Alessio Bax, Lucille Chung - Bax & Chung Piano Duo: Stravinsky, Brahms, Piazzolla (2013)

The real life marriage of two great concert pianists, Alessio Bax and Lucille Chung, has led to one of the leading piano duos of their generation. To cite the UK magazine Music and Arts, 'Theirs is a marriage of wondrous colours and dextrous aplomb, subtly balanced to make a musical performance sound as one.' Stavinsky's Petrouchka was originally arranged for four-hands by the composer as a rehearsal score for the Ballet Russes production of the same name, but in this stripped-down it brings Stravinsky's melodic, rhythmic and harmonic inventiveness to the fore. Brahms's 16 Waltzes Op.39 are an enchanting collection of Romantic miniatures that simultaneously nod to the musical lineage of the composer's home in Vienna whilst asserting his own flair and individuality. The final four tangos by Piazzolla are a full of Argentine flair and vigor, and were arranged especially for this recording by Bax & Chung.