Grieg: Piano Concerto in A minor; Liszt: Piano Concertos Nos.1 & 2

For this new recording, pianist Stephen Hough travelled to Bergen - Grieg's home town - to join forces with Andrew Litton and the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra in performances of Grieg and Liszt that are set to become landmark recordings. Grieg's Piano Concerto is one of the most popular of all Romantic works, while Liszt's two concertos present unique challenges to both pianist and orchestra. These performances are exciting, magisterial and highly colored, with breathtaking virtuosity harnessed to poetic refinement and finesse - hallmarks of Stephen's playing that have already helped his concerto recordings to win two Gramophone magazine Record of the Year accolades. The Bergen players provide fresh and idiomatic support in the Grieg and revel in the sumptuous scoring of the Liszt. Released to coincide with the twin anniversaries of Liszt's birth (200 years ago) and Stephen's own 50th birthday (in November), this recording is an apt celebration of both.