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For Four Hands
4th April 2017 | 7:30 pm
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Programme
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Sonata in C Major K521 for 4 hands
Allegro
Andante
Allegretto
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Sonata in D Major Op. 6 for 4 hands
Allegro molto
Rondo. Moderato
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Petite Suite
En bateau
Cortège
Menuet
Ballet
Roberto Russo (1966-) / Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992)
‘Contrabajeando’ arr. for 4 hands
Francis Poulenc (1899-1963)
Sonata for 4 hands
Prelude
Rustique
Final
Duration
This concert will last approximately 60 minutes, with no interval.
The final concert of PIANO WEEK’s residency in Beijing features all seven of our pianists exploring the vast piano duo repertoire, spanning from the classical to the twentieth century periods. Samantha Ward and Maciej Raginia start the recital with one of Mozart’s grander duets, the Sonata K521 which was dedicated to the composer’s two sisters, Babette and Marianne. This leads onto Beethoven’s Sonata Op. 6, reminiscent of Mozart in its style and only two movements long.
Debussy’s Petite Suite follows in the second half of the evening, breaking away from the classical era. In 1886 Debussy’s compositions were pushing the boundaries of the modernist style, so the relatively simple and conventional language of this Suite comes as a welcome surprise. Roberto Russo’s arrangement of Piazzolla’s Contrabajeando for piano duet is yet another revelation, giving the famous Argentinian tango another lease of life in the hands of Mark Nixon and Russo himself. The concert closes with the quirky Poulenc’s Sonata for piano duet. There is none of the usual development here, which one would expect from sonata form and the clashing harmonies constantly play with the listeners’ ears.
FREE ENTRY for the festival’s participants.