Live eventOxford

Sir Stephen Hough

Oxford PlayhouseOxford

29 May 2027 · 19:30

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Claude Debussy Ballade Maurice Ravel Valses nobles et sentimentales Ferenc Liszt Ballade no.2 in B minor, S.171 Ferenc Liszt Mephisto Waltz no.1, S.514 Interval Frédéric Chopin 4 Ballades Stephen Hough’s programme focuses on the waltz and ballade as seen by composers of the late 19th/early 20th century. The 8 pieces of Ravel’s suite are a modernistic reimagined look at the waltz, a kind of fragmented memory of a dance. By contrast, Liszt’s 4 Mephisto Waltzes are strongly narrative. They are based on the Faust legend and no.1 depicts the wedding at the village inn, a scene of wild exuberance, dancing and sensuality. In medieval times, French minstrels travelled the land singing their chanson-balladée, tales of knightly heroism, love and betrayal. The tradition went through transformations – in the Renaissance the ballade became a poetic form – but it was Chopin who took the idea instrumen