Four hands, one piano

Married couple brings lovely touch to concert

When we think of piano duos, the image of two pianos on a stage usually comes to mind. Indeed, that is the way it usually works, but two pianists on the same instrument used to be a very common arrangement. Much of the classical and romantic repertoire was transcribed for piano four hands in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Before the advent of sound recording this was the only way that most listeners could hear the bulk of what was then the standard repertoire.

It’s unusual for major composers to write original music for piano four hands, which has always struck me as a little sad. There can be an almost magical intimacy between the musicians, especially if they’re married. Allesio Bax and Lucille Chung, who opened the Ottawa Chamber Music Society’s winter season Saturday, are married. Does that explain to some degree their considerable success as a duo? It’s a pleasant thought, even if we can’t really know. A few minor details aside, they evinced a fine and lovely concurrence of musical thought.

They began with a transcription of Mendelssohn’s Fingal’s Cave. They played it well enough, but it was hard not to miss the mysterious sound of the strings in the opening moments and various other orchestral effects. Stravinsky’s own transcription of his ballet Petrushka was more successful despite the familiar, wondrous orchestration of the original. And speaking of wondrous, the complicated cross-hand playing was a joy to behold.

The second half of the program was given to a variety of shorter pieces by the likes of Rachmaninov, Ligeti and others. Bax opened with a commanding performance of Rachmaninov’s Prelude in C-sharp minor, followed by Bax’s own arrangement of the presently famous Vocalise. Then Chung took over the piano to play some gorgeous preludes by Scriabin and Ligeti.

The program concluded with some partly improvised tangos based on scores by Piazzola.