Liszt to Milhaud – A Journey with Piano Four Hands
The Divine Art label has long been associated with music for piano duo – whether at two pianos or one – through the sterling and brilliant work of Goldstone and Clemmow and more recently Piano-à-Deux. The label is delighted to welcome a new duo with this program which contains several very popular and well-loved miniatures and transcriptions, bookended by major works from Liszt and Milhaud. They need no introduction save to say that from the dances, to the jazz-inflected pieces, each work is a joy to hear.
These are sparkling performances of well known pieces and form a light counterpoint to the artists’ new 3-piano album of contemporary works. The pianists met when both students at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest. Zeynep Ucbarasan is from Turkey but moved to the USA for her postgraduate studies and now lives in California. Her previous recordings and concert appearances have drawn unalloyed praise. Sergio Gallo is a Steinway artist who specialises in music of the Romantic period. He has made several acclaimed recordings for Eroica and is currently recording for Naxos and Quartz. He has won many awards and currently is professor of Piano Performance at the Georgia State University in Atlanta.
Track Listing
-
Franz Liszt (1811-1886):
- Two Scenes from Lenau's 'Faust', S.599 - I. Der nächtliche Zug (11:42)
- Two Scenes from Lenau's 'Faust', S.599 - II. Der Tanz in der Dorfschenke (10:49) Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904):
- Slavonic Dances, Op. 46 - No. 1 in C major (4:24)
- Slavonic Dances, Op. 46 - No. 2 in E minor (4:52)
- Slavonic Dances, Op. 46 - No. 8 in G minor (4:12) Charles Gounod (1818-1893), arr. H. Engelmann:
- Faust - O nuit d'amour (Love Duet) (3:24) Benjamin Godard (1849-1895):
- Jocelyn - Berceuse (2:32) Georges Bizet (1838-1875):
- Carmen - Overture (1:59) Charles Gounod (1818-1893), arr. W.P.Mero:
- Faust - Ballet Music: Waltz (3:27) Darius Milhaud (1892-1974):
- Le boeuf sur le toit (17:15)
Reviews
“Two superb interpreters of music of all kinds. How fortunate it is to have the duo of Turkish pianist Zeynep Ucbasaran and the Italian pianist Sergio Gallo joining their formidable technical and musical prowess. Together Ms. Ucbasaran and Signor Gallo, greatly aided by recording engineer Barbara Hirsch, render an orchestra unnecessary in this album of mostly originally-orchestral pieces.
” —Rafael de Acha
“A generally upbeat collection of four-hand music—mostly transcriptions, largely dance-inspired, entirely delightful. Ucbasaran and Gallo neatly capture, without exaggeration, the varying spirit of the collection.
” —Peter J. Rabinowitz
“A well designed, enjoyable program. Ucbasaran and Gallo have an affinity for this repertoire. Their ensemble and balance are spot-on, as is Divine Art’s recorded piano sound. I will return to this often.
” —James Harrington
“Sometimes the sheer quality of music-making makes a disc worth having. Zeynep Ucbasaran and Sergio Gallo are such a wonderful piano-four-hands team that their new Divine Art offering is a genuine pleasure. Ucbasaran and Gallo make a formidable piano-four-hands team, and the quality of their playing will be enough to endear this recording to pianists and to listeners.
” —Mark J. Estren
“This is one for those of you who like to turn the stereogram up loud and listen to cracking tunes to which you can hum along. The four-handed playing gives it the energy that a 50% reduction in hands to a lone collection of digits would struggle to do.
” —Jeremy Condliffe
“Sparkling performances of a selection of popular and well-loved miniatures and transcriptions, bookended by major works from Liszt and Milhaud.
” —John Pitt
“Magical performance. This is an album to simply enjoy. … superb playing by Zeynep Ucbasaran and Sergio Gallo. Helpful liner notes and exceptional and vibrant recording.
” —John France
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