This ravishing disc includes some of the finest works ever written for the piano. It is a continuation of the France Revisited series with the piano duo Piano À Deux.
Comprised of Robert Stoodley and Linda Ang Stoodley, these pianists are certainly no strangers to the Divine Art label, taking on the mantle of the Goldstone and Clemmow duo.
Fauré’s Dolly Suite is a delightful collection of six pieces for piano four hands, originally composed for the daughter of Emma Bardac, who later became the wife of Claude Debussy.
The suite remained close to Fauré’s heart and was revisited several times, eventually being orchestrated in 1906 by Henri Rabaud. The original piano version was first premiered in 1898 by Alfred Cortot and Édouard Risler. Stoodley and Ang interpret the work with consummate panache, and the duo version adds a special light to the wonderful Fauré melodies.
The disc continues with Liszt’s monumental Hungarian Rhapsody No 2, probably one of the best-known solo pieces in the piano repertoire, from a composer who stands like a colossus in the pianist world, crossing geographical boundaries. Piano À Deux have taken Bendel’s arrangement for four hands, adapted it and written their own cadenzas, returning the piece to its virtuosic persona. A barnstormer of a piece, the interpretation is up there with the very best.
Though born in France, George Onslow came from English heritage, and his music was highly regarded by leading figures such as Robert Schumann and Felix Mendelssohn. Admired by his publisher and contemporaries, he was even dubbed the ‘French Beethoven’, though his reputation gradually faded over time.
While exploring lesser-known repertoire, Piano À Deux uncovered Onslow’s duet sonatas tucked away in a neglected library collection. Their Op 7 Duo Sonata featured in the first volume of France Revisited, while Sonata No 2 in F minor, Op 22 appears in this second instalment.
Performed frequently in the past by virtuosi such as Frédéric Chopin and Franz Liszt, the work is conceived on an expansive scale. Symphonic in character, it clearly reflects the strong influence of Ludwig van Beethoven on Onslow’s musical language. Once again, the piano duo shows remarkable energy in their interpretation, and the work comes out extremely well.