. Jesu Joy – Crucifixus
06. VI. Vir dolorum, tanquam oves erravimus
Schoenberg: Sechs Kleine Klavierstücke, Op 19
07. I. Leicht, zart
08. II. Langsam
09. III. Sehr langsam
10. IV. Rasch, aber leicht
11. V. Etwas rasch
12. VI. Sehr langsam
13. Berg: Piano Sonata, Op. 1
Webern: Variations for piano, Op 27
14. I. Sehr mässig
15. II. Sehr schnell
16. III. Ruhig fliessend
17. Tsontakis: Sarabesque
Fresh from his conducting debut with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, the premiere of his cello concerto and the publication of his first book, Stephen Hough presents a new disc of fascinating repertoire. George Tsontakis is a giant of the American contemporary music scene and the recent winner of the prestigious Grawemeyer award and the Charles Ives Living. Houghs recording of his Ghost Variations for Hyperion (CDA67005) was nominated for a Grammy. Man of Sorrows was written for Stephen Hough and was premiered in 2005. This recording is taken from the world premiere. The work demonstrates Tsontakis muscular, expressive musical language, influenced by Beethoven and Messiaen. Inspired by medieval Byzantine icons of Christ, the Man of Sorrows, the six-movement work explores in sound the composers response to the suffering and passion of Jesus as represented in these serene religious artworks. Hough himself has also written and spoken extensively on the relationship between religion and music and performs the work with extraordinary sympathy and understanding. George Tsontakis writes of his work: By the time I began composing Man of Sorrows, I knew several things about it: that it would be cast in a religious dynamic and complexity, that Beethovens 33 Diabelli Variations would play a part, that it would not be so much a concerto as a tone poem for piano and orchestra with an abstract narrative, that it would be large-scale and that it would be dedicated to Stephen Hough, in essence and in spirit. This disc also includes iconic works from the Second Viennese School and a further piano work by Tsontakis.