Stephen Hough Quotes

Stephen Hough
Stephen Hough
British Composer
Born: Nov 22, 1961
Me Music People Think Time You
Related authors: Andrew Lloyd Webber Brian Ferneyhough Edward Elgar Harrison Birtwistle John Barry Michael Nyman Richard Baker William Gilbert
In Britten or Berg, there's a tension between the sweet and the sour, between the familiar and the unfamiliar, the tonal and the atonal, the happy and the sad. That, to me, is what all western art is about - that tension. It's why we want to say anything at all. Stephen Hough
Sad Art Me Happy Sweet Say About Tension Between Sour Western Familiar Unfamiliar Want Anything Why Tonal
Freedom comes with the impossibility of choosing. Stephen Hough
Freedom Impossibility Choosing
If they say they don't like the way I play Beethoven, then I can swallow that, and maybe they're right. But if they don't like what I've written, then it's about me. Stephen Hough
Me Way Say About Written Like Beethoven Maybe Swallow Then They Say Play Right
I love teaching. Stephen Hough
Love Teaching
I don't watch television! At least not when I'm traveling. For some reason, I have always found it depressing to watch television in hotel rooms. I try to use that time, as well as time on planes, to write. Stephen Hough
Time Try Television Some Write Hotel Hotel Rooms Well Always Least Depressing Rooms Planes Use Reason Traveling Found Watch
The things I do outside of playing the piano are done out of an inner necessity, not just because I want to try my hand at different things. Stephen Hough
Try Out Piano Outside Because Hand Done Just Different Just Because Want Different Things Things Inner Necessity Playing
Most people spend their life trying to get away from Catholicism. Amazingly, I chose it. Stephen Hough
Life People Spend Most Catholicism Amazingly Get Trying Chose Away
A priest once said to me, 'Think of a priest going to the altar as you walk out on the stage.' I would hate to think that anyone thought I was coming to preach. But art and music open up things that you can't put into words. It's about bringing joy when you go out there. Stephen Hough
Music Art Me You Hate Joy Words Walk Thought Preach Stage Think Once Out Would About Open Priest Put Altar Said Coming Go Up Going Anyone Things Bringing
I've loved Alfred Cortot's playing from an early age, and I never tire of hearing his recordings, particularly Chopin and Schumann from the 1920s and '30s. Stephen Hough
Age Recordings Never Particularly His Hearing Tire Loved Chopin Early Playing Early Age
Unlike sport, music is not about winning or keeping fit or promoting your town or school; it's about celebrating, to a level approaching ecstasy, the deepest human longings. Stephen Hough
Music School Approaching Unlike Promoting About Winning Town Ecstasy Sport Fit Celebrating Human Your Deepest Keeping Level
Discovering how to spend leisure time well, especially during a time of austerity, could be as important in the effort to reduce crime as having extra police on the streets, and increasing the population of concert halls may actually help decrease the population of prisons. Stephen Hough
Time Police Crime Important Extra Increasing Spend Having Could Well Concert Halls How Reduce Prisons Discovering Austerity Effort May Leisure Leisure Time Decrease Help Population Actually Streets
I was such a lazy teenager: I didn't read or play the piano beyond the bare minimum. Stephen Hough
Teenager Minimum Piano Lazy Beyond Read Bare Play
I love listening to things like those wonderful piano pieces of Stockhausen. It's just not my thing as a composer or performer, and thank goodness we're not obliged to be Modernist any more. Stephen Hough
Love Wonderful Listening Goodness Those Composer More Obliged Piano Performer Like Pieces Thank Thank Goodness Any Just Modernist Thing Things
I was only listening to rock music, burning joss sticks in my bedroom, wanting only to be a disc jockey, and watching six hours of television a night - the worst kind of teenage alienation. Stephen Hough
Music Listening Teenage Alienation Worst Television Worst Kind Kind Jockey Only Hours Disc Sticks Rock Bedroom Rock Music Six Wanting Burning Watching Night
I just found the piano so fascinating and wonderful, and I begged my parents to buy me one. In the end, they bought me a toy piano and eventually an upright piano, and I started lessons. Stephen Hough
Buy Me Wonderful Parents Piano Bought Toy End Upright Just In The End Fascinating Lessons Found Eventually Started
When you're a kid, Beethoven is Beethoven, but as I've grown older, my astonishment at the sheer inventiveness of the man has increased, and I have an appreciation that I didn't have when I was in my 20s. Stephen Hough
You Man Appreciation Older Increased Astonishment Kid Sheer Beethoven Grown
I want music to move me, and I don't think it can do that without at least a link to tonality. It's the tug between atonal and tonal which makes music poignant. Stephen Hough
Music Me Think Poignant Between Without Makes Least Link Move Tug Want Which Tonal Tonality
The piano is an instrument that can easily sound overly thick, and I love to think that I can work with textures - particularly the inner textures inside the melody or the bass line. There is an analogy there with painting; I love paintings where you see colour underneath the colour and, underneath that, more texture and shape. Stephen Hough
Work Love You Painting Think Bass Analogy Melody Easily Inside See More Piano Shape Colour Particularly Instrument Underneath Sound Overly Line Texture Textures Where Paintings Thick Inner
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