»The double sound miracle« (DIE ZEIT), »Timbres like you’ve hardly ever heard before« (Hamburger Abendblatt), »Orchestral power« (Neue Musikzeitung) – the duplex piano is back at the Elbphilharmonie. Around 1920, composer Emanuel Moór had a vision of building the piano of the future. His duplex piano with two manuals was born out of the spirit of late Romanticism and offers even more timbres and sonority.
On a conventional piano, pressing a key causes a hammer to strike the string. On a duplex piano, two hammers can be coupled: pressing a key then produces two notes simultaneously. This doubling of notes leads to an unexpected richness of sound in forte and an enchanting brilliance of sound in piano. The two manuals allow for differentiated layers of sound.
The concert spans a wide range from Brahms to Josef Tal and Emanuel Moór to Ravel’s iconic Bolero. The concert begins with the familiar sounds of Johannes Brahms. His last piano quartet is an emotionally dense and personal confession by the composer and is immediately moving. Then a step into modernity is taken and the focus shifts to the composer Josef Tal. Tal is one of Israel’s most important composers. Fascinating timbres and an intense dialogue between the instruments are characteristic of Tal’s piano quartet.
The second part of the concert opens with expansive cello cantilenas and surprising harmonic twists in Emanuel Moór’s »Largo«. The percussion with its rhythmic power and the duplex piano with its orchestral sound lend a special intensity to the following work, »Hagada« by Josef Tal. The final work of the evening is one of the most famous works of classical music: Maurice Ravel’s Bolero. A bolero is a Spanish dance with a characteristic bolero rhythm. Ravel created a unique dynamic and drama through melodic repetitions, variations, and a continuous crescendo. The work unfolds an almost magical effect and captivates us.
Albrecht Menzel, an outstanding young soloist with a captivating violin sound, will perform on the violin. Hiyoli Togawa will take on the role of violist. During the pandemic, she commissioned contemporary composers to write new works, which she then released on the highly acclaimed CD »Songs of Solitude«. Percussionist Cornelia Monske teaches at the Hamburg University of Music and is one of the most renowned experts in contemporary percussion. On the cello, you will hear David Stromberg, who rediscovered the duplex piano. He strives to provide audiences with new and fascinating listening experiences, including as curator of concerts featuring the duplex piano. Pianist Florian Uhlig plays the duplex piano masterfully. He was awarded the »Opus Klassik« and the »Deutscher Schallplattenpreis« for his complete recording of Robert Schumann’s piano works.
PERFORMERS
Albrecht Menzel violin
Hiyoli Togawa viola
David Stromberg violoncello
Cornelia Monske drums
Florian Uhlig piano
PROGRAM
Johannes Brahms
Piano Quartet No. 3 in C minor, Op. 60
Josef Tal
Klavierquartett
- Interval -
Emánuel Moór
Largo für Cello und Klavier op. 105
Josef Tal
Hagada für Klavier und Schlagzeug
Maurice Ravel
Boléro
