Mannes: Piano Duos

The Mannes Piano Department continued its series of recitals yesterday evening with performances for two pianos of two works that in their orchestral versions are among the best known of the twentieth century.

2013 marks the centenary of the first performance of the ballet Le Sacre du printemps and of the infamous riot that broke out at its premiere at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris on May 29, 1913.  Just how shocking this music must have sounded one hundred years ago can be deduced from the reception accorded it by its conductor.  According to Wikipedia:

"Monteux's first reaction to The Rite, after hearing Stravinsky play a piano version, was to leave the room and find a quiet corner. Although he would perform his duties with conscientious professionalism, he never came to enjoy the work; nearly fifty years after the premiere he told enquirers that he detested it."

If this was the reaction of a professional musician, one can only imagine the feelings aroused in the general public upon its first exposure to the piece.

What I had not previously known was that Stravinsky also authored a piano version of his work in order to rehearse the dancers as they mastered Nijinsky's difficult choreography.  In fact, the piano arrangement was published some months before the ballet opened and provided a first glimpse of the revolutionary music it contained.  It was this version for four hands that was expertly performed last evening (but on two pianos) by students David Mamedov and Shulin Guo.  Although necessarily not as overwhelming as the full orchestral version, the piano arrangement was still incredibly powerful and conveyed very well the dissonant essence of Stravinsky's music.

The second piece on the program was Symphonic Dances, Op. 45 (1940) by Sergei Rachmaninoff.  This was his last work and certainly one of his greatest achievements.  Many sources refer to it as a summation of all he had accomplished as a composer.  Originally entitled Fantastic Dances, it is among Rachmaninoff's most accessible works.  As the Wikipedia article states:

"The Dances combine energetic rhythmic sections, reminiscent of Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring, with some of the composer's lushest harmonies."

At the same time he composed the orchestral version of Dances, Rachmaninoff also prepared an arrangement for two pianos.  This version was premiered by the composer in 1942 when he played it with Vladimir Horowitz at a private party in Beverly Hills.  Last evening it was performed by students Gvantsa Zangaladze and Azamat Sydykov.  Although the setting may have been less glamorous than at its premiere, hearing it was still just as rewarding an experience.