Piersanti Vronsky

The year 1972 saw the death of Victor Babin, one half of the legendary Vronsky & Babin, arguably the most brilliant piano duo of the 20th century and a worldwide sensation for over three decades.

The year 1972 saw the death of Victor Babin, one half of the legendary Vronsky & Babin, arguably the most brilliant piano duo of the 20th century and a worldwide sensation for over three decades. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Babin’s death Katerina Moskaleva and Alexey Pudinov, themselves two musical forces of nature, come together as Two4Ppiano, a duo perfectly suited for breathing new life into Victor Babin’s appealing and colourful repertoire. Including newly rediscovered scores, this special programme takes us from Rachmaninov’s unmistakably Romantic style via Borodin’s rousing folkloric rhythms and Tchaikovsky’s balletic waltzes to Babin’s own remarkable evocations of a bygone era.

From at least the time of Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig Johann Krebs, Giovanni Pergolesi and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, works for multiple keyboards have attracted composers, performers and audiences – no more than in the 19th century when Franz Liszt and others brought immense attention to ensemble playing. The early 20th century saw the popularity of two-piano teams expand in Europe and America. Radio and recordings abetted the rise of audiences eager to hear the duos Appleton & Field, Bartlett & Robertson, Ferrante & Teicher, Gold & Fizdale, Labeque sisters, Luboshutz & Nemenoff, Pierce & Jonas, Vronsky & Babin and Whittemore & Lowe – prominent among the many. Each ensemble’s tours featured works such as the ones presented here.