Christina Naughton, Michelle Naughton - Visions (2016) [Hi-Res]

Tracklist

01. Visions de l'Amen: I. Amen de la Création
02. Visions de l'Amen: II. Amen des étoiles, de la planète a l'aneau
03. Visions de l'Amen: III. Amen de l'agonie de Jésus
04. Visions de l'Amen: IV. Amen de Désir
05. Visions de l'Amen: V. Amen des Anges, des Saints, du chant des oiseaux
06. Visions de l'Amen: VI. Amen du Jugement
07. Visions de l'Amen: VII. Amen de la Consommation
08. Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit (from, 'Actus Tragicus'), BWV 106: I. Sonatina
09. Hallelujah Junction: I.
10. Hallelujah Junction: II.
11. Hallelujah Junction: III.



Warner Classics is delighted to announce the exclusive signing of the piano duo Christina and Michelle Naughton. Based in New York, the 27-year-old identical twins have played together from an early age, both graduating from the Curtis Institute and The Juilliard School.

Though hailed the natural successors to the Labèque sisters, the Naughtons have a unique bond – onstage and off – imbuing their playing with an extraordinary synergy and intensity. The Philadelphia Inquirer characterizes their performances as “paired to perfection”, while the San Francisco Examiner has praised their “stellar musicianship, technical mastery, and awe-inspiring artistry”.

The Naughtons’ debut Warner Classics recording, entitled Visions, is slated for release on February 26, 2016. "We are so excited to have the opportunity to develop and share our ‘vision’ of a unique set of repertoire that has brought us so much joy,” said Christina and Michelle of the signing. “We are especially grateful to do so in collaboration with Warner Classics—the force behind innumerable beautiful recordings that continue to inspire the musical world. It is a privilege to be a part of the Warner family."

The album’s wide-ranging program for piano four hands and two pianos brings together three very different composers – Bach, Messiaen and John Adams – united, say the sisters, by profound spiritual joy expressed in music and rhythm.

Moving from what Christina describes as the “fresh modern idiom” of the interlocking piano parts in Adams’ Hallelujah Junction to the serenity and “deep sense of peace” Michelle finds in Bach’s Sonatina from the Cantata BWV 106, the album concludes with Messiaen’s ecstatic, mystical masterpiece, Visions de l’Amen.

Above all, the album reflects the Naughton sisters’ sheer joy in making music together. “We always have been and still are the biggest source of support for each other in our musical lives,” says Michelle.

Michelle and Christina are Steinway Artists and have performed together with ensembles including the Philadelphia Orchestra, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Houston Symphony, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Royal Flemish Philharmonic and the Solistes Européens Luxembourg, with major recital appearances at France’s La Roque d’Antheron, the Bremen Music Festival, Naumburg Orchestral Concerts in New York’s Central Park and Prague’s Strings of Autumn Festival.

DOWNLOAD ALBUM [Hi-Res]