Gülru Ensari & Herbert Schuch - Go East! Stravinsky, Brahms, Hindemith & Manav (2017)

Amusing juxtapositions that here! In the first twenty tracks, the famous pianist duo Gülru Ensari and Herbert Schuch, here in four hands, slyly mix Brahms waltzes and others, perhaps less well known, of Hindemith - superb little pearls of coquetry, titled Drei Wunderschöine Mädchen im Schwarzwald ("Three beautiful girls in the Black Forest"). After completing this little round trip between Brahms and Hindemith, the duo ended up blurring the cards with two Anatolian Melodies by the Turkish composer Özkan Manav (* 1967), bridge between East and West. And the listener now "prepared," they end with one of the most impressive monuments of literature for four hands, Stravinsky's adaptation of his Rite of Spring, in which East and West are Mingled in an unbelievable wild ritual that solicits the fingers of the performers to the extremes. And as if that were not enough, Ensari and Schuch "reworked" the score of Stravinsky (which basically served only as support for the rehearsals of the ballet), restoring many orchestral parts left out, redistributing the voices to the various hands In order to provide greater continuity. Finally, they added - with discretion - two small percussion instruments, namely a tambourine and the guiro, in a few short passages where their sonority is founding in the orchestral texture. It will be noted that the duo avoids as much as possible the effects of pedal, thus allowing the musical discourse and its harmony (so often drowned in the orchestra) to show in all its splendor.

TRACKLIST

01. Waltz No. 1, Op. 39: I. Tempo giusto
02. Waltz No. 2, Op. 39
03. Eight Waltzes, Op. 6: I. Langesames Walzertempo
04. Waltz No. 11, Op. 39
05. Eight Waltzes, Op. 6: II. Mässig schnell
06. Waltz No. 3, Op. 39
07. Waltz No. 4, Op. 39: IV. Poco sostenuto
08. Waltz No. 5, Op. 39: V. Grazisoso
09. Waltz No. 7, Op. 39: VII. Poco più Andante
10. Waltz No. 6, Op. 39: VI. Vivace
11. Eight Waltzes, Op. 6: III. Lebhaft (ma non troppo)
12. Waltz No.8, Op. 39
13. Eight Waltzes, Op. 6: IV. Mässig schnell
14. Eight Waltzes, Op. 6: V. Munter
15. Waltz No. 10, Op. 39
16. Eight Waltzes, Op. 6: VI. Langsam
17. Waltzes No. 13, Op. 39
18. Waltz No. 14, Op. 39
19. Eight Waltzes, Op. 6: VII. Stürmisch
20. Eight Waltzes, Op. 6: VIII. Langsam (Etwas Sentimental Vorzutragen)
21. Two Anatolian Tunes: I. Kesik Çayir Biçilir mi
22. Two Anatolian Tunes: II. Ay Nare Nare
23. I. Introduction (Version for 4 hands)
24. II. The Augurs of Sping-Dances of the Young Girls. Tempo giusto (Version for 4 hands)
25. III. Ritual of Abduction. Presto (Version for 4 hands)
26. IV. Spring Rounds (Version for 4 hands)
27. V. Ritual of the Rival Tribes-Procession of the Oldest and wisest One. Molto Allegro (Version for 4 hands)
28. VI. Dance of the Earth (Version for 4 hands)
29. VII. Introduction. Largo (Version for 4 hands)
30. VIII. Mystic Circles Of The Young Girls. Andante Con Moto (Version For 4 Hands)
31. IX. Glorifaction of the Chosen One. Vivo (Version for 4 hands)
32. X. Evocation of the Ancestors (Version for 4 hands)
33. XI. Ritual Action of the Ancestors (Version for 4 hands)
34. XII. Sacricial Dance (The Chosen One) (Version for 4 hands)