Rough Ideas: Reflections on Music and More by Stephen Hough (English) Paperback

Description: Rough Ideas by Stephen Hough "Originally published in 2019 by Faber & Faber Ltd, Great Britain"--Title page verso. FORMAT Paperback LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description A collection of essays on music and life by the famed classical pianist and composer Stephen Hough is one of the worlds leading pianists, winning global acclaim and numerous awards, both for his concerts and his recordings. He is also a writer, composer, and painter, and has been described by The Economist as one of "Twenty Living Polymaths." Hough writes informally and engagingly about music and the life of a musician, from the broader aspects of what it is to walk out onto a stage or to make a recording, to specialist tips from deep inside the practice room: how to trill, how to pedal, how to practice. He also writes vividly about people hes known, places hes traveled to, books hes read, paintings hes seen; and he touches on more controversial subjects, such as assisted suicide and abortion. Even religion is there--the possibility of the existence of God, problems with some biblical texts, and the challenges involved in being a gay Catholic. Rough Ideas is an illuminating, constantly surprising introduction to the life and mind of one of our great cultural figures. Author Biography Stephen Hough, one of the most distinctive artists of his generation, performs with the worlds major orchestras and in recital at the most prestigious concert halls. He has made more than sixty CD recordings and has composed works ranging from solo piano to orchestral. As an author, he has written articles for The Guardian and The Times (London), and he wrote a blog for The Telegraph for seven years. His first novel, The Final Retreat, was published in 2018. Table of Contents Introduction Forum The Soul of Music Our concert halls are like museums - Yes, isnt that great! Music in churches: magical ghosts or profane distractions? Our wonderful, ageing audiences Dumping the interval Classical music - for everyone? Poking bows and spitting mouthpieces Can you be a musician and not write music? Can you be a musician and not play or read music? Hidden musicians, hidden talents Dont listen to recordings Joyce Hatto and listening blind Meaning what you sing Old pianists Gay pianists: can you tell? Leaving politics out of concerts Telling tails: do special clothes make a difference? Stephen, that was really dreadful! Stuck in a hole or building a tunnel? Carusos garlic breath Punctured rolls Is there too much music? Relics Bechsteins fall and rise What kind of piano do you have at home? Lonely on the road When I dont play the piano Never mind the metronome, learn to use an alarm clock Disgrace at a concert Most of the strokes winners, none of them good enough Staying power The Russian crescendo Fickleness of feelings This ones happy, this ones sad What music makes you cry? Can atonal music make you cry? Symphonies under ice Clothing the naked melody Two women, two songs: in and out of harmony Is New Age thinking bad for musicians? Memory clinic and Mozart My terrible audition tape Quaver or not: should orchestras use vibrato? Parlour songs Breaking the law: a short speech for the Middle Temple The Proms Stage Once more onto the stage, dear friends, once more Bored on stage Neurotic on stage Nervous on stage Take a deep breath Routine on a concert day Flying glasses Page-turning: part of the performance As the page turns . . . or not The musical page-turner A crucial tip when playing with the score Out of the cockpit Humiliation and vomiting at the keyboard Stage fright and playing from memory Bad self-consciousness as the death of good self-confidence Beautiful bloopers: the joy of making mistakes Can wrong notes be right? Clap between movements? Please! Dont feel you have to clap between movements Ample amplification PPProjection Charismatic Stanley Kubrick and recording Red-light district I: the background Red-light district II: frenzy Red-light district III: solo lows and highs Red-light district IV: live or alive? Red-light district V: play it again (and again), Sergei Red-light district VI: did I really play it like that? A promiscuous weekend in Amsterdam Ringtone in Padua Hysterical laughter on stage Studio The practice of practising: for professionals The practice of practising: for amateurs Random practice tips Theres no such thing as a difficult piece Unfinished Fingering Remembering what watered our roots A good edition Where do you sit to play the piano? Romantic in soul not body: sitting still at the piano Depressed: the amazing world of the pedal Depressed again: the (not so) soft pedal Seldom depressed: the middle pedal A different depression: finger pedal Trills I: easy does it Trills II: a good fingering but not with the fingers Trills III: six random tricks Up to speed Agile wings not muscular legs Beats and bleats Those who do cant necessarily teach Masterclasses Why dont (music) students attend concerts? What does the most talented young pianist need most? Trying to practise away from the piano and trying to try to pray People and Pieces How much do we need to know about a composer? Elgar the Roman Catholic Tchaikovsky didnt commit suicide Tchaikovskys First Piano Concerto Tchaikovskys Second Piano Concerto: why I changed the second movement Tchaikovskys Concert Fantasia Artificial gushing tunes Authenticity playing Rachmaninov Recording Rachmaninov The other Rach Three How Beethoven redesigned the cadenza Brahms First or Second? Dvor Review A Financial Times Book of the Year 2019 "Houghs writings on music are endlessly knowledgeable, illuminating, and accessible . . . Music lovers, from professional musicians to casual listeners, will find the book a delight to browse through." -- Publishers Weekly "[Rough Ideas is] highly episodic, with entries ranging from a few dozen words to a few hundred. Many of them begin with questions -- the sort of things hes repeatedly asked, one guesses, by adoring audiences and sponsors over post-concert drinks and nibbles before packing his bag to move on to the next venue . . . But if the questions are sometimes routine, the answers are like Houghs playing: original, fresh, deeply considered, personal. And sometimes quirky or contrarian. We know the 10,000-hour rule to prepare for genius. But Hough shows it helps to have genius as well." -- Alan Rusbridger, The Spectator "Stephen Houghs brilliance isnt limited to the concert stage or recording studio. The classical pianist, as his fans already know, is something of a polymath. This lively collection of writings gathers dozens of unfailingly perceptive, often charming, and occasionally moving reflections on the musicians craft, the symbiosis between performer and audience, Rilke, Simone Weil, Lou Reed, and the importance of practice--which allows "the time to make mistakes and the leisure to correct them." --Commonweal Review Quote A Financial Times Book of the Year 2019 "Houghs writings on music are endlessly knowledgeable, illuminating, and accessible . . . Music lovers, from professional musicians to casual listeners, will find the book a delight to browse through." -- Publishers Weekly "[ Rough Ideas is] highly episodic, with entries ranging from a few dozen words to a few hundred. Many of them begin with questions -- the sort of things hes repeatedly asked, one guesses, by adoring audiences and sponsors over post-concert drinks and nibbles before packing his bag to move on to the next venue . . . But if the questions are sometimes routine, the answers are like Houghs playing: original, fresh, deeply considered, personal. And sometimes quirky or contrarian. We know the 10,000-hour rule to prepare for genius. But Hough shows it helps to have genius as well." -- Alan Rusbridger, The Spectator "Stephen Houghs brilliance isnt limited to the concert stage or recording studio. The classical pianist, as his fans already know, is something of a polymath. This lively collection of writings gathers dozens of unfailingly perceptive, often charming, and occasionally moving reflections on the musicians craft, the symbiosis between performer and audience, Rilke, Simone Weil, Lou Reed, and the importance of practice--which allows "the time to make mistakes and the leisure to correct them. " -- Commonweal Details ISBN1250785731 Author Stephen Hough Short Title Rough Ideas Pages 464 Language English Year 2021 ISBN-10 1250785731 ISBN-13 9781250785732 Format Paperback Publication Date 2021-02-02 Subtitle Reflections on Music and More Publisher Picador USA Imprint Picador USA UK Release Date 2021-02-02 DEWEY B Audience General We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:137302667;

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