Hough on recording

Stephen Hough, the English pianist, contemplates the art of recording on his blog for The Telegraph: "It’s not just sitting down and playing well in front of a microphone, it’s a different art form. I like the comparison between cinema and the theatre: if you put a camera in front of wonderful live play it won’t necessarily make a good movie, it’s a totally different way of working."

Hough’s ongoing series of posts on performing for the microphone – which, like the camera, never lies but may deceive with poor focus or ill-judged perspective – can be read here:

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/culture/author/stephenhough/

Some of the readers’ comments are as insightful as Hough’s, especially those regarding the roles of producers and engineers. As in film, the production staff often deserves to share top billing with performers, and, when things go wrong, often deserves more of the blame.