BRITISH pianist Stephen Hough’s new recording of the Beethoven piano concertos with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra and conductor Hannu Lintu will be released by Hyperion on May 1. As Hough reveals in the May issue of Gramophone, the recording project was a huge undertaking for everyone involved, a quest for perfection that went well beyond the norm.

Now Hough has revealed that all of his royalties from the Beethoven concertos album will be donated to Help Musicians, Britain’s leading charity for musicians throughout their career. He says, “It’s a strange time to be releasing a new CD, but Beethoven more than any other composer represents for me the ultimate triumph of joy over sorrow, and the indefatigable human spirit. I would like to donate all my royalties from this recording to Help Musicians to support those colleagues who are facing difficulties at this time of crisis.”

This year marks the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth.

(SD-Agencies)