By |

Guest post by Rhonda Rizzo

Pianists are the luckiest of instrumentalists. We’re self-contained and unlike most other musicians, we can be a musical “island”. But while our ability to work without others is a gift during a pandemic, many of us yearn to return to the delight of making music with other people. I’ve had the privilege of performing with many musicians during my career as a pianist, but some of my favorite stage moments occurred when I was sharing the keyboard with another pianist. As half of the Rizzo/Wheeler Duo, my long running collaboration with pianist Molly Wheeler taught me that there is an intimacy to 4-hand playing that can’t be found in any other form of collaborative playing. Performers breathe together, arms are entwined, and egos are sacrificed to the good of the ensemble. There is no individual glory in duet playing, just a melding of two players and four hands into one musical organism.

We may not be able to share the bench with our favorite duo partners right now, but we can use this time of forced separation to explore new repertoire. Much of the standard duet music is lovely but can also feel limited and overplayed. These 5 gems are ones I know intimately. They’re pieces that don’t show up on every 4-hand concert program. And because I love music with a tune and a beat, all these pieces are audience-accessible crowd pleasers, sit comfortably in the hands, and are rewarding to practice and perform.

3-Day Mix

Composer: Eleanor Alberga (b. 1949)

Description: In this rousing 9 minute party on a piano, Alberga draws on her Jamaican background to create a whirling celebration of color and cross-rhythms. 3-Day Mix requires the pianists to have a strong rhythmic sense and a fearless sense of bravura, but Alberga is a pianist and she knows how to make difficult passages feel accessible. Of all the 4-hand music I’ve performed, this piece may be the most fun two pianists can have on one keyboard, and its dramatic ending pulls an audience to its feet.

Difficulty Level: Advanced

Where to purchase: Eleanor Alberga

Gazebo Dances

Composer: John Corigliano (b. 1938)

Description: This 16 minute 4-movement suite is, in Corigliano’s description, “ a musical depiction of the pavilions often seen on village greens throughout the countryside where public band concerts are given on summer evenings. It consists of a Rossini-like Overture, followed by a rather peg-legged Waltz, a long-lined Adagio and a bouncy Tarantella.” This suite is rhythmically challenging and (at times) melodically unpredictable but the humor, beauty, and exuberance make it a joy to play. The Tarantella is a rousing way to end a concert.

Difficulty Level: Advanced

Where to purchase: Musicroom

Legacies: Fantasy-Suite on American Folk Songs

Composer: Terry McQuilkin (b. 1955)

Description: American folk song favorites Wayfaring Stranger, Jack Went a-Sailing, Joshua fit the battle of Jericho, Shenandoah, and Cindy are featured in this 14-minute 5-movement suite. McQuilkin walks the line between classical and jazz, requiring performers to possess both strong technique and the ability to swing and play a decent walking bass line. No folk song is presented in a straightforward manner; instead, these familiar tunes dart in and out of the texture, teasing performers and listeners with fragments of the familiar embedded in an unfamiliar landscape. In this way McQuilkin saves the folk songs emotional power; in the moments that the melodies emerge intact, they’re so powerful they’re like sun breaking through dark clouds.

Difficulty Level: Advanced

Where to purchase: Terry McQuilkin

Pièces Romantiques, Opus 55

Composer: Cécile Chaminade (1857-1944)

Description: This jewel-box collection of 6 elegant, Romantic pieces is 19th century 4-hand French piano music at its finest. Similar in style to Gabriel Fauré’s Dolly Suite, these pieces by Chaminade contain lyrical melodies and elegant harmonies but are more accessible than Fauré to the late intermediate or early advanced player. These are pieces to be shared by and with friends—perfect jewel-box musical moments.

Difficulty level: Late intermediate/early advanced

Where to purchase: IMSLP / Sheet Music Plus

3 Modal Tangos

Composer: Alexander LaFollett (b. 1985)

Description: Mix a handful of unfamiliar modes and catchy melodies with traditional tango rhythms and you get 3 Modal Tangos. This 10 minute suite is technically and rhythmically accessible to the early advanced player, but has the benefit of sounding a lot more difficult than it is to play. The rhythms, melodies and solid structure make it feel familiar, but the modes keep the music fresh and unexpected. Satie-like performance notes give the tangos a theatrical feel, allowing the performers to explore unexpected ideas on how to approach the score.

Difficulty Level: Late intermediate/early advanced

Where to purchase: Alexander LaFollett

Rhonda Rizzo is a pianist, and author.  She has released four CDs: Made in America,Oregon Impressions: the Piano Music of Dave Deason,2 to Tango: Music for Piano Duet, and A Spin on It. She has also released numerous articles and a novel, The Waco Variations.  She’s devoted to playing (and writing about) the music of living composers on her blog, No Dead Guys, and she is a regular contributor to The Cross-Eyed Pianist

By |

Who or what inspired you to pursue a career in music?

JOO: I was in love with music from the moment I was born. At least, according to my parents. I loved all kinds of music. As a baby, I couldn’t stop listening to music and used to drive my parents crazy listening over and over to the same thing. When I was able to walk, I used to stop in my tracks when walking past a music store. So immovable was I, that my parents had no choice but to ask the shopkeeper if they could keep an eye on me while they went ahead and did their shopping. In those days, people trusted strangers to look after their kids! I was super happy just staying for hours listening to whatever was playing in the store. I started piano lessons at age eight, and two years later, by fluke, I entered the Yehudi Menuhin School. From that point on, there was never any doubt in my mind that I wanted to become a musician.

IGUDESMAN: I started to play the violin before I was born. Or so it seemed. I was born in St Petersburg – back then it was called Leningrad. And before that Petrograd. And before that Hetrograd, Metrograd, Sexograd, Retorgrad and Rome. But that was a long time ago. I come from a very musical family. My mother played the piano, my father the violin, my grandmother the cello, my uncle the oboe, my sister the banjo, my cousin the ukulele and his wife the didgeridoo. So it was kind of inevitable I would go into music. Shortly after my birth, I said to my parents: “Mummy daddy, I think maybe one day some time when I am older, I might perhaps want to learn to play the violin, maybe.” I was immediately locked in a room and tied to a music stand with a violin taped to my neck. Every time I started to practice, the dog started to howl. After a while my dad screamed: “Damn it, can’t you play something that the dog DOESN’T know?”

Who or what have been the most important influences on your musical life and career?

JOO:Too many of them to list here. But from the musicians of the past:
Yehudi Menuhin. Glenn Gould. Leonard Bernstein.

All my teachers from Peter Norris, Seta Tanyel, Nina Svetlanova to teachers that I only had few a lessons with but gave me lifetimes of inspiration and knowledge such as Richard Goode, Oleg Maisenberg, and Ferenc Rados. My composition teachers Simon Parkin, Malcolm Singer, Nils Vigeland, and my English and Drama teacher, Kevin Jones. Kevin was a huge influence on what I do with my duo Igudesman & Joo, and when Aleksey and I recently wrote a book together about creativity, we asked Kevin Jones to write the “Afterword”. It was clear to us from the start that Kevin should have the final word about creativity.
Then, I must add people such as Monty Python, Spike Jones, Chaplin, Oscar Wilde, Ionesco as other major influences. And don’t get me started on the composers…

IGUDESMAN: For me it is basically the same as Hyung-ki. I should also include Prokofiev, who was my favourite composer when I was young. In fact as a composer I have often been compared to Prokofiev. Okay, to be fair, I was the one who made the comparison. Frank Zappawas also a strong influence as well as Queen and Pink Floyd. And from the violinists, I would have to say that my biggest idol was Gidon Kremer who we had the great pleasure and honour of working with for a few years earlier in our career. In fact, it felt quite sardonically satisfying to give Gidon a violin lesson on stage in a show we did together! Also, I do have to mention my oldest and besides Hyung-ki, my best friend Julian Rachlin who I grew up next to and who is now not only one of the greatest violinists and viola players alive, but also a brilliant conductor.

What have been the greatest challenges of your career so far?

JOO: To refresh the minds of some people in the world of classical music.

IGUDESMAN: There are daily challenges literally daily. For example having to do this interview, while I have to finish writing a harp concerto for Magdalena Hoffmann, the wonderful harp player of the Bavarian Symphony Orchestra, who has been pestering me about receiving the part for weeks! But seriously, I am actually extremely thankful for having the ability to give interviews and having people interested in all the madness that we do as individuals and together.

Of which performances are you most proud?

JOO: Playing at the Hollywood Bowl- but not because of what you might think. It’s certainly not the history nor the prestige of the place, in fact, I never had any idea what the Hollywood Bowl was. My only reference to this place was a video I had of “Monty Python at the Hollywood Bowl” which I watched several times. The fact that the Pythons had performed there made this place the Holy Grail for me so being on that same stage as my Gods of comedy, with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, meant more to me than anyone could imagine.

IGUDESMAN: I have to say, it may even have been our last performance at the RFH in London with the LPO. Not just because of the special venue but the audience.We had almost the entire Yehudi Menuhin School come to it, the school we studied in. And then our dear friends Sir Roger Moore and Terry Jones, who have meanwhile both sadly passed away.

Which particular works do you think you play best?

JOO:“Narcissus” by E. Gocomplex.

IGUDESMAN: I have to admit, that I have become an expert at interpreting my own music. That may sound like a bit of a joke but it really is not. I am very lucky to have published a multitude of works for violin, 2 violins, piano and violin, as well as chamber music and orchestral works on Universal Edition. And although I may be the composer of those works, I still have to discover them. I truly believe that often as a composer one has no idea of how to interpret ones own works. But after some years of playing them in concert, I believe I have cracked some of them. Although I absolutely love discovering young talent playing my music on YouTube.

How do you make your repertoire choices from season to season?

JOO: Consult a crystal ball and try to foresee what I might want to be playing in 2 years time. Jokes aside, I’m very lucky that I am able to conjure up different types of programs, and my interests are so diverse, that almost everything works at anytime. I also love playing the same thing over and over again as one can get deeper into the piece, and I love the process and challenge to make a piece you’ve played so often make it sound like the first time you’re playing it.

IGUDESMAN: Together as Igudesman & Joo, we are very blessed to be able to chose our own repertoire. People (mostly) trust in our choice and programming. So we tend to give show titles with the description and maybe a few videos of some of the piece we will probably play, but the rest is up to us. Often we would decide Orchestra programs only a month or so ahead, while we are preparing parts. And when we have duo shows, we can even decide on the day. This is a great luxury that most people who perform in the classical music world do not get and we are extremely thankful for it. It gives us a way greater spontaneity. We have talked about this problem with many friends and colleagues. How on earth are we supposed to know if we feel like playing the Beethoven Spring Sonata in two and a half years time?

Do you have a favourite concert venue to perform in and why?

JOO: I’ve only performed there once, but I think it’s the most beautiful concert hall in the world – the Palau de la Musicà Catalana in Barcelona. In a way, I wish I hadn’t been playing so that I could have taken in the full experience of being a listener. I can’t wait to return there, either as a performer or as an audience member.

IGUDESMAN: I may have to chose the Vienna Konzerthaus, Vienna being the city we are based. It’s basically in our backyard. And it takes literally 4 minutes for me to cycle from my home to the Konzerthaus Vienna. Which is also a little dangerous, since at times when my concert is at 19:30, at 19:20 I may still be in the shower!

Who are your favourite musicians?

JOO: Most of them are dead! But from those alive today, I’m a big fan of Ebene Quartet, Barbara Hannigan, Tord Gustavsen, Leszek Mozdzer, Stefano Bollani, Gilles Apap.

I had a piano trio for seven years with Rafal Zambrzycki-Payne and Thomas Carroll, and they were some of the best seven years of my life.
I have also been really lucky to have shared the stage making music with special musicians such as Joshua Bell, Renaud Capuçon, Michael Collins, Martin Fröst, Janine Jansen, Gidon Kremer, Dame Felicity Lott, Viktoria Mullova, Lawrence Power, Julian Rachlin, Radovan Vlatkovic, Yuja Wang, the Belcea Quartet and members from the Alban Berg, Artis, and Ebène String Quartets, and many more!- and every one of those collaborations and performances are among my most treasured musical experiences.

IGUDESMAN: I think Hyung-ki has pretty much named a lot of my favourite musicians! From the dead ones, I would have to add Frank Zappa, Glenn Gould and Freddie Mercury fo sure.

What is your most memorable concert experience?

JOO: Playing as soloist in Beethoven’s 4th Piano Concerto with Yehudi Menuhin conducting the Warsaw Sinfonia. It was his 80th Birthday Concert at the Barbican Hall, and after having had gone through a few rough years, where I even contemplated giving up music, this concert reminded me why I could never have a life without music.

IGUDESMAN: Perhaps it was our Carnegie Hall debut where we had Joshua Bell and then Billy Joel join us on stage for pieces. Strangely enough it did not feel scary but arm and welcoming to play on that legendary stage!

As a musician, what is your definition of success?

JOO: Being able to understand what the music means. And then, if you’re lucky, and work hard, at some lucky points, you are able to transport that meaning.

IGUDEMAN: Being able to do what you want to do. Play the repertoire you want, with who you want. Write the music you want to write. And above all, live the life you want to live, always full of love and creativity.

What do you consider to be the most important ideas and concepts to impart to aspiring musicians?

JOO: Be yourself. Everyone else is taken.

IGUDESMAN: Every musician is like an own company. And I don’t mean that in a pragmatic way. It means one has to be creative on many fronts. One has to love the music, live the music. But also one has to understand how to communicate with people, how to market oneself, how to promote yourself as a “product”. And to find out what your USP is – your unique selling point. Trust me, we all have one! To be a musical entrepreneur is the way forward for everyone.That is also why I am a co-founder of the online platform “Music Traveler”, where one can find rooms to play, practice or record online anywhere in the world. We started in Vienna where we have over 100 venues, but are coming to the UK soon. This enables professionals as well as amateurs to have a space to play anytime anywhere. And we are very lucky to be supported by great artists like Yuja Wang, John Malkovich, Billy Joel and Hans Zimmer who even invested in Music Traveler! Both Hyung-ki and I are actively promoting the wonderful platform which improves the world of music.

Where would you like to be in 10 years’ time?

JOO: On a tennis court giving a teenager a tough time on the tennis court.

Other than that, working with youthful orchestras and musicians.
And continuing to explore and being creative with my long-standing collaborator and partner-in-crime, Aleksey Igudesman.

IGUDESMAN: I would love to explore the genre of making movies and documentaries more. I have already directed the Mockumentary “Noseland” featuring Roger Moore and John Malkovich, besides many music videos. There are numerous film ideas, especially linked to music and musicians that I want to produce, direct and enable. My pet peeve is seeing musicians being portrayed by actors who can not play the instrument. I certainly want to change that. So I plan to live in Los Angeles for a time, which may well be in 10 years. And a couple of Oscars would be quite nice. Our friend Vangelis likes to use his as a paper weight, so I would like at least two to prop up my books.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

JOO: No idea. But when everything is flowing and you only see and feel kindness everywhere, that’s a pretty happy state to experience.

IGUDESMAN: Happiness is not a constant. It is a temporary feeling of pleasure and contentment which has to be earned on a daily base. One can not chase it. It comes to you. And mostly when you are being true to yourself and maintain constant creativity in your life. With creativity even interviews can be enjoyable!

What is your most treasured possession?

JOO: I’m trying to get rid of possessions.

IGUDESMAN: My friendships and relationships in my life. Even though the people do not belong to me, my friendships and relationships do, as long as I nurture and cultivate them.

What is your present state of mind?

JOO: Thinking about what the next question is going to be…

IGUDESMAN: Excitement about our next performance in London on the 4th of March at the Royal Festival Hall. Having Erran Baron Cohen, the brother of Sasha [creator of Ali G and Borat] and composer of the Borat soundtrack will be super exciting. And to do the rather insane show “Clash of the Soloist” in London is something that is literally on my mind now, since I am about to rehearse it with Hyung-ki and Thomas Carroll, our dear friend and great musician, who will conduct the performance with the LPO at the RFH!

On Wednesday 4 March the London Philharmonic Orchestra play it for laughs with comedic duo Igudesman & Joo.

The pair are masters of the art of mashing up classical music masterpieces with their own unique twist.

They join the orchestra for an evening of creativity, madness and hilarity with their two acclaimed shows Clash of the Soloists and Big Nightmare Music.

More information

By |

Worbey & Farrell are Steven Worbey and Kevin Farrell….

Who or what inspired you to take up piano, and pursue a career in music?

We’d both say it was really a natural ‘calling’. We’re both from musical families and had a piano in the house. We have similar stories of our parents having difficulty getting us away from the piano. At school neither of us ever went into the playground – we could always be found at a piano somewhere in the music department surrounded by fellow students. A career in music was a happy option. What could possibly be better than doing something you love and being paid for it?

Who or what have been the most important influences on your musical life and career?

We both come from families involved in many aspects of the arts. Kevin’s mother was at the Royal Ballet School and Steven’s grandfather was an accomplished Jazz pianist who toured with a famous dance band. We were both fortunate to be raised with wide a range of great music around us. Steven had inspiring teachers from an early age. Kevin’s college professor Peter Wallfisch was an excellent teacher and rather intimidating but looking back Kevin says he was the most inspiring of them all. Steven’s first Royal College professor was Phyllis Sellick who was wonderful teacher and enormously influential.  He then went on to study with Yonty Solomon and Peter Katin.

What have been the greatest challenges of your career so far?

We’re always challenging ourselves with new arrangements. When we first launched our duo, to stand out we included a fair amount of musical comedy. We soon realised that our strengths were really in the music and arrangements so had to make the changes subtly making the emphasis on the music. This lead to more concert engagements.

Which performance/recordings are you most proud of?

We recently recorded and filmed our arrangements of Bach’s famous Toccata and Fugue in D minor and Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. There are a couple of versions of the Bach arranged for four hands on one piano but we thought them too embellished and heavy with not enough colour and contrasting textures that the piece requires being composed for organ. We were inspired to arrange the Gershwin for four hands on one piano as we feel the versions available don’t quite use the piano to it’s full orchestral potential which can mean crossing hands a lot.

Which particular works do you think you play best?

We like to take orchestral works and try and create orchestral sounds on the piano. You could say we like to think of the piano as our very own symphony orchestra. We wouldn’t take a well written sacrosanct piano piece (i.e. Chopin) and arrange it for four hands as it would simply spoil it. With the use of four hands and some clever trickery, it’s amazing that you can make a piano sound like a lush string section, a muted trumpet or like triangles and Glockenspiels.

How do you make your repertoire choices from season to season?

We’ve discovered that changing repertoire every season isn’t ideal as some of it can go to waste and not be heard by enough audiences. We now add and take away gradually throughout the year making sure that each work is performed to its best and also gets a good airing. We simply choose music that we love rather than trying to pander to our audiences. It wouldn’t be fun for us to play a work that we’ve chosen just because we think the audience may like it.

Do you have a favourite concert venue to perform in and why?

We tend to perform in concert venues and theatres. Concert venues often have wonderful acoustics for the piano but on the flipside they’re not ideal to talk to your audience as your voice gets lost. Conversely playing a piano in a theatre tends to sound very dry but is good for the voice. In those cases we sometimes add a little concert reverb to the piano. Our recent favourite venues were the Dora Soutzker Hall at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, the Sejong Centre in Seoul, Korea and the Newbury Corn Exchange as part of the Newbury Spring Festival. This coming November we’ll be performing at Edinburgh’s Usher Hall which acoustically is wonderful.

What is your most memorable concert experience?

There are two – and we have to tell you about both! We were once performing our own Paganini Variations (which we called ‘Deviations on a Caprice’) and both had one of those wonderful and very rare moments of sheer bliss – where we completely lost ourselves in the music and nothing got in the mind’s way. It was what we all strive for. The other moment was when we were performing at the Grassington Festival and during a comedy moment a young boy on the front row burst into laughter and simply couldn’t stop. His father was holding his hand in front of his mouth and had to take him out. We later received an Email from the father thanking us for introducing his boy to music and fun. It was very moving for us.

As a musician, what is your definition of success?

There’s lots of talk of ‘making it’ and unfortunately musicians often compare their careers to others’ careers but as far as we’re concerned if you can make a career out of any aspect of music you’re definitely a success.

What do you consider to be the most important ideas and concepts to impart to aspiring musicians?

We’d say “be yourself”. If that means re-inventing the traditional recital do it. If you love to talk, be funny or tell stories then do it. When a performer enters the stage the audience doesn’t really know if they like you. Why not smile, say hello or chat first. Concerts don’t have to be so glum anymore. We’ve been to some amazing performances recently by world famous pianists that just look so unhappy. There’s no reason why they couldn’t enhance their stage technique a little.

Where would you like to be in 10 years’ time?

If we’re still doing what we do now we’d be most happy. Making a good living out of something we love. Sometimes we spend so much time striving for more we forget to enjoy what we’ve got. We’ve come to realise that a moderate amount of ambition is fine.

What do you enjoy doing most?

Aside from the obvious music we enjoy socialising and cooking. We rarely have a night at home and watch very little television. There’s so much going on in the real world such as theatre, concerts, parties, restaurants etc

Worbey & Farrell are internationally acclaimed concert pianists with a wicked sense of humour. They have played with the world’s leading symphony orchestras, achieved over a million hits on YouTube, and entertained in over 150 countries around the globe with their barnstorming blend of sparky comedy and utterly sensational piano playing.

www.worbeyandfarrell.com

By |

A mile or so along the river from where I live in Teddington, SW London, the attractive 18th-century church of St Mary’s in Twickenham sits on a grassy plinth overlooking the Thames. And for the weekend of 10-12 June 2016, it became the home of a new chamber music festival, directed by Emily Pailthorpe of the London Conchord Ensemble.

Regional and local classical music festivals are such a good idea. They take music out of formal metropolitan concert venues and into communities, forging important and lasting connections between musicians, local people and venues, and many attract world class performers, as well as encouraging young musicians. Conchord Festival boasted an impressive roster of performers, including actor Simon Callow and baritone Roderick Williams. I was delighted to attend the Saturday afternoon concert, music for piano duo performed by Alasdair Beatson and Julian Milford.

St-Marys-Church-Tower-in-Twickenham-by-e1456080701261

The theme of the concert was dance and the connecting thread was Sergei Diaghilev, ballet impresario and founder of the Ballets Russes, who collaborated most famously with Igor Stravinsky in the staging of The Rite of Spring, the piano 4-hands version of which concluded the concert. The afternoon opened with Debussy’s Prelude à l’Aprés Midi d’un Faun, a symphonic poem which formed the basis of the ballet Afternoon of a Faun, choreogaphed by Nijinsky and staged by the Ballets Russes in Paris in 1912. The piano duo version was transcribed by Ravel and loses nothing of its sinuous lines and erotic textures in the piano reduction. Beatson and Milford’s performance was languorous, nuanced and sensuous, perfect for a humid summer’s afternoon. This was followed by four of Dvorak’s Slavonic Dances, a reminder of the popularity of music for piano duo during the nineteenth-century and a foot-tapping musical palette-cleanser before the main event, The Rite of Spring, which followed the interval.

When The Rite of Spring opened in Paris in May 1913 the avant-garde nature of the music and the staging caused a near-riot in the audience. The piece still has the power to shock over 100 years later, with its narrative of savage rituals and human sacrifice. Stravinsky first performed his own four-handed version of The Rite of Spring with Debussy, the arrangement created to accompany rehearsals for the first performance of the ballet. This music was born on the piano, written in a tiny room, so Stravinsky tells us, on an upright piano, and it contains an exhilarating and precarious excitement. Forget the orchestral version: here is a work of raw energy, convulsive rhythms and pagan exoticism, aptly described by Debussy as “a beautiful nightmare”. It remains a vertiginously challenging work for piano duet, straining the medium to its limits. Beatson and Milford rose to the challenge with aplomb, managing pianistic gymnastics with ease and creating a riot of colour, texture, rhythmic drive and narrative. The famous stamped-out chords were percussive and metallic, redolent of heavy machinery, pistons and steam engines. (Let us not forget this piece received its first performances as Europe was preparing for the most mechanised and destructive war in its history.) This was truly an enthralling journey.

Next year’s Conchord Festival takes place from 9-11 June 2017.

By |

The Françoise-Green Duo at St John’s Smith Square, Thursday 31st March 2016

  

The five-concert residency at St John’s Smith Square by the Françoise-Green piano duo is exploring the music of Vienna’s musical landscape through its salon culture, from Mozart and Schubert to Schoenberg and the Second Viennese School. Vienna’s unique system of private and public patronage allowed composers such as Mozart to present their music to a select audience via the salon. For Schubert, who did not have the kind of patronage and support Mozart enjoyed, nor publishers eagerly clamouring for his music, performances within the privacy of his own circle of friends was the only way his audacious music found a truly receptive audience. This salon culture became even more pronounced at the turn of the twentieth century, when Schoenberg and his cohort broke away from the Vienna Tonkunstlerverein and built their own community for the performance of their music outside of the mainstream where much of their music was premiered through private performance societies. The Françoise-Green Duo pay a special hommage to this by performing new works which they have commissioned especially for their residency.

Music for piano duo is often, and mistakenly, regarded as “light” – music to be enjoyed at home amongst friends, and the enduring popularity of music for piano duo is testament to its appeal, variety and inventiveness. Both Mozart and Schubert wrote fine works for piano 4-hands, including the latter’s Fantasie in f minor, D940, arguably the most profound work ever written for this genre.

This particular concert, the third in the series, revealed the contrasting characters of Vienna, from the elegance and wit of Mozart through Schubert’s bittersweet Allegro in A minor ‘Lebenssturme’, D947, to the decadence and eroticism of fin de siecle Vienna of Alban Berg, reimagined by British composer Kenneth Hesketh in his Die letzten Augenblicken der Lulu, and the world premiere of ‘Fable’, a new work by Colin Alexander which was dedicated to the duo.

The Françoise-Green Duo are notable for their confident and convincing handling of contemporary repertoire – one has the sense of two musicians who actively relish the challenges, both technical and artistic, that this music presents – yet their opening piece, the Sonata in F K497, written at the end of Mozart’s life, proved them at home in more traditionally “classical” repertoire. In this sonata, the two pianists are equal players, sparking off one another, and creating witty dialogues interspersed with rich orchestral textures. In the softer dynamic range, the pianists brought a tenderness which immediately shrank the large space of St John’s Smith Square to an intimate salon.

Kenneth Hesketh’s work is both a redaction of Berg’s ‘Lulu Suite’ focusing on the main material in the suite, but also providing a flashback of Lulu’s life in the immediate moments before her death. Soprano Sarah Gabriel’s performance in this work was dramatic and vulnerable, and the combination of spoken word and vocal line, culminating in a full-throated scream signifying Lulu’s death at the hand of Jack the Ripper, was searing. The piano part created an unsettling undercurrent, increasing in urgency towards the tragic denouement.
After the interval came the world premiere of Colin Alexander’s ‘Fable’, a work which fully utilised the fine acoustic of St John’s Smith Square, the resonance of the Steinway D, and the duo’s technical assuredness. At times, the sounds emanating from the piano recalled bells, bassoons, horns and chanting, which built in intensity to create a hypnotic whole. It put me in mind of Somei Satoh’s mesmeric Incarnation II, which uses the resonance of the piano to similar effect.
It’s all too easy to ascribe a certain mindset or state of health to Schubert’s music: his illness, syphilis, and its disturbing and debilitating treatment and side effects are well-documented. Whatever the composer’s mental state in the final year of his life, there is no doubt that this was a period of fervent, boundary-breaking creativity. The ‘Lebenssturme’ (Life’s Storm – a title assigned by the publisher after Schubert’s death) opens with a dramatic motif of forte (check) chords which gives way to an ethereal second subject, which Antoine Françoise seemed to float across the upper register of the piano. It’s a substantial work whose structure hints that Schubert might have had something longer in mind and which demonstrates fully the breadth and daring of his creativity in the year of his life. 

For an encore, the duo played the opening movement of Mozart’s Sonata in C major, K19d (dropped from the original programme better to accommodate the new works) Written when the composer was still a boy, yet already bright with promise, witty, colourful, and elegantly turned by Robin Green and Antoine Françoise.

‘The Viennese Salon’ continues at St John’s Smith Square on 7 April with a rare opportunity to hear Mahler’s Symphony No. 6 arranged for piano four-hands by Alexander von Zemlinsky together with works by Mozart and the world premiere of a new piece by Alissa Firsova. Further information here

Recommended.

By |

Prize Winners at the Royal Overseas League competition and the Schubert International Duo Competition, the Françoise-Green piano duo presents The Viennese Salon – an exciting five-concert residency at London’s St John’s Smith Square dedicated to Vienna’s musical landscape, from the intimate salons of the late 18th century to the private society concerts of the 1900’s.

The duo will perform the complete Mozart piano sonatas for piano duet, a selection of four hands masterworks by Schubert, together with arrangements of the key orchestral pieces of the Second Viennese School: Schoenberg’s two Chamber Symphonies, the orchestral interludes from Berg’s Wozzeck, a new arrangement of the Lulu Suite, as well as Zemlinsky’s epic arrangement of Mahler’s sixth symphony.

To complete this residency, each concert will feature a new addition to the repertoire by young composers Vlad Maistorovici, Christian Elliott, Colin Alexander, Christian Mason and Alissa Firsova.

Full details of the concert series here

Meet the Artist….Robin Green (interview)