Without a spirit of childhood in the listener, the music of the Catalan Federico Mompou can seem almost infantile. The style the composer himself calls 'primitivista' involves no bar lines, key signatures or other such paraphernalia of 'organized' composition, and at first sight owes much to Satie. However the latter's cynicism here finds expression in genuine innocence and wonder. The titles of the four complete sets recorded here give some impression of what is to be expected: Cants Mágics, Charmes … but these titles can also be unhelpful, implying order when none is meant; the Cancións y Danzas are not part of a set as such, and the six examples here span some three decades. All of these miniatures (the longest is under six minutes) capture a world that is at once very real (Mompou describes his 'favourite place' as being the 'solitude of all large towns') and yet somehow set at a distance from the mundane through piano writing of plain and unpretentious vision.

GRAMOPHONE EDITOR'S CHOICE ; GRAMOPHONE AWARD WINNER; PENGUIN GUIDE ROSETTE ; DIAPASON D'OR

'In the hands of an imaginative pianist like Stephen Hough this other-worldly, almost eremitic [music] becomes revelatory. He catches Mompou's wistful moods to perfection' (Gramophone)

'It's a rare thing for an artist's programme notes to vie in quality with his playing. There is simply no better description of this music, nor any more persuasive, imaginative and spiritually attuned performer of it. Fascinating, hypnotic, mystical. Commended' (BBC Music Magazine)

'In his skilfully planned and superlatively played programme Stephen Hough achieves a vivid sense of contrast, of temporal and spiritual reflection. His rare empathy for such music is reflected in Hyperion's cloudless recording' (BBC Record Review)

'Pianism of a very high order indeed, backed up by a recording of beautiful limpidity. Spellbinding music, immaculately performed' (Classic CD)

'Ce CD est une parfaite introduction a une oeuvre aussi passionante que difficile a cerner. La prise de son d'une qualité exceptionelle de rondeur et de naturel' (Répertoire, France)

'A real treat ... utterly compelling playing with a recording to match' (Gramophone)

'Altogether outstanding in every way' (Gramophone)

'Perhaps the most significant piano release of the year' (The Independent)

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Recording details: July 1996; St George's, Brandon Hill, United Kingdom; Produced by Andrew Keener; Engineered by Tony Faulkner; Release date: August 1997;