The concert where my idol Hélène Grimaud had been replaced by Stephen Hough turned out quite alright. On the program was Brahms’s 2nd piano concerto, a magnificent work of almost 50 minutes, and (the contrast could not be greater) 4 waltzes by Johan Strauss. Unlike some celebrities who get sloppy, Mr. Hough performed the concerto quite well, although I was initially surprised by his large “gestures”. In general, I admire those pianists most, who play technically challenging works with minimal visible effort. But styles differ. The conductor, Mark Wigglesworth, was also a joy to look at, and as far as I could hear, he led the orchestra in a very convincing manner.
After the interval, the atmosphere was very relaxed, and many people who are serious about classical music somehow look down on the often abused and popularized Strauss waltzes. Apparently, the conductor was so familiar with these pieces (or they were so easy), that he often skipped turning the page, and then after a few minutes, he would turn 3 or 4 pages at once!
I didn’t have very high expectations about the musical depth, but was nevertheless pleasantly surprised by some “deep” fragments which didn’t sound very familiar. They seemed longer versions than the ones on my Dad’s LPs that would always be played, while I was crawling on the ground playing with Lego or car toys 
Hough @ De Doelen
