Igor Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring" was inspired by a vision of a pagan rite where an old sage watched a young girl dance herself to death as a sacrifice to the God of Spring.
Compositional Technique
For this recording of Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring" for piano four hands, the performers integrated additional orchestral parts and used a tambourine and güiro to represent complex rhythmic structures and sonorities not possible on piano alone.
Performer Biography
Gülru Ensari and Herbert Schuch, the piano duo on this album, are partners in real life, not just at the piano, and married in Istanbul in 2014.
Recording & Production
For Özkan Manav's "Two Anatolian Tunes," the performers intentionally 'mistuned' some piano notes during recording to better evoke the quarter-tones found in Turkish music.
Interpretation
The duo intermingled the waltz cycles of Brahms and Hindemith on this album, finding similarities in keys and Hungarian-tinged idioms, creating smooth transitions between the composers.
Notable Performances
The four-hand version of Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring" was first performed by Stravinsky and Claude Debussy, who later described the music as a "beautiful nightmare."
Album & Artwork
The album title "GO EAST!" reflects the musical journey from Western composers like Brahms and Hindemith to Eastern influences in Manav and Stravinsky, as well as the autobiographical journey of the duo.
You might also enjoy...
Go East! Stravinsky, Brahms, Hindemith & Manav
Tchaikovsky: Ballet Suites for Piano Duo
Grieg: Works for Piano 4 Hands (Norwegian Dances, Op. 35; Valses-Caprices, Op. 37; Peer Gynt Suites, Op. 46 & 55)
Ligeti: Works for Piano, 2 Pianos, and Piano 4-Hands
Tournament for Twenty Fingers
Respighi: Works for Piano 4-Hands
Grieg: Works For Piano Duo, Vol. 1
Encores
Four Hands for France: Music for Piano Duet
Dvořák, Grieg & Brahms: Music for Piano Four Hands
Schmitt: Complete Original Works for Piano Duet & Duo, Vol. 3
GRIEG, E.: Piano Music for 4 Hands (Cologne Piano Duo)
