Stephen Hough Composes New Test Piece for 2026 Competition
We are thrilled that our patron, the world-renowned pianist, Sir Stephen Hough, has agreed to write a test piece for the 2026 competition. Hough is forging a significant reputation as a composer – a recording of his first piano concerto The World of Yesterday has just been released on the Hyperion label, and his piano arrangement of Supercalifragilistic wowed audiences as a surprise encore at the 2024 Last Night of the Proms, reaching a TV audience of more than 10.5 million people.
The new work, which will be about 5 minutes in length, will be performed by the 20 competitors who reach the second stage of the 2026 competition, as part of a 30-minute recital programme that each participant will devise. This is the third time Hastings International Piano has commissioned a new work for the competition. The first, Hastings Toccata, was composed by the British composer Paul Patterson for the 2016 competition. In 2024, the American Lera Auerbach wrote the fascinating Time Unredeemable – a work with two different endings, either of which could be chosen by the pianist.
Artistic Director Vanessa Latarche commented:
““I’m absolutely thrilled that Stephen is composing a new piece for the 2026 competition. There’s not a composer alive who understands the instrument better than Stephen, after all, and it will be fascinating to hear twenty different interpretations of the piece during the competition next year.” ”
Photo by Toby Shaw
Sir Stephen commented:
“I was delighted to be asked to write the commissioned piece for the 2026 Hastings International Piano Competition. It’s a wonderful opportunity for a composer to hear a piece played many times and brought to life under many different hands. I simply want to write something which younger colleagues want to play – not so much a test piece as one which they will enjoy performing beyond the competition.”
