Recordings

‘Benjamin Hochman stands out for both the acuity of his programming and (…) these scrupulously careful interpretations, which make the most of his subtle timbral palette and keen ear for texture. He artfully brings out the aesthetic overlaps among these works.’
– Gramophone

In his late piano sonatas, Beethoven created music of extraordinary originality, simultaneously looking far into the future and far into the past. Pianist Benjamin Hochman pays homage to this Janus-faced aspect with the inclusion of two works from the Renaissance alongside Shadowlines from 2001.

As Hochman writes: ‘Beethoven achieves a kind of timelessness, stretching to the limit what music can say. He looks far into the future by striving for ever richer sounds, conceiving powerfully original musical ideas, and building masterful musical structures. He looks far into the past by integrating traditional forms such as variations and fugue, reflecting earlier musical styles, even quoting fleeting musical motives from Bach. But most of all, he transcends any particular era by exploring emotions both primal and sublime.’

The first Renaissance piece is the motet Ave Christe, attributed to Josquin de Prez, the Franco-Flemish composer frequently compared to Beethoven by virtue of his wide-ranging impact. Hochman plays a piano transcription made in 1988 by American composer Charles Wuorinen.

Flow, my tears – the lamenting melody that best represents the signature melancholia of the English Renaissance figure John Dowland – originated as a solo lute song and was published under the title Lachrimae in 1596. Its popularity led to a plethora of arrangements around Europe, including the one Hochman has chosen by Dowland’s elder contemporary, William Byrd.

The album’s most recently composed music is Shadowlines, a set of six preludes written by Sir George Benjamin. It uses a variety of canonic techniques that unfold subliminally, echoes concealed by echoes. Benjamin follows Beethoven’s cue in repurposing old techniques – including a passacaglia in the longest of the set – as conveyors of new revelations.

‘This program is a journey from darkness to light, a study in contrasts that nevertheless finds resonance across the centuries, ultimately finding transcendence and even triumph’, Benjamin Hochman concludes.

Oliver Knussen: Variations, Op. 24

Luciano Berio: Cinque Variazioni

George Benjamin: Meditation on Haydn's Name

Peter Lieberson: Piano Variations

Brahms: Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Händel, Op. 24

"The Best Classical Music Recordings of 2015" Anthony Tommasini, New York Times

The thoughtful, accomplished Israeli-born pianist Benjamin Hochman devised a fascinating program of works in variation form for this splendid new recording... There are extraordinary performances of a meditative George Benjamin piece and Peter Lieberson’s elaborate 1996 Piano Variations, all building to the final offering: a commanding, exuberant account of Brahms’s great, and daunting, Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel.  Anthony Tommasini, New York Times

Benjamin Hochman is a prime example of another New York type, the up-and-coming soloist. What makes him unusual, however, is the unabashed emphasis he has given to modern repertory, which he balances effortlessly with the classics in his recitals and recordings.  Russell Platt, The New Yorker

In the beautiful new recording by Israeli pianist Benjamin Hochman, the piano often sounds clear and bright, with sounds cascading like refined pearls, while at other times it can be likened to a full symphonic orchestra, tumultuous in its multilayered complexity and sound hues.  Noam Ben-Zeev, Haaretz

Bach: Partita No. 4 in D, BWV 828

Berg: Sonata Op. 1

Webern: Variations Op. 27

Bach: Partita No. 6 in E minor, BWV 830

Artek, AR-0050-2, November 17, 2009