Name: Stephen Hough
Start: 2026-05-14T19:30:00+01:00
Location: Turner Sims

Renowned pianist, composer and writer, Sir Stephen Hough returns with a programme that celebrates the art of the short piano piece.
The genre of the short piano piece flourished in the 19th century as pianos became central to domestic life. Evenings would have seemed long without this forerunner to the 20th century’s home entertainment systems. Composers responded with music that was intimate, expressive, and often profound.
The greatest composers raised the game by writing short pieces of supreme beauty. Schubert and Brahms, with their two ‘Klavierstücke’ on this programme, created miniature masterpieces. Schoenberg’s Six Little Piano Pieces distil modernist thought into miniature form. Stockhausen’s Klavierstück III compresses radical ideas into just 30 seconds. Beethoven’s Bagatelle Op 119 No 10 is even shorter – a musical smile that vanishes in a breath.
In contrast, Beethoven’s Waldstein Sonata is a towering work of innovation and brilliance. It marked a turning point in piano composition and technique.
Schumann’s Carnaval is a vivid suite of character pieces, each portraying a figure from his life or imagination. Unlike typical collections of miniatures, Carnaval is a unified cycle, full of cross-references and theatrical flair.
To close, three charming arrangements from ‘Mary Poppins’ offer a whimsical encore. Created by Stephen Hough for Lang Lang’s Disney project, they bring a touch of sweetness to the end of this rich musical feast.