American Record Guide

A husband and wife piano duo. For decades, the artists would have been Goldstone and Clemmow, but Goldstone died last year and we won’t get any more new recordings from that wonderful duo. Robert Stoodley and Linda Ang are clearly capable of filling the shoes of their predecessors on Divine Art. Piano a Deux was formed in 2010, two years after they were married, and this is their second CD. Stoodley is also a composer, and the two have made a number of original arrangements, such as the Poulenc group.

George Onslow (1784-1853) is the primary composer here. His first Sonata for Four Hands (1811) is a big, half-hour work. Onslow was most noted for his 36 string quartets and 34 quintets and has been referred to as the French Beethoven. Though not recorded here, it is worth noting that his second Sonata for Four Hands was performed by Liszt and Chopin at a concert organized by Berlioz. His music was well known and respected in his lifetime. The style is late classical to early romantic and reminds me of Kuhlau.

The 6 Piano Pieces were composed in the 1830s. The pianists each play three of these nocturne-like pieces. Debussy’s Petite Suite is one of the cornerstone’s of French piano duet repertoire and is given a loving, detailed performance. Ang did the very idiomatic arrangement of six Poulenc songs. With the title Songs of Love and War, the group is organized as a suite and is quite effective.

I expect this to be the first in another long line of excellent piano duo recordings.

—James Harrington