Igor Stravinsky (1882–1971)
The Rite of Spring & other works for two pianos four hands
The Rite of Spring
Concerto for two solo pianos
Madrid arr. Soulima Stravinsky
Tango arr. Victor Babin
Circus Polka arr. Victor Babin
Marc-André Hamelin – piano
Leif Ove Andsnes – piano
Gramophone Record of the Month, February 2018 “Hamelin and Andsnes are irresistibly clear and energetic…For sheer articulacy, synchronised gymnastics, flawless balance, range of colour and flinty attack, or any other criterion you care to reach for, this is breathtaking pianism…An immensely collectable album: a strong candidate for Disc of the Year, never mind of the Month.”
The Sunday Times “These superb virtuosos coalesce in triumph on triumph of phrasing and crisp articulation. Their two-piano reading of The Rite of Spring adds to the inescapable savage exhilaration of the ballet a note-by-note precision and an almost neoclassical sense of the objectivity of the construction…a disc of scintillating pleasures.”
Shortly before its notorious Paris ballet premiere in 1913, this was essentially how ‘The Rite of Spring’ first saw the light of day: Leif Ove Andsnes and Marc-André Hamelin recapture the heady, visceral thrill which must have been in the air when Stravinsky sat down at the piano with Debussy to create this landmark of modernism.
Hyperion CDA68189 @ £14.25*