Rachmaninov with Sir Stephen Hough – Liverpool Philharmonic Hall
Tonight, the Philharmonic welcomed back world-renowned pianist and composer Sir Stephen Hough for a remarkable performance of Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 1.
However, the concert began with the orchestra playing Francisco Coll’s arrangement of Manuel de Falla’s Fantasia Baetica. Certainly not an easy piece for the piano, with the original dedicatee Arthur Rubenstein complaining that it was too long, Coll’s orchestration, which premiered in 2023, also represents a challenge for the orchestra, with sudden changes in tempo and texture, but it is a challenge the orchestra rose to with the style and flair the piece demands. Indeed, the orchestral transcription retains the fire and flamboyance of the original. The opening castanets set the Iberian tone while throughout there are reference...