Duo Biao 2008

The violin and cello duo cannot be considered as a musical rarity; yet it is also far from one of the most popular instrumental combinations in Western classical music. It is a challenging ensemble for both those composing for it and those venturing in the performance of its repertoire. It is a duo which invites counterpoint: the deep nature of both instruments and their vocation is to melodic singing, to the sustained lines which translate the human being’s aspiration to vocality into instrumental music. In consequence, to undertake a composition for violin and cello duo is also to implicitly accept the challenge of polyphony, and to affirm one’s mastery of its most intricate secrets.

New York-based guitarists Jack Petruzzelli and Cameron Greider have played with a Who’s Who of rock and pop artists from Patti Smith and Chris Cornell to Joan Baez and Rufus Wainwright.

Instrumental arrangements of Brahms at his most unbuttoned and relaxed, including a world premiere recording for this version of the Zigeunerlieder.

The early 19th century and earlier, the instrumental sonata for ensemble that included piano was usually called "piano sonata with instrumental accompaniment". Beethoven's first violin sonatas, for instance, were published as "sonatas for piano with violin accompaniment." While most sonatas with cello from the 18th century were written for continuo, with the left hand of the keyboard part often doubling the cello, Beethoven is credited for composing some of the first works in the genre that featured a written-out piano part.

Air and breath form an elemental bridge between the accordion and the recorder, two instruments with no shared repertoire. In their first joint album, Inventions en folie, Marion Fermé and Ambre Vuillermoz highlight this connection through an exploration of the marriage of sounds and flexibility of phrasing, in a diverse musical program drawn from the European Baroque repertoire.

With their new CD "Hymne à l'amour" the Duo Minerva shows once again how exciting and multifaceted classical music can sound. The arrangements made with great artistry, their virtuosity and their exceptionally emotional musical style breathe fresh life into often heard works. With a lot of playfulness, the well-rehearsed duo moves between a wide variety of genres and combines classical masterpieces with contemporary avant-garde, folk music and a pinch of the yet unheard of on the subject of love - completely in Duo Minerva style.

The voice and violin duo Duo della Luna (Susan Botti and Airi Yoshioka, respectively) brings a remarkable versatility and integrated ensemble approach to a rarefied instrumental combination. Both musicians take advantage of their impressive range to broaden the scope of expressive possibilities within this duo formation. On Mangetsu, that range is in full bloom, from Botti’s fluid text delivery in different languages and vocal styles to both performers’ virtuosic navigation of extended techniques and gymnastic passagework. Throughout, the duo is engaged in a intertwined dialogue between the two players, always balanced elegantly, with each fulfilling an equal and essential role in the musical texture. Their sensitive performances are captured in a sensual recording by Grammy award winning engineer and recording industry luminary Todd Whitelock.

The mother-and-daughter duo of Praxedis Hug-Rütti (harp) and Praxedis Geneviève Hug (piano) conveys a particular sense of joy and musical eloquence. Full of enthusiasm and dedicated to bringing this valuable and highly appreciated combination of instruments from the salons of the pre-classical era to the international concert stage, Duo Praxedis has been delighting the public since 1996 with their technically challenging repertoire and with the alluring and beautiful sound of the harp and the piano.