Sonate pour 2 pianos K 448 Fantaisie pour piano à 4 mains

Description

With this classic pairing, Scholtes and Janssens have not shied away and admit (in a rather meager notice) that facing a few overwhelming references (at the forefront of which are Lupu/Perahia) is no easy task. But although still young, the two musicians have been engaging with these works for 17 years and have a straightforward approach: it's all about the pleasure ("libidinal," Fabrice Lucchini would add) of playing. The result is brilliant and frustrating: the fast movements impress with their mastery, clarity, and energy. However, in the slower sections, their desire to communicate leads them to more questionable choices (rubato, slowdowns, nuances ad libitum). The Mozartian andante does not escape this. But what candor and joy in their collaboration! Their intimate knowledge of the scores allows for small wonders: the way certain bass lines in Mozart and counter-subjects in Schubert stand out is astonishing. As a "bonus" (to extend the album's duration beyond 40 short minutes), there are two laments extracted from the "7 chorales of Bach" arranged by G. Kurtag around 1990 and revised in 2010 (not a word in the notice…). But let's move on, forget the depth of the works, and let Menahem Pressler have the last word: "listening to these young people play, you will think that everything in the world will turn out fine." Not insignificant at this moment!