Stephen Hough, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Andrew Litton - Rachmaninov: The Piano Concertos (2010)

As everyone with a thesaurus knows, urgency rhymes with emergency. And these performances of Rachmaninov's works for piano and orchestra by Stephen Hough with Andrew Litton leading the Dallas Symphony are nothing if they are not urgent. Hough's tempos are quick and strong and vital, with plenty of rubato and lots of accelerando. Of course, there's nothing wrong with that. Go back and listen to the old Rachmaninov recordings to hear the roots of Hough's impetuous and romantic interpretation. But those are only the roots: Hough is himself a consummate virtuoso with a blazing technique and a passionate temperament and he has something to say about Rachmaninov, and in Rachmaninov's style, he says it urgently, often even ecstatically. Listen to the climax of the closing movement of the Concerto in D minor: Hough pushes forward by holding back and explodes in incandescent chords of surpassing bliss. Not since the '50s Horowitz recording has any pianist so perfectly represented the heart of the music by being so true to himself. Litton, an old hand at Rachmaninov, is a superb partner and the Dallas Symphony sounds like a thoroughbred orchestra. If you love Rachmaninov's works for piano and orchestra -- and what red-blooded listener doesn't? -- hearing Hough's recording is an emergency. Hyperion's live sound is faithful and true.