Nicolas Hodges approaches the works of the Classical period, Romantic period, 20th century composers, and the present with the same passion and precision. An extensive repertoire, which consists of composers like Beethoven, Berg, Brahms, Debussy, Schubert, and Stravinsky, strengthens the particular presence and energy of the pianist Nicolas Hodges for contemporary music. Tempo magazine writes, "Hodges is a refreshing artist; he plays the classics as if they were written yesterday and what was written yesterday as if it were already a classic."
As a concert pianist, Hodges has played with many orchestras, such as the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, MET Orchestra, New York Philharmonic Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic, Bamberg Symphony, BBC Symphony, City of Birmingham Symphony, Helsinki Philharmonic, hr-Sinfonieorchester Frankfurt, London Philharmonic, Melbourne Symphony, ORF Radio Symphony Orchestra Vienna, Orchester Philharmonie Luxemburg, SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden Freiburg, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Philharmonic, Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln and ensembles such as ASKO / Schoenberg Ensemble Amsterdam, Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, Contrechamps Geneva, International Contemporary Ensemble Chicago and the Remix Ensemble in Porto. He has worked with many excellent conductors, including Thomas Adès, Marin Alsop, Daniel Barenboim, George Benjamin, Martyn Brabbins, Hans Graf, James Levine, Susanna Mälkki, Jonathan Nott, Tadaaki Otaka, Emilio Pomarico, David Robertson, Pascal Rophé, Peter Rundel, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Leonard Slatkin, Pierre-André Valade, Ilan Volkov, and Ryan Wigglesworth.
Hodges is particularly closely connected with the piano concertos of Elliot Carter, Beat Furrer, and Thomas Adès, with Hodges giving the world premiere of "British Composers in Seven Days" in April 2008. Georges Aperghis, Gerald Barry, Harrison Birtwistle, Francisco Coll, Hugues Dufourt, Pascal Dusapin, Luca Francesconi, Beat Furrer, Isabel Mundry, Brice Pauset, Rolf Riehm, Wolfgang Rihm, Rebecca Saunders, Salvatore Sciarrino and Miroslav Srnka have written concertos for him.
As a soloist, he has performed in Carnegie Hall (New York), IRCAM (Paris), and Wigmore Hall (London). He has made appearances at BBC Proms, Berlin (Musikfest), Brüssel (Ars Musica), Cologne (Acht Brücken), Hamburg (Ostertöne), Lucerne Festival, Madrid (INAEM), Melbourne International Art Festival, New York (Mostly Mozart), Paris (Festival d'Automne), Salzburg (Festival and Biennale), Strasbourg (Musica), Stuttgart (Eclat), Tanglewood, Tokyo, Vienna (Wien Modern) and Zurich (New Music Days). As a chamber musician, Nicolas Hodges regularly works with Arditti Quartet, Adrian Brendel, Colin Currie, Ilja Gringolts, Anssi Karttunen and is a member of the trio Accanto.
Recitals and chamber music concerts regularly bring Nicolas Hodges to the Melbourne Recital Center, Musikfest Berlin, Istituto Universitaria dei Concerti (IUC) in Rome, Tonhalle Zürich, Musica Nova Festival Helsinki (Uusinta Ensemble), and the Kölner Philharmonie (Michael Wendberg). Future plans include concerts with London Philharmonic, Acht Brücken Festival Köln and Wigmore Hall.
The discography of Nicolas Hodges contains solo and concertante works from Adams, Adès, Birtwistle, Carter, Finnissy, Ferneyhough, Furrer, Rolf Riehm, Ferneyhough and Walter Zimmermann. In summer 2020, a new album "A Bag of Bagatelles" will appear with works from Beethoven and Birtwistle on WERGO.