Classical pianist and composer Stephen Hough is known as one of the world’s greatest musical performers.

He’s also a polymathic writer, with a new book called Rough Ideas. It collects two decades’ worth of short, witty, and perceptive essays, on everything from Lou Reed and Thomas Aquinas to bioethics, sacramentality, and the challenges of living as a gay Catholic.

He joins Commonweal editor Dominic Preziosi for a discussion about his writing, his art, and his new life during the coronavirus quarantine.

“Catholic moral teaching reminds us that every morning is a fresh start, that the slate can always be wiped clean.”—Stephen Hough
© 2024 Commonweal Magazine. All rights reserved. Design by Point Five. Site by Deck Fifty.